The second day of the Sun Castle suppression began.
The First Conquest Team and Rusty, from the Second Conquest Team, set out. It looked like Kuzuden was heading back with them as well. His visit yesterday had primarily been to offer an apology. Since we didn't know what would become of the Sun Castle yet, we couldn't decide on any future arrangements even if we wanted to talk. Just like the day before, I moved a table and chair out in front of the mansion and settled in to wait where the castle was visible.
The Sun Castle was closer than it had been yesterday, but it was still quite a distance away. Ah, I wonder if Hakuren and the others arrived? The castle gave a massive lurch. I hoped they were doing their best.
Meanwhile, I was joined by Urza, Nart, Gral, and the Beastman boys. Were we doing more spear throwing today? I didn't mind, but I told them to dress more warmly. I warned them not to get overconfident—moving around wouldn't keep them warm enough in this cold.
The High Elves brought over the spears I’d crafted yesterday. ...Wait, the count was low. Had they broken? No, the High Ogre maids had claimed them. Right, they’d mentioned wanting to keep some as permanent equipment for the mansion. I would have happily made them brand-new ones instead of giving them the used practice gear. Regardless, since we were short, I set to work making more.
The spear-throwing class led by the High Elves commenced. Even the Dwarves, Lizardmen, and Mountain Elves were joining in. Was it because they knew I'd be serving snacks? Well, I was planning to, but I couldn't exactly repeat yesterday's menu. I wondered what to make.
Once I finished the spears, I started on some axes. These were for the Dwarves, who had boasted that while they were no good at throwing spears, they never missed with an axe. I couldn't let them throw the real thing, though. I could easily imagine things escalating far too quickly if I did.
I finished about ten wooden axes—the training equivalent of a real axe. The Dwarves picked them up to check the balance. They seemed satisfied. Then, with a wooden axe in each hand, they let fly at a target fifty meters away, alternating right and left. Both struck perfectly. If the target had been a person, it looked like they would have caught them right in the crown of the head and the throat.
Urza watched with wide, sparkling eyes. I suppose the spear craze had come to an end. She tried her hand at throwing an axe, but it didn't even reach the target. She simply didn't have the arm strength yet. The others gave it a shot too, but they had no luck. Only one of the Beastman boys and Gral managed to get theirs anywhere near the target, though their aim was nowhere near the mark.
Unfortunately, I didn't have any specialized axe-throwers. Such things might exist somewhere in the world, but I’d never seen one. Discouraged, Urza and the others went back to practicing with their spears.
After lunch, I kept one eye on the Sun Castle while pondering the snack situation. Its altitude was recovering; it looked to be about five hundred meters up now. I wondered if that meant they’d be returning sooner than expected. If so, things were about to get very busy.
I felt a bit bad, but I decided to serve small pancakes again, just like yesterday. By mid-afternoon, the children’s attention had shifted entirely to the mansion's kitchen. It wasn't just the smell of pancakes—the sweet scent of strawberry jam was wafting through the air. Doing the exact same thing as yesterday felt a bit lazy, so I’d been simmering a fresh batch since just after noon. I planned to serve it with whipped cream this time. It wasn't anything revolutionary, but there’s nothing quite like the taste of warm, freshly made jam.
The Beastman boys were helping with the jam... wait, no, that was the Beastman girls' job, wasn't it? In that case, the boys were in for a treat. The High Ogre maids helping me seemed equally curious about the taste. I decided to prepare enough for everyone.
...Though, looking at the pot, I wondered if I’d have enough jam. It’s always shocking how much the volume shrinks when you boil it down. As it turned out, it was the pancakes we ran out of first. Exercising certainly worked up an appetite. I left the High Ogre maids to handle the griddle while I started a backup batch of jam, just to be safe.
The Sun Castle, which I thought had been gaining altitude, suddenly plummeted. For a moment, I thought it might crash straight into the ground, but it seemed to barely catch itself. Hakuren and Rusty were circling the base of the foundation... oh, they were attacking it. They were systematically breaking apart the rock base. I wondered what the plan was. Regardless, rocks were falling, so I had to make sure no one was underneath. Not that there should be anyone out there.
...I decided to ignore the fact that I’d once chucked a spear at the thing myself.
Beezel arrived. I’d sent him a message via the Small Wyvern Communication, but I hadn't actually expected him to show up.
"It looked like you were launching an assault, so I came to check on the situation," he explained.
"It looks like it’s going to settle right over the village," I said. "It’s a bit of a nuisance, frankly. Oh, by the way, does the Demon Kingdom actually own that castle?"
Come to think of it, I’d heard the Devils had occupied it, but were they actually part of the Demon Kingdom’s military? I’d met them yesterday and completely failed to ask. A bit of a blunder.
"No, if anything, we consider it a hostile fortress," Beezel replied.
"But the Devils claimed to have occupied it?"
"Is that so? We have no records of any such claim. Besides, just because they are Devils doesn't mean they're subjects of the Demon Kingdom."
"I see. Once the suppression is complete, I'll confirm those details and get back to you."
"I would appreciate that."
Beezel filled a jar with the fresh jam and headed home.
Shortly after he left, a message arrived from Howlin Village via Small Wyvern Communication. They thanked us for the updates and requested that we let them handle any rare metals recovered from the castle. Fair enough; I’d leave that to Gatto. He’d already wandered over, lured by the smell of the kitchen. Since the pancakes were gone, he was just spreading jam on bread. That worked too, though I warned him not to spoil his dinner.
I half-expected a message from Draim and his family, but nothing came. I suppose to a dragon, the Sun Castle isn't exactly a high-priority event. Just as snacks wrapped up and everyone was heading back to their tasks, a streak of light cut through the sky above the village. It came from the direction of the Sun Castle, so I panicked for a split second thinking it was an attack, but it was just Hakuren’s Flame Breath. She could reach the village from all the way up there? Impressive. She must have lowered the power to prioritize the distance. It was a signal.
I looked up at the castle. Hakuren and Rusty were flying in a vertical circle against the side of the massive rock foundation, essentially forming a bullseye for me to see from the village. She must have sensed me watching, because she and Rusty suddenly peeled away. I understood.
I readied the Universal Farming Tool in its spear form and threw it toward the center of the mark they’d made. The spear flew in a perfectly straight line and struck home. Immediately, the foundation began to crumble from the point of impact, falling away toward the earth. Because of the distance, there was no sound at first, but a long moment later, the ground beneath my feet gave a heavy shudder.
I looked over at Urza and the others, who were staring at me with stars in their eyes. I told them it was impossible for them, no matter how much I taught them. Probably.
The Sun Castle’s "cone"—the rock foundation that looked like a soft-serve ice cream cone—was gone. I’d been worried the castle might fall, but it was fine; the structure itself was still flying. It was quite a sight. In the spot where the rock had been, a hemispherical base was now visible. Since it was made of the same material as the castle, it was clearly part of the original structure. This was likely the Sun Castle’s true form.
Without the heavy rock base, the castle stabilized at an altitude of about two thousand meters and stopped its approach toward the village. It looked like they’d finally gained control.
I spotted the First Conquest Team flying back toward us. Rusty was with them, carrying Kuro’s offspring on her back. The Second Conquest Team was withdrawing too. They would likely make it back just before dinner. I decided to start the preparations while I waited. Tonight’s menu? Tempura. I had to make sure to use up the shrimp.
Once the teams returned, I received the official report: the Sun Castle had been successfully suppressed. Kuzuden hadn't come back with them this time; he was staying behind to discuss future plans with the other Devils and the Dream Demons. The rest of the Second Conquest Team stayed at the castle as well. They’d wiped out the monsters and magic beasts, but they were staying overnight to ensure nothing had been missed.
It was decided that I would head up to the Sun Castle tomorrow to see the results for myself.
"Wait, I'm allowed to go?" I asked.
Apparently so. Urza and the others immediately clamored to join me. Hakuren said she would look after them, so I didn't see any harm in it.
During dinner, the First Conquest Team and Rusty regaled us with tales of their exploits. It sounded like they’d basically been competing for kills. When I asked about the magic-absorbing monsters, they just laughed—they’d handled them with sheer physical force. I was just glad everyone made it back without a scratch.