I am Orcubo, master of this castle.

　A champion-like orc appeared at the front of our army and said.
　Sternly.

　No, is that an orc?
　Are you sure you want to be an orc?

　He's an orc, but he's clad in gleaming full body armor, and he's astride a huge horse that looks so terrifying that he shudders.
　In his right hand he has a huge battle axe.
　If you swing that one down, you could easily cut off even the head of a dragon.

　My soldiers, who had formed a neat formation before the start of the battle, are overwhelmed by the spirit that the Orcs emit and have goosebumps on their faces.

　If it comes to battle now, won't those orcs be able to wipe us out?

　I'm sure the Orcs will be able to wipe us out if we fight now.

I know what you are doing. You are the ones who have come to defeat me, aren't you?　You say you want to challenge me?　All right.

　What's the point?

'This castle was built to await challengers like you. If you want to fight me, you can come up here. That's what the castle wants. Many challengers will flock to it and step in.

　The rare orc, full of supremacy, with his back to the hill and the castle, said: "If you are a man of skill, challenge my castle.

If you have the skill, you may challenge my castle. If you can successfully reach the keep and conquer it, you will be rewarded handsomely. I hereby declare war. This is a siege. You will attack the castle and we will prevent you from hiding in the castle.
Don't be so cocky...

　After saying that much, the orc disappeared from our sight in an instant.

''That's transference magic!''

　Next to me, Varina-dono turned his eyes away.

''Is it the magic of the demon race?''
''Yes........it's a magic that can only be used by a small number of high-level mages. It's not magic that can be used by orcs by mistake...!

　I guess that's another thing that's out of line....

'All troops forward!　We'll take control of the castle in front of us!
'Wait, my lord!　Don't tell me you're going to attack it?　That castle?

　Inspector Varina grabs my arm.

"Danger!　That oak is so out of character!　We should pull this place off and be more prepared!
Ready?
'You must ask for support!　You can recruit from other territories, and the occupying army of the demon tribe will divide the troops!　You're a lord!　The man at the top should not risk it...!
That's not true.

　She shakes off her hand and raises her command stick to indicate her orders to the soldiers.

"I'm a lord. And this is my land. I am responsible for all the problems that occur here.

　If some unknown person is working behind the scenes in my territory and wants to do something, I must find out what it is.
　For it is the lord's mission to protect the lords in my domain!

'I dare to attack the castle to find out what that orc is after. It's the only thing I can do!　I command you again!　All troops forward!

　There is no hesitation among my like-minded soldiers, either.

You are an outsider, Master Varina. "You are an outsider, Mr. Varina, and you don't have to deal with the danger. You may stay.
''My mission is to keep an eye on you. Failing to do so would be against your loyalty to the Demon King's army.

　Hmph, that's the law.

''And the other party used a magic spell. Magic used by the demon race. If that is also used in the traps that are set in that castle, then my wisdom and experience might be useful.
Do what you want.

　We have made a stand and are advancing.
　Now we, the humans and the orcs, are going to fight a siege for our pride...!

　　　　* * *

All troops halt!

　The troops were stopped because it was impossible for them to advance any further easily.

　A moat was lying on the ground.
　It was a ditch dug to prevent troops from entering the castle, and it was a very conventional protective facility for the castle.

'It's the first barrier, I suppose.
'But it's odd, isn't it?　The bridge is crossed.

　As Varina pointed out, the moat had a kind of bridge, connecting the other side of the river.

　It was only a 'bridge-like thing' and not a bridge.

　What I mean by that is that it is absurdly thin.

　It was only wide enough for one foot to ride on at best. It would be impossible to get both feet together.
　Such a thin, so to speak, stick-like object connects this side of the moat to that side.

"...What is the intention?
I don't understand. The purpose of the moat is to keep out intruders, and you're installing an easy way to cross it...

　It's not as easy as it sounds, is it?
　It would be impossible to cross such a narrow bridge without a good sense of balance.
　It is quite possible to lose your balance on the way and go headfirst into the bottom of the moat.

There's no other place to pass, so we have no choice but to cross that...?
Well, let's proceed with extreme caution...!

　For now, one soldier moves forward on the narrow bridge.
　He spreads his arms out to the left and right with his arms pinned out and moves ahead with a wonderful sense of balance.

''Oh...!　I think that one will get across in plenty of time...?

　A good start.
　Not as much as I thought. It looks slippery, doesn't it, the castle attack.
　That was the moment I thought that, the opening of this castle's demon wings.

''My lord!　Look at that!
Huh?
Something appeared from the other side of the moat!

　How did we not see it?　You've been hiding this from me?
　Something that came out of the other side of the moat.
　A wooden structure with an intricate structure....

And a pitcher...?

　Are you trying to attack our side with that thing?
　No, it's not. From the direction of the device, it's clear that they're aiming at....

　A soldier who is in the middle of crossing the bridge right now?

　Bangon!
　A clear hit?



　Even from a distance, it could be seen that what the slingshot fired was not a stone, but something soft and made of cloth.
　However, it was still powerful enough to blow away anyone standing precariously on the narrow foothold, and the soldier dared to crash from the bridge!

''Bu, are you okay?

　I look at the bottom of the moat to check the safety of the fallen soldier.
　The soldier disappeared as soon as he reached there as a light.

''What?　What do you mean?　How could it be...?
"Don't panic, that's transference magic too.

　Varina advises.

'There are probably magical traps set all over the bottom of the moat. If you touch it, it seems to automatically transfer magic to send you somewhere else. I don't know where it will send you, but...!
So if you fall, you're out...?

　What a devilish trap!

That's what people do.
"Who are you?

　Next thing you know, there's a goblin standing on the other side of the moat!
　He's not just a goblin either. I can feel his supremacy!

"My name is Goblin Kichi, and I am in charge of this first hurdle, the Frustration Mean Table.
"That's the irritating part!

　What kind of annoying name is that?

I'm sure you get the idea.　The catapult operated by our goblin soldiers will release a cushioned bullet filled with cotton in a linen bag".

　I don't know, but does that mean you won't die or get hurt if you get hit?

'If you can run through the average platform while avoiding the cushioned bullets and get to us, you're clear!　That's the first barrier, the 'Frustrated Average Table'!
What about the fallen soldier?
Don't worry, he's safe in another area. We've taken the liberty of restraining him, of course, but that's not all.

　Ku..........
　I guess we'll just have to trust their side of the story now.

''The Wind Cloud Oakbo Castle, built by my compatriot Oakbo, has a number of gates like this one. Will you be able to clear them all and get to the bottom of the tower?
Are you...?　You're kidding me?
Of course, I'll release every soldier I find if you get past the first gate. But you're not even going to be able to pass this first gate with your strength.
What?
You're at a disadvantage.

　The goblins crackle and snap their fingers.
　
　And they connected this shore to the other shore!

"We've increased the average bridge from one to ten. If we all cross at once with this, we can't hit all of them with our one single projectile. It may increase our success rate.
You're going to lick us off.

　If that's the case, we can't retreat.
　We just have to make the most of our advantages!

"Full force assault!　Make the most of the ten average platforms, and scrape through the sniping of the pitchforks!
'Wait, my lord!　It's a blatant provocation!　What if it's a trap...?
Shut up, Mister Varlina!　If you're afraid of falling, you can stay here!
''That's not what you said!　Then I'll show you the lightness of the female demon tribe's body language!

　Thus, our lord's army united to challenge the average table........
　It was half destroyed.