The Strongest Farmer in Another World ~I'm a "Farmer", Not a Demon King! ~ - Chapter 566

The Strongest Farmer in Another World ~I’m a “Farmer”, Not a Demon King! ~

Chapter 566   Escape from the holy city

“We’re pulling back! Everyone, retreat! Be prepared for the possibility of more anomalies!”

As we make our way, the enemy soldiers we had defeated along the path are nowhere to be seen. Instead, there are creatures stumbling around as if replacing them—attacking us, some with mutated body parts, and others with tentacles bursting out of their flesh.

While dealing with these monsters, I head towards the church’s main gate to regroup with Granny and the others. It seems that the Karakas faction is still stationed there, so we should be able to reunite safely.

However, “safely” doesn’t necessarily mean without any issues.

Just like us on the way, Granny and the others seem to be under attack as well.

As I kick aside the monsters from behind, intending to search for Granny’s figure, she appears before me before I can even start searching.

“Granny! I’m glad you’re okay. Thought you might’ve kicked the bucket.”

“Don’t go off killing me on your own, you idiot.”

Our conversation would usually involve more banter and jokes, but Granny seems to be under pressure now. Without any unnecessary chatter, she immediately shifts to the main topic.

“So, what’s the deal with all this?”

“As much as I want to know… It’s probably the barrier malfunctioning. Or perhaps, the curse going haywire after the barrier broke.”

“Either way, something’s gone haywire. What a pain.”

I couldn’t agree more with her assessment. If this were caused by some regular means, there might be a way to fix it, but with it going haywire, it’s uncertain if there’s even a way to stop it.

“Let’s just get away from here for now. Can’t have a decent conversation in a place like this.”

However, discussing what to do next here won’t yield any answers, and we don’t have the luxury of time, so I nod in agreement with Granny’s words and decide to leave this place.

“The entire town, huh…”

As I give orders to my subordinates to move away from the church, I notice abnormal plant growth throughout the town. It seems slower than at the church, but at this rate, the entire town will be consumed by plants or who knows what else in due time.

Adding to that, the number of mutated beings is also increasing. They were probably former residents who have undergone a change.

I found some residents who hadn’t mutated, but I ignored them. Maybe they’ll mutate suddenly, and besides, ordinary people can’t keep up with our pace. We’re at least Fifth rank or above, so our physical abilities are different.

In such a situation, if we were to help them, we’d either have to match their speed or carry them, but slowing down is out of the question. But as for carrying them, that’s also doubtful. After all, we haven’t even secured our own safety yet. We want to avoid getting tied up with things that could endanger us in such a dangerous area.

Moreover, if we were to help, we’d have to talk and persuade them first, or they might resist. If that happens, it’ll just waste more time.

If we waste time helping and then there are casualties, it’s unacceptable.

It’s not that I don’t want to help. I want to avoid unnecessary deaths if possible.

But I’m the king of Karakas. The lives of my citizens are my top priority, and everything else comes second. Especially when it comes to countries we’ve had hostilities with.

So, while there were people asking for help, we pushed past them and continued running to get out of the city.

“We’re almost out of the city!”

And then, just as we could see the gate leading out of the city, Kyle, who had been running in front of me, shouted while looking back.

“Huh?”

But as he turned around, Kyle let out a puzzled voice.

“Kyle!? What’s wrong?”

While his legs were still moving, his speed was clearly slowing down, and seeing this, I shouted at Kyle.

“The buildings are… wriggling… no, what? Turning into monsters?”

“What?”

Not understanding what Kyle was saying, I furrowed my brows and, like Kyle, turned back, where I too let out a puzzled voice.

“Hey, kid! Don’t just stand there like a bump on a log! Move it!”

Granny’s urging, accompanied by a tap on my head as my pace slowed, but I couldn’t help but be overly fixated on the scene unfolding behind us.

Ahead of me, where the church once stood, instead of people, tendrils resembling plants were emerging from the church itself, writhing to form a single large mass.

While plants were sprouting from the ground elsewhere, no other buildings were directly spawning vegetation like the church was. It was as if the building itself was alive.

“Ah, yeah. But, that…”

“Forget figuring out what’s happening now! Getting away from here takes priority!”

“Yeah… You’re right, Granny. Let’s go!”

As the church began to writhe and transform into a towering mass of tendrils, we increased our speed again to flee from the scene.

“We’ve managed to escape this far… What now?”

After running for a while, we were able to leave the holy city behind, but instead of stopping to catch our breath, we continued on to a place a bit further from the city.

Now that we’ve come this far, we can finally take a breather, but the people we brought along for investigation are collapsed as if dead. Let them rest for a while; there’s no need to rush them into action right away since we haven’t decided on our future course of action.

“What now? Well, what can we do if we don’t even know what’s going on?”

“Well, that may be true, but…”

I murmured in agreement with Kyle, who was panting next to me as we sat down.

Yeah, that’s right. If we don’t know what’s happening, there’s nothing we can do.

It’s probably some kind of curse, but if it’s to the extent of that curse, I might even believe it if someone said an evil god had manifested.

But if that’s the case, aren’t we powerless to do anything on our own?

“May I suggest something?”

“Sofia? Oh, what is it?”

“Well, how about creating a base for now to calm down a bit? Even if it’s something simple, having a place to hide and defend can change our mental fatigue. Plus, while resting is important in this situation, I think it would be reassuring to have some sort of action planned.”

“…Hmm, you’re right. Then, uh… could you instruct them to create a room-like structure formed from packed dirt?”

I envisioned a bunker. In this place where there’s nothing to hide behind, any enemies would immediately spot us.

But using the tents we brought would still make us stand out. Therefore, I asked for a bunker that blends in with the surroundings, making it less conspicuous and providing some defense. I’m not sure what the exact shape will be, but as long as it somewhat resembles a bunker, it should suffice for now.

“Understood.”

After giving the instructions, Sofia nodded lightly and left the area.

Subsequently, we woke up those who were sleeping and began creating our camp, deciding to observe the situation for the time being.

“There’s no movement, huh? Well, except for the plants wriggling around.”

“Don’t make stupid jokes at a time like this.”

However, even though we were observing, it didn’t mean we were doing nothing. I decided to discuss the current situation and our future plans with Granny and the others.

“For now, we haven’t had any casualties among our own. There are injuries, but I’ve instructed to purify them as a precaution before treating them.”

“Ah, that’s a relief. Yeah, it’s probably best to purify them first.”

Considering the abnormality caused by such a strong curse, if someone were injured, they could potentially be affected by it… or so it’s conceivable. Whether it makes a difference or not, it’s better to err on the side of caution.

“Huh!?”

As I was casually checking the situation, suddenly a scream-like sound came from nearby, emanating from one of the bunkers. And it was a voice I didn’t want to hear but had unfortunately become familiar with.

“Enemy attack!”

Even in her groggy state, she’s still shouting. And she’s mumbling too.

Well, I guess she understands it’s a dire situation, so it’s fine.

“…Whew. Was it a dream?”

After looking around the room made of dirt, why does this idiot not sense any abnormalities?