New chapter of May Our Village be Happy is out (2/2 chapters)

Sugar Beets and Winnower

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March arrived. By the time winter had ended, the customary festival of the Dariander region took place. Everyone drank wine, enjoyed lavish dishes, and celebrated the arrival of spring while giving thanks to the gods for surviving another winter.

“Ayla-sama has completely settled into the village as well.” (Marcel)

“That is true. Compared to when I first met her, she seems to smile more often. I am truly glad she came to this village.” (Mika)

Watching Ayla laugh and converse warmly with the villagers, Mika exchanged words with Marcel. Following the New Year celebration in January, this was Ayla’s first spring festival in the village, and she appeared to be enjoying it thoroughly. As Mika turned his gaze toward her, his expression naturally relaxed into a smile.

“Just as last year, I particularly sense on this festival day that this village is becoming ever more prosperous. Everyone seems to enjoy the festival more than before. This is thanks to Mika-sama.” (Marcel)

Marcel’s gaze moved to the tables lined in the village square, laden with food, and the barrels of ale arranged in the corners. He explained that during the time of the previous lord, the festivals held by the villagers were far more modest. Bread was available in sufficient quantity, but of poor quality. The meat, though obtained from precious livestock, was not plentiful, and the wine was not freely available.

However, last year’s festival had been more extravagant due to the blessings of Mika’s magic. This year was even more sumptuous, with wheat bread, sufficient meat for everyone, and enough ale that it would not be consumed in a single day. In addition, sweets made with the precious ingredient of honey were prepared, offering each person several bites.

The bread, some of the meat, and the sweets were all provided by Mika as lord. The villagers were immensely grateful for his generosity, and some even shed tears at the deliciousness of the sweets.

“When everyone enjoys the spring festival to the fullest, it will give them the energy to tackle the busy days ahead. Making the festival lavish is also an important duty of the lord.” (Mika)

“Exactly as Mika-sama has stated. Everyone will surely be able to work with full effort starting tomorrow. First comes the spring sowing, of course.” (Marcel)

“That is correct. The farmland is larger this year than ever before, so it will be a considerable task. I am counting on you.” (Mika)

“Leave it to us. Everyone will be motivated. Rather than feeling burdened by sowing such extensive fields in spring, they will be delighted.” (Marcel)

This spring, the sowing would take place on the farmland that had been used for wheat and rye harvests last year. Land that would normally lie fallow under the two-field system would now be planted, marking the full commencement of the three-field system.

Previously, it had been difficult to allocate such a wide area for spring cultivation. The reason lay in the annual agricultural plan. If too much barley, which was sown in March and harvested around September, was grown, the time required for harvesting and threshing would delay the cultivation of wheat and rye. Since it was necessary to grow more wheat and rye for taxation and food security, there was a limit to how much barley could be planted. However, now there were threshing machines. Currently, there were three, and plans were made to add two more this year.

Mika also decided to purchase draft horses, using previous income, compensation received from the Howells family, and projected summer tax revenue. He requested Ernest to acquire the horses from a village in the Yutilainen Household that managed a horse ranch. Thanks to the assistance of Sandra Yutilainen, Ayla’s cousin, the draft horses would be delivered this autumn.

With threshing machines and draft horses, the enormous quantity of barley could be quickly threshed, and the fields for wheat and rye could be swiftly plowed. This year, therefore, much more land could be devoted to barley cultivation.

Thanks to this, the villagers seemed to have little resistance to using the same farmland for two consecutive years. Even if the three-field system did not yield the expected barley harvest, the deep plowing of some areas combined with the overall wide farmland would ensure more than enough barley for the village’s consumption.

The villagers’ optimistic attitude enabled Mika to advance the three-field system without difficulty.

Moreover, this spring, sowing was not limited to barley.

“I will also diligently manage the oats and sugar beets. Securing feed for the draft horses is of the utmost importance, and the sugar beets will be used for another experiment as well.” (Mika)

“Thank you. Knowing you will manage them gives me peace of mind.” (Marcel)

If the draft horses were to arrive within this year, feed would be required. Therefore, Mika had planned to cultivate oats and sugar beets in part of the spring fields. He had obtained the seeds in the previous autumn through Ernest.

Although oats alone would suffice for horse feed, sugar beets were deliberately cultivated as well. There was a purpose beyond simply providing feed.

In this era of the Dariander region, sugar beets were used only for their leaves as vegetables and their roots as livestock feed. Mika, possessing memories from his previous life, knew that sugar beets could be a source of sugar. Although the variety in this world had not been improved, tasting the roots of sugar beets in his childhood in the Carossa territory confirmed their sweetness.

When the sugar beet harvest succeeded this autumn, Mika planned to attempt sugar production. If he could produce sugar of marketable quality, he intended to make it one of the industries of the Valentine Household.

Sweeteners were extremely precious in this era. Imported sugar from the south was scarce and expensive, beyond casual consumption even for the lords. Honey, berries, and fruits were used as more common sweets among the common people, but these were also not easy to obtain.

Therefore, if high-quality sugar could be produced from sugar beets, it would provide a substantial source of income for the Valentine Household. Sugar production could support the finances of the Valentine Household and become a foundational industry fostering the development of society within the territory.

Since commerce was still underdeveloped and trade scale was small, the demand for luxury goods was limited. To prevent a price collapse, production would initially be small in scale. Even so, the expected revenue for a small domain would be considerable.

Such an enterprise required a secure location for production, even if the raw materials could not be hidden. The castle, scheduled for completion in a few years, would serve this purpose. Placing the sugar production facility inside the castle would almost completely eliminate the risk of the production method leaking.

For nearby territories, direct export was possible. For distant regions, the Yutilainen Household, which held the commercial city of Eltpoli, could be relied upon. Eltpoli was at the intersection of east-west and north-south roads, frequented by merchants from afar. Sugar could be distributed through their merchants, and the Yutilainen Household would handle the rest.

If an industry yielded profit, it also required direct power to protect it, namely military strength. Therefore, advancing the development of the domain as the foundation for military power was equally important. As agricultural productivity increased and the population grew, Mika could expand the number of warrior retainers and professional soldiers dedicated to defense, enlarge the scale of self-defense training for villagers, and improve equipment.

Additionally, if the sugar trade became a source of income for the Yutilainen Household, the Valentine Household’s sugar industry could expect aid from them in times of need. The possibility of the Yutilainen Household attempting to seize the industry existed but could be mitigated through political efforts. The current head, Sandra, was moderate, and future relations could be maintained through strategic marriages.

Though Mika’s ambitions were expanding, the detailed planning and execution would come later. For now, he could only proceed step by step in developing his domain.

Spring sowing was completed successfully, and April arrived. Drawing on knowledge from his previous life, Mika developed new tools to increase agricultural efficiency.

“This is quite a large apparatus.” (Marcel)

“It looks like a weapon, doesn’t it?” (Jeremy)

In the backyard of the lord’s manor, Mika presented a large device resembling a horizontally laid cylinder with a rectangular box protruding from it. Marcel and Jeremy observed with interest. The other villagers gathered also examined the apparatus with curious expressions.

“Haha, it does look large and imposing, but the internal mechanism is simple. If I were to name this tool, it would be a ‘sieving machine’.” (Mika)

“So, it functions like a sieve that separates husks and straw from the grains?” (Marcel)

Mika nodded. The threshed grain was mixed with husks and straw, and in this era, a sieve was used to remove these impurities.

“Exactly. One person turns this handle while another pours the threshed grain into this section. The grains fall downward, while the husks and straw are blown out sideways. Let us demonstrate.” (Mika)

Mika and Dimitri began operating the machine. Dimitri stood before the horizontal cylinder and turned the handle protruding from its center. Mika poured the threshed grain into the square funnel on top of the rectangular box connected to the cylinder. Because the machine was large, the small Mika had to stretch his hands over the funnel, pouring the grain little by little.

The grain passed through the box and fell through the opening below into a basket. The husks and straw were carried by the air and ejected from a side hole onto the ground.

This was a winnower, a device known in Mika’s previous life.

Separating husks and straw from grain manually was time-consuming and laborious. It had been a major burden for farmers alongside threshing. Mika built this winnower to greatly improve efficiency.

The mechanism was simple. The handle rotated blades inside the horizontal cylinder, generating air that separated the grain from impurities. The heavier grains fell through the lower opening while the lighter husks and straw were blown out through the side.

“Oh, I see. You spin the blades to generate air, which makes the sorting so much easier.” (Marcel)

Marcel, Jeremy, and the other villagers watched in awe. Seeing it in action allowed them to understand the otherwise large and complex apparatus.

“If the handle is turned too quickly, the air becomes too strong and blows away the grains. If too much grain is poured at once, sorting is inadequate. Mastery requires some technique. But once that is learned, efficiency increases greatly.” (Mika)

In no time, a basketful of grain was completely sorted. Marcel checked the basket under the opening and was impressed not only by the speed but also by the accuracy of the sieving machine.

“This is truly a remarkable apparatus. I take it you devised it, Mika-sama?” (Marcel)

“Yes. I adapted the mechanism of the threshing machine to make grain sorting easier. That is how I came up with this.” (Mika)

“I see. Indeed, the handle mechanism is the same as the threshing machine. Yet you repurposed it to create such an excellent tool. Mika-sama, as expected.” (Marcel)

Mika smiled at Marcel’s respectful gaze. He felt a slight guilt at claiming another invention from his previous life as his own.

He explained to Dimitri and the others that the sieving machine followed the development of the threshing machine, but in truth, he had known about the winnower from his previous life. It was only this year that he could complete it, having been occupied last year with land development, farming, and other tasks.

“With this sieving machine, will post-harvest work be shortened?” (Mika)

“Yes. Judging by this demonstration, the time required will be greatly reduced. This will allow us to focus on other tasks.” (Marcel)

“That is good. It will also allow you to enjoy more leisure time.” (Mika)

“On behalf of the villagers, I express our gratitude for your benevolence, Your Grace.” (Marcel)

Many commoners were busy from dawn to dusk. Only the short winter period allowed some free time. Leisure in warm seasons was a sign of wealth and granting it to the villagers was a testament to Mika’s care as lord.

“Making the villagers happy as a good lord is my dream. The sieving machine is now functional, but as I am inexperienced in agriculture, some refinements are still needed. I would like everyone to try it and give feedback.” (Mika)

“Certainly. We are happy to assist.” (Marcel)

Representing the villagers, Marcel spoke for them. Incorporating their feedback, Mika improved the funnel size and grain outlet, perfecting the sieving machine for mass production.

 

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