#943 Another Year, Another Season of Orkubo’s Castle

Winter.

It has come around again this year.

It’s the off-season for farming, so around these parts, it’s officially time to laze about.

But we make good use of this downtime by diving into various experiments and projects, which has become quite the tradition on the farm...

Among them, there’s one event we never skip.

Orkubo’s Castle.

We’re doing it again this year!!!

Let’s start from the beginning. The orcs on our farm have a knack for building stuff, and one day, they were like, “Let’s build a castle!”

And castles are meant to be stormed!

We invite guests from outside for siege and defense games, and each year, the event just keeps getting bigger, eventually becoming a major annual bash.

It’s almost like a New Year’s hidden talent show.

Or maybe I should compare it to those “try not to laugh” challenges trending these days.

Anyway, it’s something many look forward to, so we can’t just cancel it on a whim.

We’re all in to deliver the fun and meet everyone’s expectations with Orkubo’s Castle!!!

So, it’s time for the planning meeting.

The brains of our farm gather to discuss.

“I really want to ramp it up this year.”

As the chair of this council, I’ve been switching things up every year to keep our beloved event entertaining.

This time around, I’m hoping for ideas that are fresh yet uphold the spirit of our past festivities.

“Me, me, me, me, me, me, mememememe!!!”

“What is it, Letasreit?”

The first to raise her hand is Letasreit.

A former princess from the now-defunct Human Kingdom.

Even though a new Human Republic has been established, she still lives on the farm.

There’s no reason she has to leave, so we might as well leave her be.

And I can almost guess what she’s about to propose.

“We should host Orkubo’s Castle: Bean Festival Year this time!”

“Rejected.”

“Why not?!”

We can’t just turn Orkubo’s Castle into a stage for personal whims.

I mean, if we went with her idea, you can bet that next, Veil would show up complaining, “It’s not fair to only celebrate beans!”

And then, sure enough, next year, we’d have the Orkubo’s Castle: Dragon Ramen Festival Year.

And the year after that, Platy might turn it into a Curry Festival, and then Bacchus would probably make it a Wine Festival the following year, and before you know it, everything would be in chaos.

We absolutely must prevent that.

It would change the very nature of Orkubo’s Castle.

“So, there will be no bean promotions or anything else at Orkubo’s Castle. If you really want to spread the bean love, think up a separate event for that.”

“Boo.”

Letasreit grudgingly backs down.

It’s a sign she’s grown a lot here on the farm.

“Any other ideas?”

“Yes, yes, yes! Me!”

Veil is next to raise her hand.

I already have a bad feeling about this.

“I was thinking of Orkubo’s Castle: Dragon Ramen Festival, you see...”

“Didn’t I just say no to those kinds of ideas?!”

Did you even pay attention to the flow of the discussion?

No matter whether we considered Letasreit’s proposal positively or negatively, Veil is bound to make an absurd demand.

It feels futile against the inevitable forces of the world.

“Oh, by the way, Master, Alexander was asking about Orkubo’s Castle and seemed quite interested.”

“Alexander?”

Being the strongest among dragons and perhaps the strongest in all life across the whole universe, Alexander finds joy in living among mankind.

He even runs his own dungeon, welcoming challengers, so it’s natural he’d be intrigued by our creative spins on Orkubo’s Castle.

“But why now?”

Haven’t we been doing Orkubo’s Castle for years already?

“A dragon’s sense of time can be like that, you know? They could zone out for centuries. In that context, the recent flurry among dragons feels hectic.”

“Is that so...?!”

Well, we humans also get hooked on shows years after they’ve finished airing, so maybe it’s just how things go.

All right then, I guess I’ll send an invitation to Alexander, but are there any other proposals?

“My Lord...!!!”

“Oh?”

I nearly jumped at that resonant, forceful voice.

Just hearing it felt like a punch to the gut.

Who is this, bringing such vigor to a mere planning session?

Orkubo?

It’s Orkubo the orc. Has he grown tired of his newlywed life with Zoth Syra already?

Well, it’s been a year, after all.

“My Lord... May I offer my humble opinion?”

“...By all means, please do.”

As the name “Orkubo’s Castle” suggests, Orkubo is the original architect of this grand scheme.

Everything started with him. In short, he’s the true origin.

For Orkubo to come forth with such a spirited suggestion...

Could it be something of great importance?

“My Lord...! I’ve long pondered whether Orkubo’s Castle is truly living up to its potential.”

“O-Oh...?!”

We’re starting with such a foundational concern?

“Indeed, Orkubo’s Castle has enjoyed much praise and has seen many events unfold within its walls. However, resting on our laurels and falling into complacency will only lead to a loss of momentum. We must always be challengers!”

“Right...?”

“And let us not forget what must not be forgotten! Our original purpose! Why did we build Orkubo’s Castle? Why erect such a fortress? We must keep these questions close to our hearts and never forget our beginnings!!!”

Orkubo passionately speaks.

A youthful spirit of challenge and a dedication to our roots.

It is indeed right to move forward with both.

So, what drives this heart?

“Orkubo’s Castle was born from the simple desire to ‘build a castle.’ But lately, have we not neglected the very essence of being a castle?!”

...Now that you mention it.

The more we’ve tried to make it entertaining with various events, the more the essence of the castle itself seems to have faded.

Originally, it was supposed to be like a siege, with players infiltrating the castle and capturing the keep.

It evolved into an athletic event, with food stalls and small event spaces cropping up everywhere, even hosting a snow festival and sumo tournaments simultaneously.

Perhaps we are indeed drifting from our original purpose.

Maybe there are those enjoying the castle without knowing it was originally themed around a castle siege.

Like fans who came in through the mobile game adaptation of a super popular novel game, unaware it was initially an adult game... kind of situation.

“Therefore, my proposal is to highlight the ‘castle’ aspect of Orkubo’s Castle! To build a grand and splendid castle anew and let everyone know what our event truly stands for!!!”

“I see.”

Master of conversational interjections—yep, that’s me.

Could it be just Orkubo and his crew’s building passion erupting anew?

These guys truly live to create something out of nothing. That includes me, too, though.

We haven’t been building much new lately, and maybe this burst of building enthusiasm is just riding on the back of the Orkubo’s Castle event.

That might be no different than Letasreit or Veil’s case!

“...So while we preserve our original spirit, there’s another ambition—”

You mentioned it earlier, right?

The importance of original intent and the spirit of challenge.

Returning to our roots with castle building is fine, but that only satisfies the original intent.

What about our remaining spirit of challenge? Wouldn’t it be incomplete without it?

“Fear not, My Lord...! Our new castle building will include innovative attempts that will also satisfy our spirit of challenge!”

“Innovative attempts?”

“Look forward to it, My Lord! This year’s Orkubo’s Castle will be unprecedentedly exciting, all thanks to our orc team!”

I’m not quite sure what he’s planning, but it seems his proposal has already been approved.

What kind of castle will the orcs build?

We’ll only know on the day of the event.