#1212 Orkubo’s Orkubo’s Castle 

I am Orkubo the orc. 

Today, my family and I are out on a little day trip. 

Our destination is Orkubo’s Castle. 
It feels a bit strange to visit a place that literally bears my name. 

Still, this is the first time I get to experience it from the other side as a guest, not its organizer. 

That’s all thanks to my lords’s bright idea: the “Orkubo's Castle Local Delegation Project.” I have to admit, I’m a little taken aback. 

“So, how’s it feel to be in the audience at an event you used to host?” my old comrade Gobukichi asks from the next seat over. 

Gobukichi leads our farm’s goblin crew, and I head the orc team. We’ve tackled countless missions side by side over the years—battle buddies turned best friends. 

He’s here with his family too, and we’re sitting together in one of the box seats set up for spectators.  
Our families are all crammed into the same little section. 

“C’mon now, show some spirit! What kind of fight is it if you don’t spill a little blood?” 
“This is quite the barbaric spectacle. I can hardly encourage proper behavior in our little ones.” 

With both our spouses absorbed in the show, Gobukichi and I finally get a chance for some small talk.  
But it’s so quiet without something to eat or drink, so we flag down a passing vendor... 

“Excuse me, two beers, please.” 
“Here you go!” 

We balance our kids on our laps and knock back the beer. 
Meanwhile, we spectate the challengers in the arena leap, dodge, and clash against the castle’s defenses. 

“…So, how do you feel about it?”  

Hm? 
Gobukichi nudges me, noting my relaxed posture. 
The crowd is electric around us, but for me… 

“Orkubo's Castle is an event you’ve been involved in since the ground broke. Don’t you feel a twinge of melancholy, seeing it continue without you at the helm?” 

Well… maybe a little.  
After all, our orc team first dreamed up this castle, stumbling on this perfect plot of land and insisting it be built.  

My lord, the Saint, granted our wish, and so it became officially “Orkubo's Castle.” 

Who would’ve guessed it’d turn into such an enduring attraction?  
That it would go on without me? 

“Honestly, though, I’m not that sentimental about it…” 
“Wait, really?” 

For us orcs, the real thrill lies in construction itself.  

Once the walls are up, our job’s done.  
Granted, every event adds new wings, and I enjoyed those expansions. 

But lately, we’ve had to channel all our building energy into building the Farm Kingdom. New barns, irrigation, stables. I was actually relieved to hand over castle duties to the locals. 

How about you, Gobukichi? 

Your goblin team must have been busy every time Orkubo's Castle rolled around? 

“Oh, you have no idea...From hosting to running the machinery, manning the lost-and-found and directing queues… every little task fell to us goblins.” 

My... 
Well, thank you for all the hard work your team has done... 

“You know, for something called Orkubo’s Castle, it really felt like we goblins were the ones doing most of the work.” 

Well, that’s because you goblins are way more skilled. 
You’re reliable in every situation. Goblins are seriously invaluable. 

You guys are amazing. 

“Still, we’ve handed off most of those duties to the local folks now… and honestly, they’re amazing, too. They’ve managed to take over a workload that’s gotten way more complex and wide-ranging.” 

Now, it’s Lord Dalkish’s team who’s running Orkubo’s Castle in our place. 

They did get some solid training in advance from Sensei and Lady Veil, but it’s still impressive how well they’re handling everything. 

“Running Orkubo’s Castle requires some serious magic management skills, after all.” 
“That’s right, that’s right! I had to go through an extensive handover for the homunculus management! We even had to tweak the system so demons could use it! And all that while I was still juggling my duties as the prime minister! It was exhausting!” 

My wife, Zoth Syra, complains. 
Her homunculus ambush assault is a fan-favorite part of Orkubo's Castle’s third obstacle. There was no way we could cut that. 

She really is one hardworking woman. 

“And now that those responsibilities have been handed off, the freed-up resources from Orkubo’s Castle can be funneled straight into the Farm Kingdom.” 

We orcs will be raising all kinds of new facilities out there!  

Just thinking about it makes my blood pump! 
I wonder what we should build next! 

“You orcs do get gleeful at the thought of construction… but truly, no longing for Orkubo's Castle?” 

Speaking of castles! 

Shouldn’t the Farm Kingdom also have one? 
I mean, our Lord is becoming a king, so it only makes sense to have a royal castle, right? 

Actually, the orc team’s already been bouncing around some ideas! 
Some of them are pretty ambitious, do wanna hear? 

“Oh, yeah... Wow, look at that curtain fire go...” 

Gobukichi! 
I know the competition’s exciting, but could you at least try to listen? 

So, about the new castle for Farm Kingdom, the biggest issue is where to build it! 

“Sure, sure.” 

But then it hit me. 
What if we didn’t have to pick a location at all? 

We just… float the castle in the sky!!! 

“Uh-huh... Huh?!” 

If it’s airborne, you cut off access entirely, no ground invasions possible! 

And if we add a propulsion system, it could fly wherever it's needed! 

Of course, we’d still need to worry about potential air attacks. That’s why we’re thinking of equipping it with autonomous humanoid defense units. 
If we give them flight capabilities and laser eyes or something, they could probably shoot down even a giant aerial dreadnought! 

The only real issue is a power source strong enough to keep a massive castle floating 24/7, but that’s something we’re hoping to consult our lord about. 

“That’s really ambitious...!” 

Hm? What's with that look, Gobukichi?  
Are you… a little weirded out? 

“Well, I’ve always known you orcs are a little obsessed with architecture, so I’m not that surprised. And now that we’re no longer tied up with Orkubo’s Castle, I imagine you’ve got a lot more resources to throw at new projects... but…” 

...And here he pauses... 

“...Are you really going to build something new?” 

... 
Probably not. 

Sure, if our lord asks us to build something, we’ll do it. 
But as for building something just for fun, like Orkubo Castle, I don’t think so. 

Why? Well... 
Because I have a child now. 

A beautiful little one, born to me and Zoth Syra.  
Watching them grow is more important than any hobby project. I just don’t have the time for that kind of thing anymore. 

“I get that. Once you’ve got a family, your wife and kid come first.” 

You feel the same way, huh? Married and a dad around the same time as me. 

That’s right. As the head of a household, as a husband and a father... 

Family comes first. 
Hobbies come second. 
 

In that sense… maybe it’s a relief that Orkubo’s Castle is no longer our responsibility. 

“But it’s a good thing the castle continues on, right? New people stepping up, carrying on our glory days…” 

That’s true. 

Each of us has something to protect now. 
So, let’s give our all to that and cheer on the younger generation as they forge ahead.