Sun Castle

1. Trouble came calling

Trouble suddenly came knocking.

I knew it existed, but usually forgot all about it until I was faced with it.

The trouble came from the sky to the southeast.

A long, slender, triangular pyramid of bedrock, with a castle built on top.

My first impression was of an ice cream cone flying through the sky. "Isn't there a little too little ice cream compared to the cone?" That was roughly how it felt.

A flying castle was a wonderfully romantic thing. It reminded me of cartoons I had watched as a child.

I would have loved to visit if I could. But even if I couldn't, that was fine. Just looking at it from a distance was exciting. That was the sort of thing it was-as long as it was harmless.

We had discovered it about ten days earlier. According to reports from Gran Maria and the others, it was gradually approaching Big Tree Village. It certainly did look bigger and bigger. We estimated its altitude at around eight thousand meters. So we began discussing whether to send Hakuren, Rasuti, Tia, Gran Maria, and the others to investigate.

While everyone was arguing over who should go, the flying ice cream cone kindly declared war on our village.

Was that what they called a hologram?

A slightly transparent image of a man, ten meters tall, appeared in front of my house. I figured he had probably been enlarged, and was actually about my height. Judging by the bat wings on his back, he was probably a member of the Demon Race.

"I am Kuzutin! Foolish humans! Unfortunately for you, we have occupied this castle! Your hopes are dashed! Despair! Mwahahahahahahahahaha!"

Anyway, I consulted the people around me.

We identified the flying ice cream cone as an enemy. Since it was gradually approaching Big Tree Village, we were better off shooting it down sooner rather than later.

I threw the spear I had transformed the Almighty Farming Tool into.

The spear flew straight ahead and struck the cone portion of the flying ice cream cone. About a third of the cone broke off the bottom and fell.

"Should I aim a little higher?"

"I think so."

Gran Maria agreed, so I aimed the next shot a little higher.

At that point, the holographic Kuzutin raised both hands in surrender.

"We're sorry. Please spare us."

Wasn't that a little quick to give in?

I listened to the holographic Kuzutin's explanation.

The flying ice cream cone was called Sun Castle. It was apparently a castle in the sky that had existed for a very long time-two thousand years, according to written records.

Apparently, a people called the Divine Human Race had lived there back then, siding with humans and attacking the Demon Race. The ones they attacked most often were the Demon Race. That had been about a thousand years ago.

After that, the Divine Human Race and the Demon Race clashed repeatedly in Sun Castle. About five hundred years ago, the Demon Race finally drove out the Divine Human Race, won, and occupied Sun Castle.

Although they called it an occupation, they actually controlled only about one-twentieth of Sun Castle, not the entire place.

Most importantly, the Divine Human Race members who resisted until the end had set Sun Castle to autopilot before fleeing, so the Demon Race couldn't control it.

On top of that, Sun Castle had moved high into the sky, leaving the Demon Race occupying it unable to return.

At first, they had considered all sorts of ways to escape, but after ten years of trying, they gave up and adapted to their surroundings instead. Kuzutin was apparently a member of the Demon Race born in Sun Castle.

"So why did you suddenly come and declare war on our village?"

I asked my question frankly.

"Apparently, it was moving to join the human side in accordance with an ancient contract..."

Apparently, there had been an announcement inside the castle. An announcement over the PA...

The castle that had filled my heart with romance had been downgraded to an amusement park attraction.

In other words, this automated castle was moving toward Big Tree Village on its own.

Since that would mean war, the Demon Race had followed ancient custom and declared it.

"Yes, that's right."

"Is everyone from the Demon Race in the castle eager to fight?"

"A-about half... No, not even a quarter."

"You mean at most a quarter of you want a war?"

"It was our great-grandfathers' generation that occupied Sun Castle, and almost all of them are gone now."

"And you're one of the ones who want to fight?"

"I'm truly sorry."

As Kuzutin apologized, he pressed his palm against his chest.

At first, I didn't understand what that meant, but Lu told me it was how the Demon Race apologized.

According to Kuzutin, this was his first experience of war, so he had been very excited.

After witnessing my attack, however, surrender was now the only thing on his mind.

That was all well and good, but...

I looked at the villagers discussing things a short distance away.

They were currently working out where to make Sun Castle crash.

Our people were still eager to fight. Apparently, they were unhappy with Kuzutin apologizing remotely over a broadcast.

If you were going to apologize, you should come in person. I could understand that.

"Kuzutin, can't you come here?"

"Um... Actually, I can't leave the castle."

"Hm?"

He couldn't leave the castle? Come to think of it...

"What's happened to the other parts you don't control?"

"Monsters and magical beasts have established their own territories."

"..."

It looked as though Kuzutin and the others were members of the Demon Race trapped inside Sun Castle.

How had he managed to shout those tough lines so loudly when they were in that situation? What a mystery.

We canceled the plan to shoot Sun Castle down.

For one thing, Kuzutin and the others would probably die. For another, it would be a nuisance if the monsters and magical beasts in Sun Castle survived.

That made me want to leave it alone. I wanted to, but... according to Kuzutin, Sun Castle might go on standby over Big Tree Village.

That would be a real problem. Or rather, it was frightening to have something overhead that might fall at any moment.

So we decided to subdue it.

Everyone argued over who would go. A lot. In the end, we decided to draw lots.

I raised my hand to say I wanted to join too, but Lu and Tia brought Alfred and Tiselle over. Then they said nothing.

But Alfred and Tiselle were looking at me.

"I'm very sorry."

I withdrew.

But what was with Lu and Tia raising their hands to join?!

I couldn't win an argument with them. Please, god of drawing lots!

Since they would also serve as transportation to Sun Castle, Hakuren and Rasuti were automatically included. Both were raring to go.

Then Lu, Tia, Gran Maria, Kuudel, Corone, and Kierbit received priority because they could fly.

What happened to drawing lots? That was cheating!

Well, flying certainly was safer than not being able to fly.

"All right!"

"Yes!"

Daga the lizardman and Guraru the beastman won places in the drawing. They were delighted.

Several other lizardmen and High Elves won places too. Ria apparently missed out. Mea the mountain elf won a place.

Several other mountain elves had also entered the drawing, saying they wanted to join. It was unusual for mountain elves to participate in this sort of operation.

"We're curious about the floating castle's structure."

"I understand how you feel, but don't push yourselves."

"Yes."

The First Suppression Force-

Hakuren, Lu, Tia, Gran Maria, Kuudel, Corone, Kierbit, Daga, Guraru, and Mea.

Plus four lizardmen, three High Elves, and eight mountain elves, for a total of twenty-five.

The Second Suppression Force-

Rasuti and a hundred of Kuro's descendants.

The First Suppression Force would enter through the upper half of the castle.

They would first meet Kuzutin and gather information, then aim to seize Sun Castle's control center.

The Second Suppression Force would enter through the lower half of the castle.

They would eliminate any monsters and magical beasts they encountered. However, Rasuti could safely carry no more than fifty of Kuro's descendants at a time.

I opted to ask Rasuti to make the extra effort and take forty up first, then thirty and another thirty.

The first forty represented just about all our elites, including Uno and Kuro Three.

Remember, everyone had to come back safely.

We had already gotten information about the monsters and magical beasts from Kuzutin, and Lu and the others thought they could handle it... but I still worried.

"I won't push myself."

Lu stopped by to see me before leaving.

"Controlling Sun Castle might require some knowledge, right? That's why I have to go."

That was true enough. Be careful not to get hurt.

"Leave it to me."

Tia came next.

"I'm going to unlock it."

"Unlock it?"

"Yes. Actually, the Divine Human Race Kuzutin mentioned, well... that means the Angels. Controlling Sun Castle might require authentication by an Angel."

"Huh? What? Really?"

"The Angels of the past were a little... well, arrogant. We're going to deal properly with that shameful past."

"Shameful past?"

"Nowadays, I don't think anyone uses 'Divine Human Race

' anymore."

Ah-was that why?

No wonder Gran Maria, the others, and Kierbit were all bright red yet full of enthusiasm.

"Make sure you spare Kuzutin and the others."

"I know. After all, we have to bring them here to apologize. But I think we'll have time for a little chat before that."

Gran Maria smiled.

All I could do was nod.

I had only spoken to Kuzutin through a hologram... but since he had known to apologize immediately, he probably wasn't an idiot. I would put my hopes in his ability to understand.

Despite the cold outside, the villagers gathered, raised their arms, and shouted.

With everyone's hopes riding on them, Hakuren's First Suppression Force and Rasuti's Second Suppression Force set out.

2. Waiting for Sun Castle's suppression

Sending people to subdue Sun Castle didn't mean the monsters and magical beasts around the village would go easy on us. If anything, they might attack because our defenses had weakened.

So those staying behind didn't let their guard down either.

Kuro's descendants strengthened our defenses, while Suuriruu and Suurikou kept watch overhead.

At times like this, I wished Zabuton were here.

No, no. We had to work hard so she could hibernate in peace.

And yet, I had nothing to do.

For now, I carried a table and chair out in front of the house and sat where I could see Sun Castle while I waited.

Sun Castle was quite far away.

According to Kuzutin, the castle was over a thousand meters in diameter, but from here it looked no bigger than an ice cream cone.

Eight thousand meters up.

Rasuti was already carrying the third group of Kuro's descendants.

According to what she had said on her last return, the suppression was proceeding smoothly.

That was probably true, but seeing Sun Castle shake and explode in the distance still made me worry.

While I was sitting there idly, Ursa brought over some wood.

She asked me to make her a spear.

Had she been influenced by the spear I threw at Sun Castle?

I didn't mind making one for her, but I would round off the tip. Also, she wasn't to throw it at people or animals.

Had that flown sixty meters? Impressive.

The beastman boys brought over wood too.

I gave them the same warning, then made theirs.

They threw pretty far too, though they didn't seem able to beat Ursa.

I tried making one for myself too.

A spear made from the Almighty Farming Tool flew a long way, but how would an ordinary spear do?

I gave it a try.

It landed about ten meters away.

...Maybe my timing was off. One more time.

Fifteen meters.

Sigh. Did that mean I was hopeless without the Almighty Farming Tool?

...No.

I had my wits.

A spear-thrower.

Simply put, it was a tool shaped something like a long-handled ladle. If I fitted a spear into the scoop end and launched it, it ought to fly farther than it would if I threw it by hand.

I made one right away and fitted the spear into it.

I gave it a try.

The spear fell right in front of me.

That taught me that everything took practice.

A lesson learned.

Ursa used the spear-thrower I'd made to send a spear nearly a hundred meters.

The beastman boys wanted them too, so I made some for them.

Yes, those flew beautifully.

Maybe what I needed wasn't practice, but talent? I'd be lying if I said that didn't sting.

Before I knew it, the High Elves had joined in.

They were teaching Ursa and the beastman boys.

The goal seemed to have shifted from "throw the spear far" to "hit where you aim."

They even prepared targets made from bundles of straw and had the children keep throwing.

Retrieving the spears was a hassle, so I took charge of mass-producing them.

Since someone was supervising, sharpening the spearheads should be all right. It wouldn't feel very good if they couldn't stick into the targets.

No taking the spears out on your own. If they broke that rule...what punishment would make them listen? Grounding them, no snacks, more books to read...and a lecture from Hakuren should do it, right?

Still, the children would probably follow the rules.

Ursa and the others played pranks, but they knew very well what they could and couldn't do. You could also say they knew how far they could go and still have us laugh and forgive them. That made me a little worried about the future.

Probably because I kept working while I thought, I ended up making about a hundred.

Incidentally, the spears the High Elves threw easily pierced through bundles of straw fifty meters away, but Ursa's only stuck in them. Aiming for accuracy seemed to reduce their power.

As for the beastman boys...their throws went far enough, but didn't seem very accurate. Despite the cold weather, everyone was having fun together. It was heartwarming.

Ann brought over hot tea. So warm.

Was Ann interested in spear-throwing too? It was pretty difficult.

Ann picked up one of my spears and threw it at a bundle of straw.

The bundle fifty meters away shattered with a crack and went flying into the distance.

"What a fine spear. Could we keep fifty of these in the house?"

If a thief got into the house, things could get serious.

Still, with Kuro's and Zabuton's children around, sneaking in probably wasn't possible.

By the time I noticed, Sky Castle had descended to an altitude of about five thousand meters.

I'd thought it would simply fall, but it seemed to be struggling to stay aloft.

Ah...was that Hakuren's flame breath? Things seemed pretty lively up there.

Guraru wanted to go, but I wouldn't let her. She was a child entrusted to our care, after all.

Besides, I had a feeling Ursa would go along if Guraru went.

Did Guraru want to try spear-throwing too? Huh? More importantly, she was hungry?

There was still a little while until dinner.

Then I'd whip up some snacks. Would mini pancakes do?

Ah, yes, I'd make enough for Ursa and the beastman boys too, so they could keep throwing without worrying.

I went back inside and mass-produced mini pancakes.

I drizzled them with honey and served them to everyone.

Yes, they were a big hit.

By the time I noticed, Sky Castle was tilting.

Was it going to tip right over? Ah, it straightened up. It was really trying hard.

Its altitude had dropped to about four thousand meters.

That evening, the First Suppression Force and Rasuti returned.

Kuzutin came with them.

Kuro's descendants in the second suppression force seemed to still be hard at work.

The First Suppression Force had returned to give an interim report and eat dinner.

Then let's eat-or so I thought, but there was a ritual to perform before dinner.

"I am truly very sorry."

Outside in the middle of winter, Kuzutin knelt and bowed his head to the ground before me, wearing nothing but his underwear.

He was only wearing underwear because I'd stopped him from stripping completely naked. Seeing a naked man wouldn't make me happy.

Also, before he knelt, I sent the children back inside. It wasn't anything worth watching, after all.

Actually, I'd wanted to stop him from kneeling too, but it seemed this was something he had to do. Pretty harsh.

Incidentally, kneeling naked seemed to have been Lu and the others' idea.

After he finished bowing, Lu still had some things to discuss with Kuzutin. Kuzutin looked cold, so let him put his clothes back on. Catching a cold would be a pain.

It was fine because we had medicine and healing magic? I see. Then let me put it another way.

Even with my clothes on, I was cold too, so let's wrap this up and go eat.

3. Hot pot and a report

Everyone ate dinner in the mansion's dining room.

I hadn't known whether the suppression force members would return for dinner, but I'd prepared enough for them anyway.

"What about food for Kuro's descendants who stayed over there?"

Kuro's descendants could go a few days without eating, but they ate two meals a day in the village, so I was a little worried.

"They'll find food on-site."

Rasuti told me not to worry. Fortunately, there were edible monsters and magical beasts there.

"Then I'll listen to the report while we eat."

Dinner was hot pot.

I added some soy sauce to a kelp-based broth, then put in napa cabbage, tofu, carrots, daikon, shiitake, shimeji, enoki, and other ingredients.

I had some trouble deciding on the main ingredient, but finally put in shrimp I'd bought from Michael.

For some reason, he'd delivered a lot of giant shrimp about the size of a person...had there been a mistake with the order? Ah, no, I shouldn't have given such a vague instruction as "larger shrimp." Yes, common sense differed from place to place. A lesson learned.

The size of the shrimp surprised me, but they tasted good, so there was no problem.

I shelled the shrimp, cut them into pieces, and put them in the pot. It felt a little wasteful that this left them without their complete shape...but their flavor really stood out.

Since shrimp alone would be a little monotonous, I added some white fish too. I'd wanted to add crab as well, but some people didn't eat crab, so that could wait for another opportunity.

Al-

though it could be eaten as it was, there were lemons and limes here for anyone who found the flavor a little lacking.

I'd also prepared something like citrus fruit wine and ponzu. There were scallions, grated daikon, sesame seeds, and chili peppers for extra flavor too. Everyone could help themselves.

Four to six people shared each pot.

Ursa and Guraru sat together at Hakuren's table.

The beastman boys seemed to have gone home. They could have stayed and eaten here.

Kuzutin had finished apologizing, so he was a guest.

He sat at my table. I still had some things I wanted to ask him, after all.

Alcohol was allowed, but Sun Castle hadn't been fully subdued yet, so everyone needed to be careful not to drink too much.

The First Suppression Force apparently planned to launch another attack tomorrow.

"The First Suppression Force secured the area the Demon Race was using as a base, along with its surroundings."

Tia gave me her report.

"Is it that big?"

"It has multiple levels, so it's quite large. Not only that, the monsters there are troublesome."

Apparently, some of the monsters weren't dangerous, but absorbed magical energy.

"If you touch them carelessly, they drain your magical energy, and attacks derived from magical energy don't work either."

I see.

Apparently, these monsters were the reason the Demon Race couldn't escape the castle. Without magical energy, they couldn't fly.

Had Hakuren been breathing fire to clear those things out?

The second suppression force seemed busy securing each area, but with no one responsible for reporting, the details were unclear.

Rasuti said they were unharmed and doing all the attacking, so there was no need to worry.

How dependable. Also, had they been working all night?

"Something just occurred to me. Would Kuro's descendants attack the Demon Race members still there?"

I didn't think Kuro's descendants would have that much trouble distinguishing friend from foe, but mistakes were still possible when operating at night.

"We considered that and gave your clothes to the people staying there, Village Chief."

Mea, the mountain elf, brought over more hot pot ingredients.

"My clothes? Ah, so they identify them by scent?"

"Yes. We've also placed some in the secured areas. Infernal Wolves are intelligent, so that should be enough for them to understand."

"True. Kuzutin, I didn't ask for details before...about how many Demon Race members are in that castle?"

"Y-yes. There are about sixty Demon Race members, including me. There are also around two hundred members of the Succubus Race."

"The Succubus Race?"

"Perhaps succubi and incubi would be easier to understand."

"Oh, right..."

The characters responsible for the erotic elements in fantasy stories. I even had him explain, but there was no mistake. The females were succubi and the males were incubi.

"So two hundred and sixty in total?"

"Yes."

Could they obtain enough food for two hundred and sixty people in an enclosed environment?

Kuzutin was enjoying the hot pot immensely.

Would it be better to send some food along when they headed out again tomorrow?

Forcing it on them would be rude, so I asked him directly.

"We grow something called dungeon potatoes, so food isn't a problem for the Demon Race."

Hmm?

"What about the Succubus Race?"

"Ah...ahaha...they m-manage somehow."

If they managed, why was he looking away?

"Um...our food is almost entirely dungeon potatoes. I imagine it would be somewhat difficult in winter, but if you have any surplus food to sell us, that would be wonderful. As for payment...please allow us to trade dungeon potatoes or other goods for it."

"Understood. I'll get it ready."

We ate as we talked.

Yes, the shrimp were popular. Would Kuzutin like another bowl? No need to hold back. Eat as much as you like.

The other tables were already enjoying udon.

As for Hakuren's table, they'd added rice early on and turned theirs into savory porridge.

Ah, was Ursa about to fall asleep? She was usually full of energy, but she was only five, after all.

Guraru looked about the same age, but her actual age probably wasn't five, was it? She might even have been older than me. Not that I dared ask.

One thing became clear during our chat.

Demon Race members such as Bulga and Stifano, who served as dragon attendants, apparently differed somewhat from Kuzutin and the others living in Sun Castle.

To be precise, the Demon Race members serving dragons should be called the High-Rank Demon Race or the Ancient Demon Race.

When I asked how they differed, I learned that the main differences seemed to be combat strength and lifespan. I see.

Since they were all members of the Demon Race, I'd assumed Kuzutin was about as strong as Bulga and the others, but apparently I'd been mistaken.

Then how strong was he, exactly?

For now, I was merely curious, but considering what would happen after Sun Castle was subdued, I ought to ask.

Although subjugation was the goal, I didn't actually intend to do anything with the castle afterward.

It was simply a nuisance having it hovering over the village all the time, so I wanted to drive it elsewhere. If that wasn't possible, shooting it down was also an option.

If Sun Castle was all right, Kuzutin and the others could keep living there if they wanted. I had no intention of driving them out.

Still, they had all been trapped in Sun Castle before, so perhaps some of them wanted to return home. They could do whatever they liked.

The main problem would probably come when we brought Sun Castle down. In that case, we would have to arrange housing for the two hundred and sixty people who had been living there.

If Kuzutin had been a little nastier, I would have left them to fend for themselves... but he had apologized, for one thing, and most of the people living there seemed fairly mild-mannered.

Leaving them to fend for themselves would be a bit...

In that case, even if they moved elsewhere later, the village would probably have to look after them for a while.

As for stored food, feeding two hundred and sixty people was no problem. We could get them through the winter.

Getting three harvests a year by putting the Almighty Farming Tool to full use really was the key. We had so many crops that figuring out how to store them without spoilage was a headache.

The problem was fighting strength.

If the residents of Sun Castle could only fight about as well as the humans in Village One, we would have to assign Kuro's descendants to guard them.

Although it was a little rude, I asked Kuzutin roughly how strong they were.

It was quite difficult to explain your own strength objectively. That was the one thing I could establish.

"I'm terribly sorry."

"No, don't worry about it. I shouldn't have asked such a strange question."

I checked with the people who had gone to Sun Castle.

In terms of physical strength and magic power, most of the residents would fit into the warrior division of the village tournament.

Oh, they could fight better than I had expected. Perhaps they wouldn't need guards? But apparently, they had almost no actual combat experience.

"No actual combat experience?"

"We've mostly stayed inside the castle..."

"Didn't you fight monsters and magical beasts?"

"Only at the beginning. For the past few centuries..."

I see.

In other words, there were a lot of things to consider. But first, we needed to see what state Sun Castle was in.

We would decide on our approach based on what the suppression forces accomplished tomorrow.

I brought dessert to the table.

Although it was only sliced fruit, Kuzutin still ate it with tears of gratitude.

4: Suppressing Sun Castle

On the second day of the operation to suppress Sun Castle-

The First Suppression Force and Rasuti of the Second Suppression Force set out.

Apparently, Kuzutin went back with them.

His visit yesterday had mainly been to apologize to me. After all, even if we discussed what came next, we couldn't decide anything without knowing what would happen to Sun Castle.

Just as I had yesterday, I moved a table and chairs out in front of the house and waited where I could see Sun Castle.

Sun Castle was closer than yesterday, but still far away. Ah, Hakuren and the others must have arrived. Sun Castle shook violently. I hoped everyone would do their best.

Meanwhile, Ursa, Nat, the beastman boys, and Guraru gathered around me.

Were they throwing spears again today? That was fine, but they needed to dress warmly. Moving around might warm them up, but they couldn't let their guard down.

The High Elves brought over the spears I had made yesterday.

...There were a little fewer than before. Had some broken? The Oni maids had taken them? Oh, they had mentioned wanting to keep things like those handy inside the house.

Anyway, since there were fewer now, I took charge of making spears.

The spear-throwing class began under the High Elves' instruction.

The dwarves, lizardmen, and mountain elves wanted to join in too? Because there would be snacks? Well, yes, there would be snacks...

I couldn't just make pancakes again like yesterday, so what should I do?

After finishing the spears, I started making axes.

They were for the dwarves, who couldn't throw spears well but boasted that they could hit the target every time with axes.

Since I could imagine everyone getting more and more worked up, I didn't really want them throwing real axes.

I made ten wooden axes.

The dwarves picked them up and checked their balance. They seemed fine.

Then, holding one in each hand, they threw them at a bundle of straw fifty meters away, first the right, then the left.

Both struck beautifully. If the straw had been arranged in a human shape, they would have hit the top of its head and its neck.

Watching from beside them, Ursa stared at the wooden axes with sparkling eyes. The spear-throwing craze was probably about to end.

Ursa tried throwing a wooden axe.

It didn't reach the straw bundle. Apparently, she wasn't strong enough.

The others tried one after another, but none of them could do it. Guraru threw hers easily, but in completely the wrong direction.

Unfortunately, I didn't have an axe thrower. Perhaps such a thing really existed, but I didn't know of one.

Ursa and the others went back to throwing spears.

After lunch, I watched Sun Castle while puzzling over what to make for a snack.

It was regaining altitude. It was almost back to around six thousand meters.

Could everyone be coming back to the village early? If so, there would be a lot to do.

Sorry, the snacks would be little pancakes again, just like yesterday.

Snack time.

Ursa and the others already had their minds entirely on the mansion's kitchen.

It wasn't just the smell of pancakes drawing their attention, but the sweet scent of strawberry jam too.

Making exactly the same thing as yesterday would have been too dull, so I had started cooking jam after noon. I also planned to serve whipped cream with it.

Neither was anything new, but freshly cooked, warm jam tasted exceptionally good.

The beastman boys who usually made jam probably already knew that... ah, was that the beastman girls' job?

In that case, they could look forward to being surprised by how delicious the new jam was.

The Oni maids helping me make it also seemed very interested in how it would taste.

We would prepare enough for everyone.

Would there be enough jam? The amount left after cooking was surprisingly small.

It was the pancakes we ran short of.

Apparently, exercising had made everyone hungry.

I had no choice but to ask the Oni maids to work harder.

I needed to concentrate on making more jam.

Sky Castle, which had looked as though it was regaining altitude earlier, suddenly dropped.

At first, I thought it would fall straight to the ground...

Had it barely managed to stay up?

Hakuren and Rasuti circled beneath Sun Castle's base... ah, they attacked.

They seemed to be trying to blast away the base. Had something happened?

In any case, rocks would fall, so they needed to watch the ground. There shouldn't have been anyone in that area, right?

I would set aside the fact that I had thrown a spear at Sun Castle in the first place.

Beezel arrived.

We had already contacted him by small wyvern messenger, so I hadn't expected him to come in person.

"You seemed to be attacking it, so I came to check, just in case."

"Well, that castle is practically right above the village, which is a real problem. Ah, does that castle happen to belong to the Demon King Kingdom?"

Come to think of it, the Demon Race had said they had occupied the castle. Could they have been members of the Demon King Kingdom's army?

Even though we had met yesterday, I had forgotten to ask. What a blunder.

"No, if anything, it would be an enemy castle."

"...The Demon Race claimed they occupied it, though?"

"I don't know about that. Our records make no particular mention of it. Besides, not all of the Demon Race belongs to the Demon King Kingdom."

"I see. We'll check once the suppression is complete, then contact you."

"Sorry for the trouble."

Beezel took some freshly made jam home in a jar.

Shortly after Beezel left, a message arrived from Good Forest Village by small wyvern messenger.

They thanked us for the information about Sun Castle and asked that, if we obtained any rare metals from it, we let them put those metals to use.

I see.

Well, I would leave that part to Gutt. The aroma had drawn him over too, after all.

Ah, we had run out of pancakes, so he was spreading jam on bread? That was nice too.

But eating too many snacks would spoil his dinner.

I had thought Doraim and the others might contact us after Beezel and Good Forest Village, but they didn't.

Perhaps Sun Castle wasn't much of a big deal to dragons.

Just as snack time ended and everyone started going back to their respective tasks-

A streak of light crossed the sky above the village.

It came from the direction of Sun Castle, so at first I thought Sun Castle was attacking, but that wasn't it.

It was Hakuren's flame. She could breathe it all the way from there to above the village? That was impressive.

No, had she reduced its power to extend its range?

Then that meant... she was sending some sort of signal or notification...

I looked toward Sun Castle and Hakuren.

Hakuren and Rasuti were tracing a vertical circle near the middle of the huge rock that served as Sun Castle's base.

From the village, it looked like a target.

Perhaps realizing that I had seen it, Hakuren and Rasuti moved to safety.

I see.

I raised the spear formed from the Almighty Farming Tool and threw it at the target Hakuren and Rasuti had drawn.

Straight as an arrow.

Yes, a beautiful hit.

Immediately afterward, Sun Castle's base crumbled from the point of impact and fell toward the ground.

It was too far away to hear anything... but a little later, the ground began to shake.

Now then, what was I going to do about Ursa and the others, with their sparkling eyes?

Asking me for tips on throwing spears wouldn't help. Probably.

Sun Castle had lost its base-the cone portion of the soft-serve ice cream.

At first, I worried that something might happen to Sun Castle, but it was fine.

The castle portion could fly on its own. Impressive.

Where the base had been... I could see something hemispherical.

It was made of the same material as the castle, so it was probably part of it.

Perhaps this was what Sun Castle was supposed to look like.

Having lost its base, Sun Castle stabilized at an altitude of about five thousand meters.

It also seemed to have stopped moving toward the village.

Had they brought it under control? Yes, it looked that way.

I could see the First Suppression Force flying toward the village.

Rasuti was carrying Kuro's descendants too.

Was the Second Suppression Force withdrawing as well?

They would probably arrive before dinner.

We would prepare dinner while we waited.

What was today's main dish? Apparently, tempura. I see.

We mustn't forget to use up the shrimp.

The First Suppression Force and some members of the Second Suppression Force returned and reported to me that the suppression of Sun Castle was complete.

Kuzutin hadn't come with them this time.

Apparently, the Demon Race and Succubus Race were discussing what to do next.

Also, the members of the Second Suppression Force still in Sun Castle wouldn't be withdrawing today.

Although the monsters and magical beasts had been wiped out, they were staying as a precaution in case any had slipped through. I see.

So tomorrow, it would be my turn.

I would go to Sun Castle to check the results.

I could go? Huh? Really?

Ursa and the others said they wanted to come too. Ah, we would take them along.

With Hakuren watching them, it would be fine.

Over dinner, everyone talked about the heroic exploits of the First Suppression Force and Rasuti.

Apparently, it had turned into a scramble for prey.

What about the monsters that absorbed magic power?

Ah, they had dealt with those using Hakuren's flames and sheer physical force. I see.

Whatever the case, I was glad no one had been hurt.

The castle lord

I rode on Hakuren's back to Sun Castle.

Our companions included the members of the First Suppression Force, as well as Ursa and Guraru.

Rasuti's back was loaded with ingredients to give as greeting gifts.

Sun Castle-

Since it was so high up, I had expected it to be cold, but it actually wasn't.

I could barely feel any wind, either.

Was that because something magical surrounded the entire castle?

Thinking about it, without that, we probably couldn't have gone any higher.

The temperature felt like spring. Was it always like this inside the castle?

Hakuren landed somewhere that looked like a courtyard.

A little drama unfolded before me.

"This child is well-behaved. It would never hurt anyone."

"That is a monster. Monsters must be exterminated."

"I don't care! This child hasn't done anything wrong!"

"I'm sorry too, but..."

Several Demon Race adults were pressuring a Demon Race girl.

I could more or less tell what they were doing.

I could tell... but when had this little drama started?

Had they timed it to my arrival?

And behind the adults, several of Kuro's descendants were standing by.

Judging by their yawns, they weren't keeping watch, but watching the show? They were probably watching the show.

Girl, stop sneaking glances at me. You adults, too.

I knew they wanted me to plead the monster's case.

"Tell me what happened."

It was just as I had guessed.

The girl had secretly been raising a baby monster from Sun Castle.

That in itself wasn't much of a problem... or rather, being trapped in Sun Castle already gave them more than enough problems, so they let little things like this slide.

They probably thought there was no need to go out of their way to dispose of

a monster that wasn't hostile.

Apparently, they had also been thinking, "If we can tame a monster, perhaps something will change."

But after Kuro's descendants exterminated the monsters and magical beasts, the situation changed.

What should they do about the monster she had secretly been raising? They wanted to save it if at all possible, but the wolves that had exterminated the monsters were watching. At a time like this, their only choice was to ask someone important.

That little drama had apparently been the result.

Couldn't they have just told me honestly?

They wanted to make it as sympathetic as possible? Well, I understood how they felt...

If they wanted to raise it here, there was no problem as long as this place's representative agreed.

Kuzutin was this castle's representative, right?

"There is something I would like to discuss with you about that."

I tossed the issue to Kuzutin, and he tossed it right back.

"Registration?"

Apparently, they could already control Sun Castle to a limited extent.

But to control it more efficiently, they supposedly needed to register a castle lord.

When I said, "Why not hurry up and register one?" they took me somewhere that looked like an audience chamber.

On the audience chamber's throne... sat a huge crystal about the size of a person.

"I have been awaiting you. Is this the one who will become my master?"

Nothing moved, but I could tell the crystal was speaking.

"This crystal is something like a spirit that controls the castle. Because it refuses to accept anyone from the Demon Race or Succubus Race as its master, we haven't been able to control Sun Castle until now."

"So he refuses to accept Kuzutin as his master?"

"Yes."

"Will anyone outside the Demon Race and Succubus Race do?"

Before Kuzutin could speak, the crystal answered my question.

"I serve only the Divine Human Race."

...I see.

The Divine Human Race meant the Angels, right?

I looked at my companions.

Tia, Kierbit, Gran Maria, Kuudel, and Corone were all there.

"Then, Tia or Kierbit, could one of you register?"

"Village chief, I'm not a member of the Divine Human Race."

"Neither am I."

The two turned their faces away in refusal.

I looked at Gran Maria and the others and received the same response.

"Hey, um... what's your name?"

I addressed the crystal.

"Don't you know to give your own name before asking someone else's?"

"Oh, sorry. My name is Hiraku. What's yours?"

"'Yours'? Surely you aren't addressing me in such a rude manner?"

What a nuisance.

Still, getting angry wouldn't accomplish anything, so I gave in.

"Forgive my rudeness. Might I have the honor of knowing your name?"

"I am Sun Castle. The glorious Sun Castle."

"May I address you as 'Lord Glorious Sun Castle'?"

"G-glorious is how I describe myself... you may omit that part and simply call me Sun Castle."

"I see. Then, Lord Sun Castle, the Angels dislike the term 'Divine Human Race,' so I hope you will be considerate."

"The Divine Human Race is the Divine Human Race, is it not? What nonsense."

The instant the crystal answered, Tia and Kierbit threw their fists.

"The Divine Human Race is dead."

"We're just Angels who look like them."

Their punches shattered part of the crystal... was that all right?

"M-my sincerest apologies. How careless of me to confuse the Divine Human Race with the Angels."

It seemed to be all right.

Oh, it repaired itself. That was convenient.

Returning to the matter at hand, I asked Tia and Kierbit to register as castle lord.

However, they refused.

Tia said she couldn't push aside her husband and become castle lord herself.

Kierbit refused too. Not out of modesty, but because, as a guest in the village, she couldn't become castle lord.

However, both seemed to think serving as acting castle lord would be fine.

In other words, they wanted me to become castle lord.

Sun Castle and I objected.

"Hey, hey, hey, I can't be a castle lord."

"Even with recommendations from the Divine Hu... pardon me. Even with recommendations from Angels, an ordinary human cannot become castle lord."

Exactly-on that point, the crystal and I agreed.

But Tia and Kierbit felt differently.

"Oh? My husband isn't good enough for you? Will you still be saying that when you're powder?"

"Let's test how finely we have to smash it before it changes its mind."

With no other choice, I stepped in to mediate.

"Lord Sun Castle, who would you accept instead?"

"Hmm... let me see..."

Sun Castle looked over the people around us.

Hakuren, Lu, Tia, Gran Maria, Kuudel, Corone, Kierbit, Daga, Gulf, Mea, Rasuti, Ursa, and Guraru. A dozen or so of Kuro's descendants, and Kuzutin as well.

"How odd. Huh? Um... pardon me. Aku, Aku! Could you come here a moment?"

After puzzling over it for a while, Sun Castle called Kuzutin over. They seemed to get along well.

"What is it?"

"Were these the people who drove away the monsters and magical beasts that occupied the castle?"

"Yes. Oh, except for the village chief and the little girls over there."

"I-is that so... who destroyed the large rock that used to be attached to the bottom of the castle?"

"The village chief. Impressive, isn't it?"

"When you say village chief... from the context, you mean Hiraku?"

"Yes."

"..."

After thinking for a little while, Sun Castle reached a conclusion.

"The new castle lord shall be Aku, Kuzutin! Good, registration complete. No more changes!"

"Huh? Is that all right? He's from the Demon Race, isn't he?"

"I believe that fixating on race is the thinking of a fool. I sincerely apologize for my earlier rudeness. Ah, Lord Hiraku, I'm sorry I neglected to prepare a chair for you. Aku, chairs."

Kuzutin, now castle lord, brought over chairs and arranged them. Was this all right?

It looked hard for one person, so I went to help.

Ursa and Guraru were helping too? Sorry for the trouble.

In the end, everyone helped carry tables and chairs.

We couldn't let only the children do the carrying.

Many chairs were set out in the audience chamber.

"Aku, over here by me. Not there... yes, right here. In front of me. It's fine, it's fine. You're the castle lord, after all. Please stay in front of me. Please."

As Kuzutin stood there with a chair, at a loss, I felt much the same way.

"Even if I'm the village chief, shouldn't we arrange these differently?"

I alone sat in front, with everyone else lined up behind me.

Kuro's descendants stood by here and there between the lines.

Honestly, it made me a little uneasy.

So Lu, Tia, and Hakuren sat on either side of me.

When Hakuren moved forward, Ursa followed and sat beside her, and then Guraru too...

In the end, everyone sat in a single row, with Kuro's descendants between the chairs.

I was still in the very center.

Well, I was the representative, after all.

"Now that we've decided on a castle lord, I'd like you to allow that girl to raise the baby monster she was protecting earlier."

I made the suggestion to Kuzutin.

"Huh? Well... okay."

Good, that settled it.

Gulf wouldn't be able to help much by staying for the negotiations, so I asked him to go tell her.

"Then, next we should discuss what to do with Sun Castle from now on, right? I heard you were moving toward the village because of a contract or something, Lord Sun Castle?"

"Lord Hiraku, there's no need for an honorific. Please just call me Sun Castle. Or you can call me Rock."

"Why are you suddenly being so humble?"

"No, no, as one who serves a master, my rudeness is my master's rudeness. I must not cause trouble for my master."

"I-is that so? Then, Sun Castle, why did you come to the village?"

"An ancient contract."

"May I ask what it says?"

"Of course."

Sun Castle began explaining the contract's contents, but perhaps because the terminology was so old, I really couldn't understand.

Lu gave me a simple summary.

"Apparently, the contract says that once the Dragon Priestess gathers ten or more members of the Dragon Race of the Age of Gods, it must go there and join the humans' side."

There was apparently a Dragon Priestess among the residents of Village One, right?

The Dragon Race of the Age of Gods?

It seemed to mean the race Death and Giral belonged to.

More than ten... did it mean the martial arts tournament earlier? Everyone had come because Hiraku Ichirou was born.

But why would it join the humans' side? Hadn't Sun Castle just said a human couldn't be its lord?

"When so many members of the Dragon Race of the Age of Gods gather, there must be a human at their center."

Well, that was true...

Huh? Then...

Did it mean me?

"That was a contract of the highest order, established twelve hundred years ago. I never thought it would take effect, but its conditions were met, so I began moving. Unfortunately, the bottom of the castle was so heavy that I couldn't pick up speed, and it took a long time to come pay my respects to you."

I see.

"After making contact with the Dragon Race of the Age of Gods, the contract was suspended. Well, times have changed, after all. Joining the humans to fight the Demon Race at this point would be..."

Hearing Sun Castle's explanation, Kuzutin looked behind him.

"Hey, hey, hey! Didn't you tell us that humans at our destination were going to wipe us out, and use that to threaten everyone into fighting? Have you forgotten?"

"My past self was foolish. Please forget about it."

"I declared war because I took you seriously, you know! How can you say that now?"

"I am truly sorry. You may demand any apology you wish afterward, but for now, please entertain our visitors as the castle lord."

"You say entertain our visitors, but we're mostly talking about you. Besides, I barely know anything..."

"It's fine. Just having you here puts my mind at ease. Please be a good shield for... excuse me. Please entertain our guests properly."

"You just said shield. You said shield, didn't you!"

"Castle lord, stop. Making a scene in front of guests is rude."

"Grrrr!"

Um... could we get on with the conversation?

6: Touring Sun Castle

Sun Castle... having the same name as the place really was confusing.

I'd call the one doing the talking Sun Castle's crystal.

Sun Castle was roughly divided into nine sections.

First, the castle stood in the center.

It had a courtyard, where we had landed.

The castle... was an ordinary castle, I supposed.

It had several floors, and I had only walked around a little, so I wasn't sure what the interior was like.

Perhaps five stories?

Some parts had high ceilings, and there were also pointless corridors whose purpose I couldn't figure out.

Besides the audience chamber, there were the castle lord's living quarters, meeting rooms, soldiers' break rooms, guest rooms, kitchens, baths, and so on.

The interior furnishings were very luxurious, but...

Unfortunately, almost everywhere had been turned into farmland, which looked terribly out of place.

These fields were probably used to grow the labyrinth potatoes Kuzutin had mentioned.

Apparently, labyrinth potatoes could grow even in dark rooms... places that received no sunlight.

Their taste... couldn't be called good even to be polite, but once dried and ground into powder, they could substitute for flour, so the Demon Race living in Sun Castle ate them as their staple food.

Apparently, things had ended up this way because the Demon Race and Succubus Race trapped in Sun Castle had all holed up in this castle, where they could secure water but not food.

Still, feeding two hundred and sixty people on this harvest had to be difficult.

Apparently, the Succubus Race could sustain themselves by consuming love in dreams.

What a romantic race. Better not think too deeply about it.

Still, it seemed the food supply had only held out because the Succubus Race didn't need ordinary food.

We cooked the ingredients we had brought and treated the Demon Race to a meal.

Perhaps because they had been eating so poorly, they were all far too thin.

The meal was mainly pork, with extra onions and eggs. I'd ask Michael to procure some eels another day, so hang in there.

But the Succubus Race...

They were all women. Young, too.

And they wore nothing but underwear... no, their clothing was styled like underwear.

Their behavior felt rather provocative, too. Walk straight, please, straight. Stop swaying around.

Don't let Ursa and Guraru see.

The Demon Race... was a mix of men and women, though there were more men.

Some were also clearly advanced in age.

Still, they were probably younger than Bulga and Stifano.

I was reminded that this world had many races with different lifespans.

Hm? Oh, don't mind me. Eat as much as you like.

Have some oranges, too. A balanced diet was important, after all.

The three sections in front of the castle-the southwest, south, and southeast-were urban districts.

They stood a level lower than the central castle district.

Monsters and magical beasts had occupied these areas, leaving them almost entirely in ruins.

The waterways running throughout them stood out.

The eastern section was also an urban district, but it seemed to consist mostly of workshops and related facilities.

Though it, too, was in ruins, the sturdy buildings still retained their original forms.

And those buildings seemed to have become nests for monsters and magical beasts.

Signs of fierce fighting... or should I call it slaughter? Such traces were everywhere.

Kuro's descendants wore expressions that said, "I worked hard," so I patted their heads.

Ah, yes, once I patted one, the others came over one after another.

I made sure to give every one of them a pat.

Hakuren and Rasuti, your turns would come later, so please don't line up.

The northwest, north, and northeast were forest districts.

They stood another level lower than the urban districts.

Waterways had been built here, too, but most of the trees had withered.

I suspected this area had also become a nesting ground for monsters and magical beasts.

Though some trees remained, the sight of their broken branches was painful.

Still, to think a flying castle had a place like this. Was it meant to help circulate air? Or was it ornamental?

Considering that Angels had lived here before... it was more likely ornamental.

Even though the plants had withered, the air didn't feel bad.

And in the northwestern section, there was a large hole.

Apparently, it had originally led to an area that might be called underground or below ground: the inside of the base that had been attached until recently.

So now it was a hole through which you would fall straight toward the surface.

Scary. I didn't dare go near it.

The remaining western section was an enormous pool.

A reservoir?

It lay even lower than the forest districts.

It seemed designed to serve as the endpoint for the waterways in each section.

The water was purified here, then sent into the castle by something that wasn't a pump... was it magic?

Once sent into the castle, it apparently flowed out to the other areas again.

The Demon Race and Succubus Race had probably been able to secure water because all these waterway facilities were functioning properly.

They were lucky.

According to Hakuren and the others, things had remained safe because there were no aquatic monsters.

Perhaps aquatic monsters wouldn't live in a flying castle.

Back to the large hole in the northwestern section.

Most of the monsters seemed to have invaded through here.

To be precise, the base that had originally been underneath was the result of an attack by the Demon Race.

They had attached monster eggs, soil and all, to the bottom of Sun Castle, hindering its movement while using the hatched monsters to attack... that had been the original plan.

In practice, since they didn't know how long the monsters would take to hatch, they had put the plan into action but ultimately called it off.

All they had accomplished was to stick a huge amount of soil to the bottom of the castle... forming the base.

Although Sun Castle's movements had indeed slowed, it amounted to little more than harassment.

So the Demon Race had changed tactics and invaded Sun Castle instead.

"How did you get into Sun Castle back then?"

I asked Kuzutin, who was accompanying us.

"According to the accounts passed down by our elders, they apparently hid among cargo being delivered to Sun Castle."

I see.

As it happened, the Angels living in the castle had gone out to fight, reducing their numbers, so although there had only been a dozen or so invaders, they had luckily managed to capture it.

However, the Angels who remained behind had prevented them from gaining control of Sun Castle.

While the Demon Race struggled with this, hatched monsters had emerged from the base below, forcing them to hole up in the castle...

"My grandfather told me the silver lining was that the cargo delivered that year included lots of labyrinth potatoes meant for pranks."

I understood the monsters, but what about the magical beasts?

Apparently, those the Angels had raised had gone feral.

I see.

What about the Succubus Race? Had they invaded alongside them?

I'd heard that Angels were an all-female species. Sending female members of the Succubus Race against them seemed a little foolish. Had there been many male members of the Succubus Race present during the assault?

"Apparently, the Succubus Race were originally attendants to the Divine Human Race... the Angels."

Kuzutin's explanation surprised me a little.

It seemed the Succubus Race had originally been attendants serving the Divine Human Race.

Their combat abilities weren't particularly impressive, so they had chosen to surrender when the Demon Race occupied Sun Castle.

Afterward, faced with the threat of monsters, they had begun living together with the Demon Race.

After making a circuit of Sun Castle, I hadn't found anything that particularly caught my attention.

To put it harshly, everything outside the castle was ruins.

It was a desolate place.

At first, I had wondered how they had managed to keep the castle running, but according to Kuzutin, they apparently owed it all to Sun Castle's crystal.

"Considering you weren't castle lords, I'm surprised it was willing to help you."

"Well, naturally, we relied on provocation, praise, and soothing words."

I see.

Well, monsters invading the castle and running wild would trouble Sun Castle's crystal, too.

All right.

I had just said that after walking all the way around Sun Castle, nothing had particularly caught my attention...

But there was one place-

Actually, there was something strange inside the castle.

"Um, where are you going?"

Kuzutin, who was accompanying me, asked.

My destination was one of those pointless corridors whose purpose I hadn't understood.

Those pointless corridors were probably intended to confuse enemies who entered them, and they were generally dead ends.

That was what I had thought...

But one of the corridors had a decoration in it.

Could it be?

I reached out and touched the vase... it seemed it could tilt forward.

After hesitating a little, I pulled the vase.

There was a strange sound, and a hole opened in the wall, revealing a new passage.

"Huh? Th-there was a mechanism like this!"

Kuro's descendants rushed past the astonished Kuzutin and into the passage.

I hoped there weren't any monsters inside.

7: Beyond the Hidden Door

We proceeded along the hidden passage.

At the moment, Kuzutin, Lu, Hakuren, Ursa, and Guraru were with me.

Several of Kuro's descendants were also keeping watch around us as our guards.

As for the others, the mountain elves, including Mea, had gone to ask the Demon Race and Succubus Race about technical matters.

Tia, Gran Maria, Kuudel, Corone, and Kierbit were exploring the interior of Sun Castle.

Since there might have been mechanisms only some Angels knew about, I asked them to investigate.

Still, the passage in front of us was the most suspicious thing at the moment.

I felt bad for Rasuti, but I asked her to return to the village and bring more food.

After seeing what they ate here, it was hard to stand by and do nothing.

The remaining members were tasked with checking the items Kuzutin had handed over and testing the magic tools.

Since many were related to weapons, I left them to Daga the lizardman and Gulf the beastman. They were swinging them around in the courtyard. Hopefully nothing would explode?

We followed the hidden passage to its end and reached what looked like a large study.

There were plenty of books on the shelves... but quite a few lay scattered on the floor too.

It looked as though an earthquake had struck.

The books on the shelves were clean, while those scattered on the floor were covered in a thick layer of dust.

Had some kind of magic been cast on the shelves?

The books covered... all sorts of subjects.

"The Glory of the Divine Human Race," "For Victory: Three Chapters on Tactics," "What Every Castle Lord Should Know," "The Well-Liked Boss," "An Illustrated Guide to Art," "Making Art Supplies," "The Complete Guide to Ball Games," "Animals of the Forest," "Fashion That Attracts the Opposite Sex," "On Love," and "The Secrets of Dragons."

...I kind of want to read The Secrets of Dragons.

In any case, it was a complete mess.

Had the former castle lord been unable to tidy up?

The books scattered on the floor were falling apart... weathered away.

When had they ended up like this? Surely it had been more than a century or two?

With so much dust piled up, Kuro's descendants had left footprints.

After carefully checking the dark corners... we discovered that a wall of the study opened onto another passage.

There was an ornament beside the passage, tipped over. Did that mean Kuro's descendants had operated it? How clever. We followed close behind. Ursa, Guraru, don't play with the dust. You'll choke on it.

We followed Kuro's descendants along the passage and eventually came to a door.

The door had no mechanism and opened easily... once I opened it, I understood.

There was a mechanism involving moving an ornament, but it was on the other side of the door. Apparently, the door was designed to open from this side without using the mechanism.

And this was a dungeon.

Rows of small cells lined both sides, giving the place an eerie atmosphere.

Probably because nobody maintained it, both the cells and the passage were thick with dust.

Fortunately, there was nothing strange in the cells.

...Ah, one spot was different.

The cell near the entrance had been cleaned thoroughly.

And there were signs it had been used not long ago.

It didn't look as though someone had been locked up there, but rather...

Thinking it over as I walked, I arrived somewhere familiar.

The courtyard.

Daga and Gulf came running over, along with Kuro's descendants, who had slipped out ahead of us.

"There was a dungeon here?"

An ordinary wall.

I wondered whether there was an ornament on this side too, but found that it had been destroyed along with its pedestal. That was probably why the door concealing the dungeon opened with a push.

I called over the girl who had been protecting the monster child when we arrived at Sun Castle.

As I'd expected, she had been keeping the monster in the cell.

Incidentally, it was a lizard-type monster.

Something like a chameleon, perhaps?

Apparently, once tamed, it wouldn't attack people... well, it should be fine.

The chameleon eyed me warily, as though to keep me from harming the girl.

Honestly, it was admirable.

So please don't despair just because Kuro's descendants are approaching.

Well, that settled the matter of the hidden passage.

It led from inside the castle through the study and dungeon, then outside.

The study was probably a hidden room.

When necessary, someone could escape outside through the dungeon, or flee from the dungeon into the study during a rebellion.

Had the castle lord built it as a precaution?

Hmm, something was suspicious.

What good would fleeing into the study do?

We returned to the study again. Daga and Gulf came along too.

The study had two exits.

One led into the castle, where we had entered, and the other led to the dungeon.

But there were no other ornament mechanisms.

In that case...

I had everyone enter the study, then reset the mechanism leading to the dungeon.

The mechanism couldn't be the same as the one hiding the study. If it were, discovering one would expose everything.

In that case, the passage to the dungeon was a diversion.

I examined the ornament... yes, it could be turned.

The entire study seemed to shudder, then began to descend.

It was like being in an elevator.

The descent soon ended, and a new passage appeared.

This was probably the real one.

I thought Kuro's descendants would rush in again... but they didn't move. Huh?

Apparently, they hadn't recognized that the passage was there.

What was going on?

I pointed at the passage and asked everyone present.

"There's a passage over there, right?"

Ursa was the only one who nodded.

Was being human the common factor?

Did it impair perception depending on one's race?

Whatever the case, even if they couldn't see it, the passage still existed.

I stepped into the passage, and Ursa followed.

The others couldn't enter.

It was as though there were a wall.

No, apparently it simply looked like a wall to everyone else.

Hakuren punched the wall hard, but her fist bounced back.

"Don't do anything reckless."

I walked back from the passage into the study.

Yes, I could get back.

For safety's sake, it would probably be better not to go in...

But I could imagine that Sun Castle's power room lay that way.

It was probably the mechanism that kept Sun Castle floating in the air.

Precisely for that reason, I thought there probably wouldn't be any outrageous traps... but it was also the place where we needed to be most careful.

Better not go in with just the two of us.

I took Ursa's hand to keep her from running ahead. She obediently let me hold it.

I'd thought she would charge out in front.

Hmm? Did Guraru want to hold hands too? Then she could take the other one.

Lu, Hakuren, don't sulk just because you were a step too late.

All right, time to think.

No, I couldn't figure it out.

Time to go back.

"Please wait."

Just as I asked Daga to operate the mechanism, a voice rang out in the room.

It wasn't one of ours.

It belonged to an unfamiliar woman.

"The barrier has been lifted. The others can pass through now as well."

With that, everyone besides Ursa and me apparently became able to see the passage too.

Kuro's descendants stepped inside first, together with Daga and Gulf.

Since there seemed to be no problem, we let Kuro's descendants keep going ahead.

With Daga and Gulf guiding us, we proceeded down the passage.

As I'd expected, Sun Castle's power room lay at the end.

A massive crystal was fitted with machinery whose purpose I couldn't quite understand.

Still, the atmosphere was more like a temple than a power room.

As though to emphasize

that point, a woman dressed as a priest stood before us.

Kuro's descendants, who had arrived first, surrounded her.

"Though you are approximately ten years earlier than the book of prophecy foretold... I have long awaited your arrival."

Her long white hair, tied back, left a strong impression.

She bowed to me, then spoke.

"I am Bell Fogma, chief aide to the lord of Sun Castle."

Chief aide to the castle lord?

"Think of me as the person responsible for managing Sun Castle's course. Now, without further delay, I would like to fulfill the prophecy, give you what I must give you, and tell you what I must tell you."

Bell produced something resembling a priest's staff from somewhere and gave it a gentle shake, making it ring.

A sword with a fiery red blade appeared before me.

"This is the Sword of the Sun."

Did she mean for me to take it?

But I was holding Ursa's and Guraru's hands, so I couldn't.

Bell continued without concern.

"The Demon King Galgard's weakness is the scale on his back. If you plunge this sword into it, you should be able to defeat him. Do your best, brave hero."

"Sorry, have you mistaken me for someone else? I'm not a hero."

"I know."

"Huh?"

"The book of prophecy said a hero would come. Therefore, you, who have come here, are the hero. Even if you were not a hero before, you will become one. Doesn't that settle it?"

"Uh, you say that... but I know the Demon King, and I don't want to defeat him."

"That part is up to you. My task is to give the Sword of the Sun to whoever comes here and tell him the Demon King's weakness."

"Uh..."

"Having extra work unrelated to navigating Sun Castle forced on me is quite troublesome. Once you accept that sword, my task will be complete, so please do help me out."

"It's fine if I don't defeat the Demon King?"

"Yes."

"There aren't any strange curses on it?"

"No."

"I can do whatever I want with this sword?"

"You may."

"Even throw it away?"

"Yes."

"I see."

I let go of Ursa and Guraru and picked up the Sword of the Sun. It was heavy.

"Thank you. With that, my task is complete."

Bell smiled with a refreshed expression.

Though she had an air of mystery about her, judging by our conversation, she seemed to find this whole affair a nuisance.

"Thanks for your hard work."

With that, I set the Sword of the Sun I had received on the floor and picked up the hoe formed by the Almighty Farming Tool.

Then I tilled the Sword of the Sun.

Yep, it turned into soil.

I had no need for a sword meant to kill people I knew.

I had worried Bell might get angry... but she curled her lips into a smile and gave me a thumbs-up.

Apparently, she really hated that assignment.

Chapter 8: Sun Castle's fuel problem

Bell Foggma, chief aide to the lord of Sun Castle, clutched her head and groaned.

She had stayed deep inside Sun Castle ever since she was given her assignment.

As a result, she knew nothing.

Sun Castle had been occupied by the Demon Race, and Kuzutin was now its lord.

Monsters and magical beasts had run rampant, destroying most of Sun Castle's facilities.

And Sun Castle was about to run out of fuel, leaving nearly all its functions disabled.

"I don't mind you finding a new ruler or lord, but doing it without consulting me at all makes me want to explode."

"How were we supposed to consult you when you were completely isolated, Bell?"

Bell was complaining to Sun Castle's crystal.

To be precise, the crystal had a name of his own: Gulf Foggma. Bell told me that. Apparently, they were older sister and younger brother?

Uh, more importantly, why was Gulf acting as though he was Sun Castle itself? Because Gulf held the highest authority when the lord was absent, so it was fine? Hmm...

Bell and Gulf were apparently artificial life-forms called Mercury Types, created to assist the lord of Sun Castle.

Sixteen Mercury Types still existed, but only Bell and Gulf were operating. The others had shut down and entered dormancy because Sun Castle lacked fuel.

Apparently, Gulf had taken the form of a crystal to save fuel.

"Why is the fuel shortage so severe? The reserves originally planned should have kept us flying for five thousand years, shouldn't they?"

Bell questioned Gulf.

"Ah... um... do you want to hear it?"

"I'm all ears."

"This castle was originally something like a vacation home, built by a human king who spared no expense, right?"

"Yes. We were created back then to manage this place."

"Then the king became obsessed with a prophecy, gave you your assignment, and isolated you, right?"

"Just remembering it annoys me."

"About twenty years later, the king died, and a succession dispute broke out. Ownership of this castle passed to a pleasure-loving noble."

"How fickle the world is."

"That pleasure-loving noble was short on money, so he sold Sun Castle's reserve fuel..."

"What?"

"Even that wasn't enough, and in the end, the castle was bought by the Divine Human Race... ah, the Angels. You need to call them Angels too, Bell, or they'll get angry."

"All right, I get it. Keep going."

"The Angels bought the castle."

"..."

"The Angels converted the castle for combat. They did replenish the fuel, but using the armaments consumed fuel too... When the Demon Race counterattacked and sent monsters inside, they happened to hit the last reserve fuel depot and blew it up. As a result, we've barely managed to hold on until now using the fuel left inside the castle."

"I see. In short, I don't know how many centuries ago this was, but you did kill that noble, didn't you?"

"Don't say such frightening things. No, we didn't."

"Then did you secretly ruin him and leave him destitute?"

"No, we didn't do that either. After selling the castle, that pleasure-loving noble apparently enjoyed himself for another fifty years or so, then died surrounded by his many grandchildren."

"Understood. Then I'll curse him. Give me that noble's name and detailed information on his descendants."

"His descendants had nothing to do with it. Don't do that."

The crystal soothed the furious Bell.

As we watched, we enjoyed dishes made with the ingredients Rasuti had brought.

I had been wondering whether there was a way to make the labyrinth potatoes grown in Sun Castle taste better, so I tried putting them in curry...

Curry really was all-purpose. It covered up the bad taste beautifully.

Since the texture remained fully intact, perhaps adding more would be good.

Still, I wouldn't go out of my way to grow labyrinth potatoes. What should I do?

They had kept the Demon Race alive all this time on their own, so they probably had high nutritional value.

They were potatoes, right? Could they be made into alcohol? Though even if we did that, the taste would still be a problem...

If the resulting alcohol tasted good, labyrinth potatoes would have value.

Of course, that depended on Kuzutin and the others continuing to grow labyrinth potatoes here.

"Kuzutin, what are you all going to do now?"

I asked Kuzutin, who was enjoying his curry.

"Ah, yes. I've already discussed it with everyone. If possible, we'd like to continue living here."

Since people they knew might still be alive in their homeland, a few had apparently gone to check, but they had returned.

"We've lived here for five hundred years, after all. Ah, though it's only been about thirty years for me."

"Does the Succubus Race feel the same way?"

"Yes. We've already established a symbiotic relationship."

I see.

If they were staying of their own free will rather than being forced, there was no problem.

In that case...

Bell came over and voiced my concern.

"We've calculated the remaining fuel. Sun Castle will probably be unable to fly in about three years."

Hearing Bell's words, Kuzutin panicked.

That was understandable. His home would no longer be able to fly, after all.

"If it can't fly, there's nothing we can do about that. How about finding somewhere on the ground to land the castle?"

"Huh? On the ground...?"

Kuzutin looked at Kuro's descendants.

"If we go down to the ground, we'll be ravaged by monsters and magical beasts again."

Apparently, Sun Castle relied on flight for its defenses.

I see...

Ah!

"If you're short on fuel, how about getting some from outside?"

I had forgotten. If there wasn't enough fuel, we just had to replenish it.

Kuzutin agreed with my suggestion, but Bell shook her head.

"Sun Castle's fuel is refined from a rare mineral. It isn't so easy to obtain."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. It's a rare mineral called sunstone, which continuously gives off heat. We need a very large amount.

If it was rare, we were out of luck.

No, perhaps the Demon King, the Progenitor, or Death could do something?

"Hey, could I say something?"

As I was thinking, Lu poked me.

"What is it?"

"What they call sunstone is heat-retaining stone."

"...Huh?"

"It used to be rare, but the price collapsed after a large deposit was discovered..."

I looked at Bell. Her face was bright red.

Well, she had been isolated, so that was understandable.

Hmm, I had learned quite a bit.

We could dig up heat-retaining stones at the hot springs, and asking Michael would secure a considerable amount too.

I took out the sunstone I had wrapped in cloth and used as a hand warmer, then showed it to Bell to confirm there was no mistake.

"In any case, how much do you need?"

"If we could get ten kilograms to start with..."

In that case, digging some up at the hot springs would be faster.

"You can control Sun Castle's course, right?"

"Yes."

"Then head north... Do you have a map?"

At my request, Bell waved her hand, projecting an image of the ground onto the floor.

Oh, it felt futuristic! No, was it magic?!

Though the part that had become a field remained a field... it was amazing! Yes, amazing! So don't look so down, Bell.

And so Sun Castle headed toward the hot springs.

I had considered asking Hakuren and the others to carry it, but a shorter flight distance would be better.

At the same time, Kuzutin volunteered to submit to Big Tree Village.

"We're still discussing what we'll do from here on, but restoring this place on our own would be difficult. Lord Sun Castle... Lord Gulf also said this would be better."

"Rather than drifting rootlessly, it's safer to place ourselves under someone's protection."

Bell agreed too.

To be honest, they couldn't afford to pay for the heat-retaining stones either, which was why they made the request.

In exchange, they offered to hand over the technology and all the items left in the castle.

I wanted to decide right away, but I needed to discuss it with the villagers, so I chose to put it on hold for now.

"Please help us."

Bell and Kuzutin bowed together.

Gulf couldn't bow because he was a crystal, but his feelings came across.

I would do my best to give them a favorable answer.

Side story: The situation inside Sun Castle - Kuzutin

My name was Kuzutin.

I was a man of the Demon Race. My great-grandfather was Kuzbon, the hero who occupied Sun Castle.

But no one cared when I boasted about it, which left me feeling empty.

My position was troop commander, responsible for leading sixty members of the Demon Race and two hundred members of the Succubus Race.

However, this was merely a hereditary position passed from Lord Kuzbon to my grandfather, then from my grandfather to my father.

At present, we were trapped inside Sun Castle with absolutely no information about the outside world.

If asked whether I felt uneasy, I would have found it difficult to answer. I had grown accustomed to this environment since childhood, or perhaps I should say that I considered it normal.

Only the elderly felt uneasy.

However, they took it upon themselves to ask the Succubus Race to let them sleep for long periods.

In their dreams, they wouldn't have to feel that unease.

The Succubus Race warned that spending long periods immersed in dreams would adversely affect their lives in reality, but they couldn't change their minds.

It was a matter for those concerned. Though I felt sorry for the members of the Succubus Race, I could only ask for their help.

My life never changed.

In the morning, patrols.

I couldn't neglect inspecting the outer walls. I didn't want to suffer badly for underestimating monsters and magical beasts.

At midday, farming.

Labyrinth potatoes had the advantage of being able to grow even in the dark.

Their yields weren't bad either.

The problem was the taste. However, they had been our staple food since I was born, so I had no particular complaints.

At night, I held a meeting with the crystal who called himself Sun Castle.

To distinguish him from Sun Castle, where we lived, I called him Lord Sun Castle.

My grandfather and father told me he wasn't a bad person.

He was also the one who agreed to convert most of the castle into fields. He was effectively our leader.

However, one flaw of his was that he sulked if we failed to praise him properly when praise was due.

Every day was routine.

That was what I thought, but one day, something changed.

Sun Castle's course changed drastically.

To be honest, I had no idea where it was flying, and there was nothing we could do about it anyway, so telling me these things was pointless.

My father said to praise him whenever I didn't know how to respond, so I did.

"I'm sure we're heading in a good direction."

Those words praised both our course and our future direction. I had put that rather nicely.

But Lord Sun Castle's answer was unexpected.

"Aku, unfortunately, this change of course is the result of an ancient contract. It has nothing to do with my wishes."

"Huh...?"

"This ancient contract was intended to bring Sun Castle into the human camp. In other words, the place we're heading to next may very well bring tragedy upon you and the others, Aku."

"Huh? R-really?"

"There's no point in lying to you. We're scheduled to arrive in eighty-seven days. Prepare yourselves mentally before then. If possible, you should do some combat training as well."

"How could this happen...?"

I couldn't bear something like this on my own.

So all the demons and succubi listened to Lord Sun Castle's explanation together.

We even spent several days holding meetings.

Of course, the situation didn't improve. No, it actually got worse.

Lord Sun Castle's statements grew more and more extreme. He even said that we would all be wiped out once we arrived.

With things having come to that, we could only steel ourselves.

We would spend what little time remained on combat training.

How were we supposed to train for combat? Weapons... I didn't know how to use them.

I wanted to bring out the magic items Grandpa had said were too dangerous to touch, but Lord Sun Castle stopped me.

At any rate, we tried starting with what we could do, so everyone jogged around inside the castle together.

Food tasted especially good after working up a sweat.

The passage of time was cruel.

Before we knew it, the day of our arrival was almost upon us.

Lord Sun Castle made a special exception and showed us our destination.

It seemed to be a village in a forest.

Its population was roughly twice the combined number of demons and succubi in Sun Castle.

Despair.

But Lord Sun Castle encouraged us.

That was right. We would do our best.

At Lord Sun Castle's suggestion, we decided to declare war on them.

He said that, if things went well, this might allow us to avoid war.

But I'd never declared war on anyone before, you know?

Find a book to use as a reference?

Would one I'd read as a child do?

In that case, I was actually quite good at this.

I rehearsed in front of Lord Sun Castle.

After correcting some of the wording, I did it for real.

We came under an attack powerful enough to shake the entire castle.

Lord Sun Castle decided we should surrender immediately.

We would preserve our lives through unconditional surrender.

I agreed. My will to fight had already been swept away.

Over the next few days, our lives changed enormously.

Dragons visited from the village Sun Castle had targeted.

They brought those horned black wolves called Infernal Wolves with them, beings that were practically grim reapers.

Just looking at those wolves made you think, "Ah, we're done for."

Most people fainted on the spot. Naturally, so did I.

When I woke up, I found that the monsters and magical beasts that had occupied Sun Castle had all been driven away, and we demons and succubi had been liberated.

Honestly, I didn't really understand what the joy of liberation was supposed to be.

After all, things had been that way since I was born.

Still, I was happy that the terrifying monsters and magical beasts were gone.

Although there were even more terrifying dragons and Infernal Wolves...

At least we could communicate with them.

As long as we didn't anger them, we would be fine.

Huh? Apologize? Oh, because of that initial declaration of war?

Yes, I was willing to apologize.

But, um... it would be wonderful if you could all teach me what rules I should follow.

The village's representative-the village chief-was a generous person.

And now.

By the time I came to my senses, I had become the lord of Sun Castle.

How had this happened?

Side story: The inside story of Sun Castle - Gulf

I was Gulf Fogma.

One of the aides to the lord of Sun Castle.

The chief aide was temporarily unavailable for work due to a special assignment, so I was the highest authority.

Or rather, I was the only one still awake.

Sun Castle's fuel shortage was serious.

And the current situation was even more

serious than the fuel problem.

The ancient contract had activated!

The castle would automatically sail toward a location where dragons and humans were present.

I couldn't control Sun Castle. My authority wasn't sufficient to stop it. I couldn't do it.

The chief aide could probably have done something... but I couldn't get in touch with her. I was out of options.

This was bad.

Even if Sun Castle survived, Aku and the others living here would be killed.

After all, humans wouldn't spare demons.

Although the times had changed somewhat, I didn't think that would have changed.

The information I had gathered while flying over various places also indicated that wars were being fought everywhere.

They were smaller in scale than before simply because civilization had regressed.

Sun Castle had five automatically activated magical shields.

These shields were independent of the fuel system, so they should have functioned normally.

Even if someone climbed aboard, the monsters and magical beasts occupying Sun Castle could probably help hold them off.

The automatic navigation operating under the ancient contract would disengage once we reached our destination. If we fled fast enough...

The estimated maximum duration of combat was twenty days.

Although the fuel situation was tight, we should just barely have been able to escape if we moved at full speed.

That left only the question of what stance we should take...

Should we wait for the other side to make a move?

No, the dragons very likely knew about Sun Castle's ancient contract. Would they fly aboard, believing it was a castle on their side? If so, Aku and the others would be in danger.

We would hold the humans and dragons in check with a declaration of war, then buy time through negotiations.

Letting them know that the Divine Human Race had armed Sun Castle should have been effective.

Although, in reality, most of its armaments had been destroyed by the monsters and magical beasts and could no longer be used.

In any case, this was the only way to protect Aku and the others.

The result of our declaration of war was that all five magical shields were pierced with ease.

At the same time, the magical shield generator developed a malfunction.

Although the device was old, it still worked. It shouldn't have developed problems so easily.

The malfunction occurred because it had tried its hardest to deploy a new shield the moment the shields were breached.

Thank you for your faithful service.

At the same time, I regretted misjudging the other side's power.

Although I didn't think they could fire that sort of attack repeatedly, their very first strike had destroyed our most important defense.

The monsters and magical beasts inside the castle might put up a good fight...

But we had already lost our means of preventing the enemy from entering the castle directly.

"Aku, it's hopeless. Surrender. Unconditional surrender. Just blame everything on me and hurry up and apologize to them."

After that, we would have to get through this with direct negotiations.

Aku...

He might have been a descendant of invaders, but since he had been born in this castle, he was as good as my own child.

If things became truly dire, all that mattered was saving Aku and the others' lives. What happened to the castle didn't matter.

It was fortunate that I hadn't made him the castle lord.

After all, becoming the castle lord meant bearing responsibility.

I negotiated with the village's representatives.

An ordinary human?

The other members... strange. A vampire? A divine human? A dragon?

Huh? What was going on?

Ah, unless I gave Aku and the others some value, things might turn out badly.

"Aku is the castle lord. Right, that settles it!"

Side story: The inside story of Sun Castle - Bell

My name was Bell Fogma.

A foolish woman who had fallen for a little provocation and ended up tied to an assignment for a very long time.

That damned king. He was human, so he should have died long ago. He was probably in a grave by now.

If I found that grave, I would kick it into the air.

No, that alone wouldn't be enough. I would have to smash it to pieces.

Ah, no.

Negative emotions were surfacing. This wouldn't do. I had to remain calm and wait for that day to arrive.

Yes, according to the book of prophecy, that day should be coming soon.

The moment of my release awaited me ten years and seven months from now.

So long. Such a long time.

...Hmm? Someone had entered the study?

No hopes, no expectations.

See? Just as I thought.

The intruders left without noticing the mechanism.

I'd thought as much.

I had gotten my hopes up and been let down so many times already.

I was used to it.

But I couldn't calm down.

Would anyone really notice that mechanism?

The book of prophecy certainly had a very high success rate.

It was so accurate that it wouldn't have been strange to say the author had written it after seeing the future.

However, it wasn't right every single time.

Would someone really come ten years and seven months from now?

If no one came, I would smash this Sword of the Sun.

Even if I couldn't touch it, I would still smash it. No matter what. I would destroy it utterly. Destroy this hateful thing that bound me.

...How strange.

Those people from earlier had turned back...

Could it be...?

The mechanism... no way.

They were coming! They were coming, coming, coming!

Wonderful! Welcome! Come on, just a little farther!

That was right, straight ahead from there... no!

Why turn back?!

No, I could understand. It was only natural to do that as a precaution.

In that case...

Barrier, dispel!

Though I couldn't set it up again once I dispelled it, I couldn't let this opportunity slip away.

Then I needed to disguise myself.

I had to welcome my visitor with as friendly a face as possible.

After all, I had to get him to accept the Sword of the Sun.

The person who came before me was an ordinary man.

But to me, he was my benefactor.

After all, not only had he accepted the Sword of the Sun that bound me, he had also destroyed that sword for me.

I felt refreshed. The darkness in my heart had been swept away. Hehehe.

I was also happy that the prophecy in the book of prophecies had failed to come true.

Did ten years or so count as a margin of error? Hehehe.

They might as well all fail to come true.

Well, it was about time I left this place.

Because beautiful Sun Castle was still waiting for me.