The Strongest Farmer in Another World ~I'm a "Farmer", Not a Demon King! ~ - Chapter 580

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

Chapter 580   The Evil God Subjugation Battle: Lene’s Merit

“Here we go.”

Observing the battlefield, it seemed the enemy reacted to our approach and changed their movements.

Immediately after, a meteor-like strike was unleashed from our side, bursting the head of the large monster at the forefront.

“There are plenty of enemies. Those who disparage our god. Let’s take care of them all.”

The Tenth rank member who dispatched the monster in a single blow, Lancia, looked around at her comrades and spoke.

It wasn’t a loud voice, but it was clear enough for everyone present to hear, and all those attacking from a distance armed themselves.

“Fire.”

With that command, attacks from arrows, magic, and projectiles rained down on the mutated creatures from a distance.

Lancia was indeed worthy of being called a member of the Tenth rank. When we fought, she didn’t seem to be using her full strength at all, but now she was raining down arrows with the power exceeding that of cannons, like meteors.

Not only lancia but also the elves she brought along and those skilled in magic and archery among the humans launched attacks that struck the mutated creatures, taking them down one by one.

Due to the onslaught of attacks like a hailstorm, the mutated creatures spawned by the evil god gradually decreased in number.

However, the mutated creatures continued to be spawned, so it wasn’t easy to end them so easily. Despite the reduced numbers, the mutated creatures, even if attacked or seeing their comrades die, continued to advance toward us without stopping.

However, the newly spawned creatures were all small in size, not large ones. Of course, there were still large ones that hadn’t been defeated and newly spawned ones, but compared to the initial numbers, they had decreased, and it could be said that the initial plan had been somewhat accomplished.

“They’re getting closer.”

Soon, the enemies breaking through Lancia’s attacks would make contact with the front line of our army.

Despite reducing the number of large creatures somewhat, there were still some left, and dealing with the additional small ones would be challenging.

If we were pushed back here, the subsequent flow of events would be ruined, so failure was not an option.

“No need to worry. We have a few tricks up our sleeves as well.”

In response to my words, Filia smiled while looking at the soldiers in front of her.

Her demeanor seemed to imply that there was nothing to worry about, and I found myself drawn to her gaze and turned to face the front.

Just before the swarm of mutated creatures and the vanguard of our army made contact, a storm of flames erupted in front of our army.

From this distance, it was unclear what exactly was happening.

From what I could see, it seemed like a vortex of flames was being unleashed horizontally, similar to a flamethrower. That was probably not far from the truth.

However, compared to a flamethrower, the performance was incomparable. The term “storm of flames” I used earlier would be more fitting.

That storm of flames dyed the soldiers’ front line red, engulfing everything there in red.

“That’s… amazing, that thing.”

Normally, plants aren’t particularly flammable. Considering that their bodies are mostly composed of water, that would be natural to assume.

But regardless of that, it’s burning everything, whether small or large, without discrimination.

“But gathering that many magical tools must have cost a fortune.”

It’s unlikely that they prepared fire mages all along the front before making contact with the enemy, so it’s reasonable to assume they prepared magical tools instead.

But to do that, they would have had to prepare a considerable number of them. Honestly, I think even I would hesitate to spend that much money.

Moreover, if they managed to prepare items capable of producing this much power, it would have cost even more. Magical tools aren’t mass-produced on assembly lines; they’re crafted one by one by skilled artisans.

But despite my words, Filia shook her head.

“No, it’s not like that. I made them all myself.”

“You made them… you?”

Certainly, she’s a mage, but she’s an earth mage, right? Then she shouldn’t be able to create magical tools that emit flames.

“No, it’s Lene. I had her write down the Fourth rank of Fire Magic on paper.”

“Lene… oh, her. Seems like she’s doing pretty well, huh?”

At first, the name Lene didn’t ring a bell, but as I recalled the people connected to Filia and me, I quickly remembered. There aren’t that many mutual acquaintances after all.

Lene is someone I met when I visited the royal capital of Zabet in the past, Filia’s senior. We ended up on the same team for a tournament that served as a showdown with the second Princess. I don’t know how she’s doing now, but she’s probably still working as Filia’s aide or something.

Her main job is ‘Librarian,’ with ‘Fire Mage’ as her side job, but she wasn’t very good at magic. I taught her how to use skills, or rather how to combine them. I guess she did the same thing this time.

Lene’s ability allows her to create disposable makeshift magical tools by writing down her usable spells on paper. With that ability, she could certainly prepare this many. The fact that they all have the same power is because they’re made by the same person… wait, the same person? Does that mean she prepared all of them alone?

“Yeah… though I might have pushed her a bit too hard, and now she’s bedridden.”

It seems this princess made her subordinate work until she collapsed.

“I know it sounds unbelievable, but did she really make all those for every single soldier?”

“Yes. Originally, she had an unusually high usage count, so we managed somehow. Towards the end, she learned a skill called ‘Replication’ from continuously using her skills, which allowed her to prepare more than planned. However, of course, she didn’t make everything that the soldiers are carrying alone. At most, it’s only a fraction of it.”

Even if it’s just a fraction, with this many, even one-tenth would be quite a feat.

“Replication,” huh? From what I heard, it sounds like a skill that literally replicates some kind of ‘writing.’ What rank is it?”

“…”

“Hey, Filia?”

In response to my question, for some reason, Filia turned her face away and fell silent.

But she must have felt she couldn’t stay silent forever. Filia exhaled once before speaking.

“…Currently, it’s the Seventh rank.”

“Huh. Quite the leap. …Wait. Did you say Seventh? …Wasn’t it Fourth the last time we met?”

I’m pretty sure when we met before, Lene’s librarian tier was Fourth. Even if she had reached the brink of the Fifth Tier back then, it’s only been about two years since then. And yet she’s already at the Seventh rank? You don’t just casually jump up three tiers in two years by living normally.

“I might have pushed her a bit too hard.”

“Pushing her three ranks up in two years isn’t just a bit too much…”

“There were reasons for this. After parting ways with you, Lene advanced to the Fifth Tier. Her skill, ‘Restoration,’ allows her to repair ‘writing.’ So by having Lene repair magic circles drawn by amateurs, we aimed to shorten the time. She also became capable of using attributes she couldn’t before by repairing them. As a result, although our country lost some Tenth rank individuals, we managed to maintain a decent level of strength. Rebuilding our forces was urgent to protect the kingdom. So… even though it pains me, we had to push Lene a bit beyond her limits.”

Indeed, if they went from having eight Tenth rank individuals to just two, strengthening their forces was necessary.

But still, raising two tiers in two years would mean using a skill nearly 300 times a day, wouldn’t it? Isn’t that a kind of torture? After all, ordinary nobles would have been considered remarkable if they could use their skills a hundred times a day.

Well, in Lene’s case, she must have had a lot of skill uses, so it’s okay… or is it?

But it must have been quite difficult to be forced to use skills continuously, and I somehow feel like they’re trying to cover up that fact.

“Do you think that kind of cover-up is going to work?”

“…Cover-up? There’s no such thing.”

In response to my words, Filia answered with a smile. But that smile seemed oddly fake.

“Well, they’re your subordinates, so I’m not going to nitpick, but it seems you’ve been pushing her too hard like that. …Make sure she can’t escape, okay?”

“No need to worry about that. I’ve already appointed Lene as the ‘Strategic Mage Scribe,’ given her a salary equivalent to a minister’s, raised her family’s noble rank, provided financial support, and decided to prioritize her siblings’ future paths. She’s also been given the room closest to the royal family in the castle. With all that, considering her personality, she’s unlikely to run away.”

Ah, now that you mention it, I remember her saying that her family didn’t have much power and was quite poor. With all the money and status given to her, plus preferential treatment for her family, she probably won’t be able to escape.

“Even though she’s your subordinate, she’s also your friend, right? That’s quite ruthless.”

“It’s precisely because she’s a friend. Wouldn’t it be sad if she could escape?”

“But isn’t the point to not treat your friends in a way that they’d want to escape?”

“It’s okay. I’m sure Lene understands.”

“She can’t escape from your grasp, huh?”

“It’s because being with me is the happiest thing for her.”

It’s kind of… twisted, isn’t it? Her expression of affection, I mean?

Well, from the looks of it, Lene might be happy. A poor noble from a not-so-affluent family has become a close aide to the royal family, given a position, and elevated her family’s status. It’s a success story of a noble climbing up the ranks to become almost royal.

But behind that, there’s a meaning or rather, an intention…

After letting out a light sigh, I returned my gaze to the front, where once again, flames formed a wall, swallowing up the enemies.

“The reserves of flame magical tools are unlimited. Don’t hesitate to use them! Once you’ve finished using them, withdraw to the rear and replenish the magical tools!”

“It’s the command of Lord Evil God! Burn, burn!”

“Let’s show them which one is the real Evil God!”

“Now is the time to show the true power of Lord Evil God!”

“Hey, seriously, cut the crap, will you!? Stop saying that Title!”

They must be using some sort of megaphone. I can hear instructions being shouted, and the soldiers responding, but it seems pretty relaxed.

But “Lord Evil God,” huh? Which is worse, that or “Torture Master”… No, “Lord Evil God” sounds better.

That aside, from what I’m hearing, they have not just one per person, but enough to exchange if needed.

With an army of seventy thousand, they must have several times that number of magical tools, right? And Lene, who’s in charge of some percentage of them…

“…Your friend is amazing.”

“Yes. My friends are amazing.”

Seeing her proudly nod at my words, I can tell she truly cares about Lene.

…Well, as long as they’re happy, it’s all good. Despite everything, I’m sure Lene is enjoying herself. Let’s believe they’re leading fulfilling lives.