#669 Snowball Fight—No Holds Barred

All right then.

I wonder how our other big event at the Snow Festival—the snowball fight—is going?

I head over to the snowball fight arena, which is quite some distance from the snow sculptures so they don’t get smashed.

“Oh, hi, Dear! I see you’ve come to my battlefield!” exclaims Platy, who is in charge of the snowball fight arena. 

For some reason, she has become the host of this battlefield.

She’s holding our son Norito in her arms.

“Huh? You’re alone again. Where’s Junior?”

“He’s showing off his masterpiece, the snow sculpture mandala, and drawing attention from the visitors. Veil is watching over him, so things should be fine.”

“Whose overflowing talent could he have inherited?”

“Isn’t it you, Platy?”

“It’s you, Dear.”

We look like we’re praising each other as a couple, but there’s also a sense of mutual accusation in between.

Anyway, let’s get back to the snowball fight.

This event was designed to resemble the traditional Okubo’s Castle as much as possible, where the visitors would directly participate and compete against each other.

With the word “fight” in its name, it won’t end without a clear winner and a loser.

It’s a merciless battle royal.

“You throw snowballs, hit, get hit back, and a fierce battlefield unfolds! The weak die, and only the strong survive! It’s a place that embodies the natural order!”

Why is my wife so bloodthirsty?

Oh well, never mind.

“So, how many people showed up to participate? The span is quite suitable for an event.”

“A good number, actually. It seems the people who intended to participate in Orkubo Castle’s attractions signed up.”

That means Platy’s guess was spot on.

Thousands of brave warriors who were supposed to run toward the main tower will now throw snowballs and wage war.

“Moreover, isn’t the number even larger than usual? Particularly, the participation of merfolk has increased significantly.”

“Merfolk?”

“It seems that the recent sumo tournament had an impact. Thanks to that, they became enthusiastic about participating in terrestrial events.”

Ah, that event I was also in after Arowana invited me.

Until now, mermen didn’t participate in many events on land, but the times are changing.

Of course, the merfolk who had their legs transformed with the humanizing potion are wearing trousers.

“But before we start, there’s one problem.”

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s about how to divide the teams.”

Teams?

It seems Orkubo’s Castle: Snow Festival Edition will be adapting a snowball fighting championship format.

It will have a designated field, a specific number of people and will strictly follow specific rules to determine the winner.

“You told me that the rule for the snowball fighting championship is seven people per team, but to help everyone get used to the format, I was thinking of having five instead. Too many people will make it chaotic, don’t you think?”

“That’s true...”

“But another problem is that nobody has applied as a team yet.”

Huh?

What do you mean?

“What I mean is that everyone has registered as solo participants. After all, the original Orkubo’s Castle wasn’t done in teams. This snowball fight was a last-minute addition, so we haven’t had time to organize teams.”

“So what do we do?”

Since there are only solo players, will they just keep battling each other, battle-royale style, until only one person is standing?

But Platy boasted about following the snowball fighting championship format.

What to do, then?

“That’s why I came up with an idea! How about we decide randomly?”

“Randomly?”

“We’ll randomly select from the registrants and form the teams ourselves. To give you an example, it would look like this!”

Orkubo’s Castle: Snow Festival Edition

Snowball Fight Randomly Selected Team No. 75

Member 1: Zedan (race: demon, occupation: demon king)

Member 2: Jenepkauf (race: demon, occupation: unemployed)

Member 3: Bocaccio (race: merfolk, occupation: self-employed)

Member 4: Pestegaro (race: human, occupation: civil servant)

Member 5: Shabe (race: human, occupation: farmer)

“Like that.”

“Isn’t that too harsh of a lineup?!”

What’s particularly harsh is that the Demon King is part of the team like it’s no big deal!

Everyone else sounds like regular citizens from their professions!

This is what resulted from randomly selecting team members?!

Think about the suffocation of playing in the same team as the Demon King, even if it was by chance!

“Arowana and various VIPs are also participating, so people who happen to be on the same team can have a good experience.”

“It’ll only be a bitter one if anything!”

If you accidentally do something disrespectful to a high-ranking person in your team, you could get into serious trouble!

This is just a punishment game for the general masses!

“But Dear...! I think this is actually an important measure...!”

“What’s gotten into you, Platy?”

You suddenly tensed up and became serious.

“We’re living in post-war times, and the three races of humans, monsters, and mermaids are getting closer and closer. We need to interact with other races and deepen our friendships through activities like this, especially now!”

“By creating random teams in this snowball fight, you’re trying to accelerate the flow of the times?”

“Exactly!”

Your words sound quite compelling, but you’re just making up a plausible reason for your haphazard method, aren’t you, Platy?

“Frankly speaking, the preparations are in place, so I want to go with it all the way.”

“Already out with your real intentions, huh?”

“But I still hope this will be an opportunity for all races around the world to understand each other better! I think we should incorporate such noble ideas into our recreational events too!”

I thought Platy’s idea was unrefined, but since she’s my wife, I didn’t point it out.

And so, the event begins where snowball fight teams, randomly organized, battle it out until the last group remains. But honestly, I can’t help but worry, so I’ll observe the situation for some time.

“...Oh, yeah. Aren’t you gonna participate in this snowball fight, too, Dear? Didn’t you always participate in the previous seasons of Orkubo’s Castle?”

“I won Junior’s respect by creating Tokyo Tower, so I’m good this time.”

“That so.”

* * *

Well, it’s impossible to keep an eye on hundreds of teams, so I decided to check out the most concerning team.

I mean, who would’ve known the Demon King himself to join in on the snowball fight? 

Then again, he’s a regular participant in Orkubo’s Castle, so I guess it’s not that unusual.

“I’m Zedan, one of your teammates! Let’s have a good time!” 

Demon King Zedan is introducing himself to his teammates.

They all look scared out of their wits.

I don’t blame them. The Demon King’s face and name are famous as the earth’s ruler.

I can easily imagine anyone who opposes him will face the guillotine or some other terrible punishment.

In that team, there is one demon, one merfolk, and two humans who end up with the king of the demon race.

They all know this is going to be the most taxing event of the day.

“Your Majesty?!”

The first to kneel and bow down is the demon in the same team as the Demon King.

“I, a retired soldier, Jenepkauf, am most honored and humbled to receive the Demon King’s orders once again. It is beyond my wildest imagination to have encountered Your Majesty in this human territory, where I only came to indulge in my hobby of mountain climbing during my remaining years. What a chance meeting this is!”

“I see. You must be from my father’s era... Although I appreciate the unwavering loyalty even after retirement and fulfilling one’s duty, I did not come here today as a king to receive such devotion. I have come here as an equal participant, just like everyone else,” says the Demon King, looking at the people around him. “Everyone gathered here is a comrade for the same purpose, regardless of race, rank, or role. Let’s forget all our differences and throw snowballs together!” 

With that, the Demon King shakes hands with his new teammates.

Everyone was moved to tears by his kind words and leadership.

“This is the king of the demons... The Demon King...!”

“And now he’s also the ruler of the Human Kingdom...!”

“If we’re going to be ruled by someone, it might as well be someone like him! It looks like we’ve already won today’s tournament...!”

As usual, the Demon King’s ability to connect with people was amazing, so I realized there was no need to worry so much.

* * *

Alas...

The ultimate team that could become the eye of the typhoon was, in fact, outside my worry radar.

Today’s snowball fight would swirl around them as the center.

Their team name is...