I Didn't Really Want to Do Farming! (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 24
Though it had clearly flown in the right direction, Kai’s dagger struck something solid and instead plunged into the wrong patch of earth.
You blocked my blade? With a pickaxe?
The flash from the clash between sword and pickaxe left my vision blurred.
Kai was so dumbfounded he couldn’t even get angry. That dagger, forged from Arenis steel, had never once chipped or scratched in two hundred years.
It had even pierced through shields and armor to embed itself in an enemy commander’s heart.
And yet this woman had blocked it with nothing but a mere pickaxe?
Kai stared sharply at the pickaxe blade, gleaming like silver under the moonlight. The princess, still in her nightclothes, hadn’t calmed down yet—she clutched the pickaxe tightly in both hands and kept huffing angrily.
Aside from the pickaxe’s sturdiness, the woman’s nimble movements were suspicious too.
Kai suspected Stella might be an assassin sent from Amalune. If so, that bizarre weapon she held must have another purpose.
It could even be a magical artifact. She might be a master assassin capable of instantly stealing lives with a surprise attack.
Kai took a step back and pulled another blade from his robes.
He sensed the silent shadows following him shifting quietly in the darkness.
At Kai’s signal, dozens of arrows would fly simultaneously, piercing the woman’s body. The cold air grew taut with tension.
Kai signaled the unseen figures to hold their position. He needed to uncover the woman’s identity before killing her.
“Who are you…”
he began to ask—but the woman abruptly threw the pickaxe to the ground.
Clang!
The pickaxe struck a stone on the floor, emitting a sharp sound. She hadn’t even swung it with full force—just dropped it—and yet the stone shattered into pieces. The woman sank heavily onto the ground.
“What are you doing…”
“Are you all right? What on earth are you doing!”
The woman, whom he’d expected to attack again, instead discarded her weapon and started scolding him.
Shouldn’t she have kept holding her weapon if she was angry? Shouldn’t she have begged for mercy once she dropped it?
Her actions made no sense. Kai signaled the shadows to withdraw. The presences hidden in the darkness vanished instantly.
Sitting on the dirt floor, the woman’s face shifted from worry to relief as she gazed at something on the ground. A whining voice came from the direction she was looking.
“He tried to kill us.”
“Stella saved us, right?”
He checked them for injuries, but Ark and Esta seemed merely startled, showing no real harm.
“I’m glad you’re not hurt.”
Stella sighed deeply in relief and quickly hid Ark and Esta behind her back.
The little ones had already grown fond of her—it was endearing and heartwarming how they eagerly hopped behind her. Their small, warm bodies trembled against her back.
“So you can see them too.”
Kai asked, his voice still wary.
“You heard their voices just now, didn’t you? I’ve only recently started seeing them myself.”
Stella replied, her voice still tinged with anger.
Recently started seeing them? Kai narrowed his eyes and tilted his head slightly to peer behind Stella.
The moon, previously hidden by clouds, emerged and cast its round reflection onto the silver blade of the fallen pickaxe.
It wasn’t a tranquil lake—just the reflection of the moon on a mere pickaxe blade. Yet Kai found himself momentarily entranced by that simple circle of light, unable to look away.
He felt powerfully bewitched by something, yet helplessly drawn in.
“It’s mine.”
Had Stella not quickly picked up the fallen pickaxe then, Kai might have kissed the blade.
When he snapped back to his senses, he shuddered at the horrifying thought of what he might have done. Worse, the shadows would have witnessed it all.
The moment Stella hid the bewitching pickaxe behind her back, Kai finally saw them.
“Huh? What!”
Kai leapt backward in shock at the sudden appearance of Ark and Esta. This was the same man who wouldn’t flinch even facing a monstrous beast.
“Stella, he can see us now too.”
“Yeah. Our eyes just met a moment ago. Look how wide his eyes got—he’s terrified! He doesn’t look it, but he’s such a scaredy-cat. He’s too stunned to speak.”
“Don’t tease him too much. I was scared at first too.”
The woman gently scolded the little ones who were giggling at him.
“What are those?”
Kai asked without stepping closer, his gaze fixed on Ark and Esta.
“No! Don’t eat them. They’re mine.”
“Why would I eat those things…”
Kai snapped back at Stella’s sudden remark, then fell silent as he realized she wasn’t stopping him—but Ben.
Stella was fiercely defending her carrot patch from Ben, who kept pushing his head forward. She glared, palms spread wide, waving her hands left and right repeatedly to warn him off.
But Ben wasn’t about to listen. Kai felt oddly amused and simply watched without intervening.
He even felt slightly resentful—how dare she forbid the Emperor’s own horse from eating a mere carrot?
Besides, Ben never obeyed anyone but himself.
Kai secretly hoped Ben would ruin the whole carrot patch—but then Ben let out a soft whinny and slowly backed away. It was the first time Ben had ever obeyed someone else.
Just who is this woman?
Kai decided he needed to learn more about her identity and scanned the surroundings once more. Her accomplices might be hiding nearby.
“They’re earth sprites.”
As Kai carefully surveyed the area, Stella answered in a slightly weary voice—apparently responding to his earlier question.
“The chubby one is Ark, and the one with big round eyes is Esta.”
“They have names?”
Ark and Esta jumped up indignantly at Kai’s dismissive tone, but Kai didn’t even notice them standing up.
“Of course they have names! And what’s your name, huh? Why did you barge in here, ruin my field, and try to hurt my friends?”
For a moment, Kai considered revealing his identity—but decided against it. There was no point anymore, and he never wanted to set foot in this unpleasant place again.
“Lois. I’m with His Majesty the Emperor’s knight order.”
Hearing this mere knight speak so boldly before her, Stella’s anger flared instantly.
“If you’re really from the knight order, you should know exactly who I am.”
The moment she declared her identity, the woman haughtily lifted her chin and scolded him.
Kai didn’t understand at first—then belatedly realized she was invoking her status as a princess. It was ridiculous, but he decided to humor her.
“Please forgive my rudeness toward Your Highness.”
It was the first time in his life Kai had bowed to ask for forgiveness—and to a worthless, hostage princess from some remote land, no less.
At first, it felt unpleasant—but secretly, it was rather amusing. Besides, today he’d finally discovered the true nature of those invisible creatures.
He didn’t want to cause unnecessary trouble. Moreover, if he revealed he was the Emperor, she might start boasting about having some special relationship with him—and that was worse than death.
Kai had no desire to be close to anyone yet.
“Normally, I’d punish you for treason right now, but I’ll show mercy and let this slide—just this once. However!”
Curious about what demand she’d make, Kai watched Stella with intrigued eyes.
“You must never tell anyone you saw earth sprites here. Understood?”
He’d expected some grand request—but all she wanted was for him to pretend he hadn’t seen the earth sprites.
That was exactly what Kai himself wanted to ask. He had no intention of letting anyone know he could see such ridiculous things.
“Don’t worry. Then I’ll take my leave.”
Kai had no desire to stay any longer or exchange words with a princess who boasted about her meaningless status.
Kai quickly grabbed Ben’s reins. Fortunately, Ben seemed to have given up on the carrot patch and obediently turned around.
“Let’s go, Ben.”
He wanted to leave this place as soon as possible—but
Grrrrrrrrr…
At that moment, a loud rumble echoed from Kai’s stomach. He’d skipped dinner, surviving only on a piece of bread while working, and was now famished.
“Wait a moment.”
Kai, who’d intended to leave without acknowledging it, stopped and turned around at Stella’s voice from behind.
Ben, who’d been walking away with rhythmic hoofbeats, also halted and turned his head toward Stella.
“What is it?”
“You look like you missed dinner training—just wait a bit.”
Kai was about to say he’d settle for a scrap of bread—but Stella walked not toward the manor, but toward the very patch Ben had stuck his head into earlier.
Wondering what she was up to, Kai watched closely—then his eyes widened in disbelief.
Princess Stella pulled three carrots straight from the field. She quickly rubbed them clean with water given by the earth sprites—either Easton or Caston—and washed them off. Her coarse, rustic behavior made Kai’s brow furrow involuntarily.
“There. They’re clean now.”
After inspecting the cleaned carrots, Stella held one out to Kai. Surely she wouldn’t actually expect him to eat it. Kai let out a dry, incredulous laugh at her audacity.
“Go on, try it. They’re a bit small since they’re not fully grown yet, but they’re quite tasty.”
With that, she took a loud bite of one herself. Instantly, the sweet scent of carrot filled the air. Ben, standing beside Kai, whinnied impatiently.
“I don’t eat this kind of…”
He was about to say “thing.”
But what was this aroma? Unconsciously, Kai swallowed hard.
The Villainous Demon Lord Laid an Egg for Her (Female-Dominated)
Several months after transmigrating into a book, Yu Wu found herself facing the demon lord Li You, who could no longer conceal his dragon horns. With one hand on her aching waist and the other gripping a sharp sword, she stared at him.
The demon lord’s eyes were red with fury:
“This is all your doing! Today, I won’t rest until I kill you!”
Yu Wu rubbed her temples. Putting aside the taboo against bloodshed during pregnancy, wasn’t it this very man who willingly walked into her trap that day?!
Warnings:
- Male pregnancy.
- Height ratios are set to mirror typical male-female height proportions.
- Characters include a foot-loving demon lord and an eldest daughter from an immortal family’s concubine lineage.
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