#661 Orkubo’s Castle vs. General Winter

Orkubo’s Castle has become a fixed annual event during wintertime. 

Originally, building the castle started as a hobby of our orc residents to pass the cold season. However, it has evolved into a significant castle-sieging event.

Nowadays, challengers worldwide gather every year to participate in conquering Orkubo’s Castle.

We were planning to hold the event as usual this winter, but...

...it seemed like it was going to be canceled.

* * *

“This is awful.”

Orkubo’s Castle is located in a certain territory within the Human Kingdom.

The domain had the perfect venue for building the castle, which fascinated our orcs.

They had established rapport with the feudal lord of this land, ensuring a smooth and steady annual Orkubo’s Castle.

Sadly, things seem to be taking a turn for the worse this year.

An extremely severe cold wave seems to have hit—one that could be said to occur once every hundred years—and the land where Orkubo’s Castle is has fallen within its scope of influence.

Day after day, a large amount of snow fell and accumulated, causing snowdrifts that buried the front doors of every town and village.

Naturally, snow also piled up at Orkubo’s Castle, making it impossible to set up booths, let alone host the event.

Moreover, the snow covered a wide area, blocking roads and stagnating traffic. 

It was a serious situation, and the various feudal lords were frantically trying to deal with this natural disaster. No one had the time to spare for entertainment.

If the distribution of goods was disrupted, it could even be a matter of life and death in some areas.

The feudal lords in the Human Kingdom were shoveling through the snow that had piled up on their land, trying to secure passage. Even the Demon King’s Army spared no effort to cooperate.

There’s no way we would dare to host the event in such trying times.

That would be utterly insensitive.

Thus, we’re planning on canceling Orkubo’s Castle this year...

...but for now, let’s set that matter aside.

Given the circumstances, we can’t just stand idly by. 

After all, we are indebted to our host whenever we open Orkubo’s Castle.

It’s not exactly a way to repay their kindness, but we’ll do what we can to help them overcome this difficult situation!

And so, during this laidback season, when our farm residents had spare time, many went to the Human Kingdom to help clear the snow.

The central workforce was led by Orkubo and his army.

Their march, boasting of their power, easily trampled through winter’s blanket and flattened all the major highways within the Human Kingdom. 

It took them about five days to accomplish this feat.

Thanks to the mutated orcs’ strength, unparalleled to normal orcs, each village and town previously inaccessible due to the snow regained its traffic.

* * *

“Thank you so much!” says none other than the human feudal lord, Dalkish, with an expression of profound relief.

He’s the feudal lord of the domain where Orkubo’s Castle is; we’ve been indebted to him countless times.

“This year’s snowfall was unlike anything we’ve seen before, and we were prepared for casualties. But in the end, we made it through without losing anyone! It’s all thanks to you, Lord Saint!”

“No, no, it was the orcs who did all the work...!”

The way Orkubo and his team plowed through the heavy snow was like an icebreaker smashing drift ice. 

Perhaps even like human snow-plows.

Except they’re orcs.

The path the orcs had charged through at speeds that could be likened to an automobile left behind nothing but a clean, flat, and well-leveled road.

“Ever since the war has ended, the Human Kingdom has been slowly thriving. We don’t want it to regress now. If there’s anything we can do to help, we’ll do it.”

“What benevolence...! You truly are a saint...!”

Please, you’re exaggerating.

But despite the way Dalkish talks, not everything is resolved.

Going back to the snow problem...

“What should we do with this...?!”

“Indeed...!”

Before me and Dalkish is a massive pile of snow, almost as tall as a mountain.

...No, it actually is a mountain of snow.

This was the result of gathering all the snow removed from various parts of the Human Kingdom in one place.

I mean, seriously.

This wintry blast had piled up in the majority of the Human Kingdom to a height where adult men could barely poke their heads and breathe.

If we removed enough snow to make the major roads usable, gathering them in one place like this would result in a mountain.  

Huh? Why did they gather it in one place?

Well, if it’s just to clear the roads, we could’ve piled it up on the side. But since there was too much snow, we’d end up right back where we started if an earthquake happened and we left it there.

So, we used teleportation magic and various other stuff to easily pile it all in one place without much thought, and now it’s become a problem of its own.

“Will all of this melt when spring comes...?”

“It might still be here even after ten years...!”

At first, I thought Dalkish made a silly remark, but then I realized it wasn’t necessarily a joke when my stomach churned in response.

After all, we were at Orkubo’s Castle.

We searched for a suitable place to gather the cleared icy precipitation, and this location came to mind since it was not typically used during the summer. I thought it would be perfect for temporary storage... but I hadn’t given it much thought.

The snow pile is now taller than the castle’s main tower.

Just as Dalkish had said, it seemed to withstand even the scorching summer heat and last for several years.

“By the way, Lord Saint, what about this year’s Orkubo’s Castle...?”

“Oh, you’re bringing that up?”

I had been waiting for the right moment to bring it up, but it seemed Dalkish was one step ahead. 

Although we’re the event organizers, we still need permission from our host, Dalkish. 

It wouldn’t be wise to ask if we could hold the entertainment event as usual amidst the chaos caused by the heavy snow—it’d offend him and his people.

So, I was relieved when Dalkish asked first!

“Well, hosting Orkubo’s Castle is essential for our territory. People from all over the world come here once a year, and the amount of money they spend on accommodation and other expenses is staggering. Many people have even started businesses relying on that revenue...!”

I couldn’t believe Orkubo Castle’s brought such an economic impact on the local area...! 

What would happen if it was canceled due to this heavy snow...?!

“Some people would resort to strangling themselves on the off chance it happens.”

“Since when did the economy fully depend on Orkubo’s Castle?!”

Orkubo’s Castle had already exceeded the realm of entertainment. 

Well, this is a problem.

It isn’t a simple matter of being disappointed that this year’s fun event is canceled due to heavy snowfall.

Things have escalated to the point of affecting people’s lives. Even heavy snowfall was enough to make a difference.

And the problem doesn’t stop there. 

The fact that such a large amount of snow has been piled up at the Orkubo’s Castle venue is also an issue. 

As I mentioned earlier, if you pile up snow that won’t melt even after ten years, you won’t be able to hold any events during that time. 

That means Orkubo’s Castle will be on a definite hiatus for a decade.

Seriously, why did we pile it up here? 

We should’ve just thrown it into the sea or something. Whether it’s rain or snow, anything falling from the sky will eventually flow into the river and the sea.

“...Hmm? Wait a minute.”

Suddenly, a light bulb flashed above my head.

I thought of a great idea!

I came up with the best plan to use this ridiculous piled-up snow mountain and make Orkubo’s Castle a reality!

“Dalkish, let’s try something different this year!”

“Huh?”

“We’ll call it Orkubo’s Castle: Snow Festival Edition!”

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he could've also bribed veil to melt it with her dragon breath in exchange for some good food-