New chapter of May Our Village be Happy is out (1/2 chapters)

 

 

Nothing Happens as it is

(Thank you for reading at bayabuscotranslation.com)

The Mortimer territory was located in the northwestern part of the southeastern region of Dariander. The Mortimer Household governed fourteen farming villages and a small city that served as their central hub, and the population within the territory reached approximately five thousand. In this age of the Dariander region, it could be said that they were quite a powerful lordly household.

It was in May of the Holy Calendar year 1044 when a civil war, triggered by a succession dispute, broke out within the Mortimer Household. Upon the death of the previous head of the household, the eldest daughter, Beatrice Mortimer, inherited the position of household head. However, the younger brother of the late lord, Beatrice’s uncle, rose in rebellion, attempting to seize that position for himself. Entrusted with a small castle on the border far from the territory’s capital, he took action to usurp the seat of lordship.

The internal war that divided the territory into two factions concluded within a short period with Beatrice’s victory. The undeniable fact that she was the legitimate heir to the household headship exerted tremendous influence, and most of the soldiers serving the Mortimer Household sided with her. The people of the capital followed Beatrice, and many of the villages also lent her their support. Both sides hired mercenaries to strengthen their forces, but as their numbers were nearly equal, that had little effect on the outcome. After two fierce clashes, the uncle’s army collapsed. Cornered in his small castle that served as his stronghold, the uncle was ultimately slain by the soldiers under his own command.

“…I am troubled. What should I do, I wonder.” (Beatrice)

After killing all the traitorous soldiers who had surrendered while carrying the uncle’s severed head and begging for mercy, Beatrice sighed as she muttered to herself. Victory had been secured. She had protected her position as household head. Yet the scars left by the civil war were far too deep.

The number of commoners who perished during the conflict was estimated to be in the dozens. Among the standing forces, knights and regular soldiers, nearly half had been lost when combining the executed traitors and those who had fallen in battle on her own side. Those losses were truly grievous, but an even greater tragedy was that a considerable portion of the wheat, which should have been harvested this year, had been destroyed.

The uncle had set fire to the farmland of several villages near his border castle that refused to obey him, burning the nearly ripened wheat. It was to threaten the other villages, warning that unless they sent soldiers for his cause, the same fate would befall them.

Furthermore, he had also burned the farmland of several villages that had chosen to side with Beatrice. He had likely intended to spread word that any village aligning with the daughter of the previous lord would meet ruin, thereby weakening Beatrice’s camp. However, the effect was the opposite. The villages whose farmlands had been burned rose in anger against the uncle, and the others, fearing that the same barbarity might reach them, sent even more militiamen to Beatrice’s side.

As a result, it was unknown how many hundreds of people’s worth of wheat had been lost. If things remained as they were, many of the territory’s inhabitants would face starvation.

However, it was not a simple matter of buying the missing wheat from outside the territory. Both Beatrice and her uncle had hired mercenaries under the name of the Mortimer Household, and paying their fees had greatly diminished her available funds. Much of the wheat that should have been collected as this year’s tax had been burned, and projected income had sharply decreased. Even under such circumstances, in order to maintain the territory, it was essential to quickly rebuild the standing army. There was absolutely no room in the finances to import the necessary quantity of food.

“Truly, that old fool did whatever he pleased. I suppose, in the end, I will have to take it by force.” (Beatrice)

Raiding another’s land. Such an act, akin to banditry, was not to Beatrice’s taste, yet in this situation, she could not afford to be choosy with her means. To preserve the prestige of the Mortimer Household and rescue her territory from its dire straits, there was no other choice.

Her uncle had likely cared only for seizing the position of lord, planning to abandon any village he could not maintain, leaving them to starve. But Beatrice could not allow herself to act the same way. To maintain the support of the other villages, she could not forsake those suffering as a result of the Mortimer Household’s internal strife.

That her first major duty as lord should be cleaning up after her foolish relative angered her, but now that things had reached this point, there was no helping it. She simply had to act. If she were to raid neighboring lands with whom she often interacted, lasting enmity would remain. Therefore, if she were to send out a raiding force, it would be best to target small territories located farther away. Beatrice pondered such considerations.

 

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In the Valentine territory, the harvest and threshing of wheat and rye began in June.

“Is this really all the wheat from just this one bundle? A-amazing.” (Jeremy)

It was the commoner Jeremy who muttered in astonishment after threshing one bundle of wheat using a threshing machine.

What he had threshed was wheat harvested from a field that had been left fallow the previous year, during which clover had been cultivated. The amount of grain obtained from a single bundle was twice or more than what it had been before the introduction of the plow and clover cultivation.

“It seems the clover’s effect is working properly.” (Mika)

“Yes. Just as Mika-sama predicted, the fields where clover was cultivated last year have shown a visible increase in yield.” (Marcel)

Watching the villagers overflow with surprise and joy as they threshed, Mika conversed with Marcel.

Clover had the effect of restoring the fertility of farmland. By sowing clover in fallow fields and allowing livestock to graze upon it, the manure became fertilizer, further increasing the following year’s harvest. Based on knowledge from his previous life, Mika had predicted such a result and tested it in practice. The outcome had met, or rather exceeded, his expectations.

“In that case, perhaps we can sow clover across all fallow fields this year?” (Mika)

“Let us do so, by all means. None of the villagers would oppose it. The results are too remarkable for anyone to object.” (Marcel)

In this world, the laws of nature operated the same as in Mika’s previous life, except where mana was involved. Thus, he had reasoned that clover in this world would also restore soil fertility. Yet he had not been certain. Some villagers had also shown caution toward altering fallow land. As a result, only about one-fourth of all fallow land had been used for clover cultivation the previous year. However, with the overwhelming effect of clover now proven, confirming the accuracy of Mika’s prediction, everyone desired to expand its cultivation for higher yields.

Furthermore, the barley, oats, and beets planted without a fallow period were also growing well. The villagers’ concerns about using the same fields for two consecutive years were beginning to fade. Thus, from this year onward, the three-field system incorporating clover would fully commence.

In autumn, draft horses would arrive, and the use of plows would further expand the area of cultivated land, increasing yields even more. Thanks to the threshing and sieving machines, the processing of large harvests could be handled efficiently. At this rate, things would continue smoothly. The territory would be managed and developed far better than others. Feeling tangible success, Mika was confident of it.

“Then, after the summer harvest and threshing end, let us sow clover seeds on the remaining fallow lands. I will continue to rely on everyone’s efforts.” (Mika)

“Leave it to us.” (Marcel)

Entrusting the coordination of the villagers’ work to Marcel, Mika left the area.

Aside from plow-pulling tasks, Mika had little to do with the actual farming work. Once he confirmed that the harvesting and threshing were proceeding smoothly, he turned his efforts to other tasks where he could best utilize his thought magic, forest clearing and constructing the castle’s foundation.

 

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Thanks to the tools Mika had developed, the summer’s harvest and threshing were completed swiftly. In July, when the villagers’ work had settled down, two pairs of men and women held their wedding ceremonies and celebrations.

Those who newly became husband and wife that year were the cheerful villager Jeremy and Jelena, who had long been rumored to have a good relationship, and the taciturn Louis with his childhood friend of the same age.

After a priest invited as usual from the eastern Fontanie territory conducted a simple ceremony, the entire village spent two days celebrating the marriages of the two couples, on the first day, Jeremy and Jelena, and on the second day, Louis and his bride.

“Hey, Louis! Drink more! I was forced to drink endlessly yesterday, so today it’s your turn!” (Jeremy)

“I… I am not very fond of alcohol.” (Louis)

“Oh, stop it already. You are being too cruel to Louis.” (Jelena)

Jeremy, one of yesterday’s grooms, poured ale to the brim into Louis’s cup, one of today’s grooms. Jelena, who had also been one of yesterday’s brides, gently chided him. Louis’s quiet bride watched the scene with a smile, while the surrounding villagers cheered as Louis reluctantly drank the ale.

“All four of the newlyweds look so happy, and Bianca and Dimitri’s child will be born before winter. This year is filled with joyful news.” (Ayla)

“Indeed, and we too will be married in just two months. It is happiness upon happiness.” (Mika)

Leaning close to Ayla, Mika smiled warmly as he watched the cheerful villagers.

Jeremy and Louis both worked diligently as representatives of the younger generation of villagers. Mika was truly pleased to see those two joined with the women they loved.

In the spring, Bianca’s pregnancy had been discovered, and her husband Dimitri had been visibly delighted. Their first child would likely be born in three or four months. It was a joy to see his retainers attaining new happiness.

The three-field system with clover cultivation had begun, and the draft horses would arrive in autumn. With agricultural productivity rising dramatically, prospects had opened for expanding the territory by inviting new settlers. As for sugar production, the first step had been taken with the cultivation of beets.

Forest clearing was progressing further, increasing farmland. The artificial hill that would serve as the castle’s foundation was taking shape. In several more months, the foundation would be completed, and work on constructing the log palisade would begin. Though many plans were still in preparation or conceptual stages, the complete form of the internal society of the territory was beginning to emerge.

And, as Ayla had said, the time of their own marriage was finally approaching. Ayla had come of age in spring, and Mika’s 18^th birthday was near. In two months, in September, their wedding ceremony would be held. He would be united with the woman he loved. Not only as a lord, but as an individual, he would obtain even greater happiness.

It had been nearly two years since Mika had become lord of the Valentein territory. He deeply felt that his progress had been far smoother than he had first imagined.

“I hope we may reach our wedding without any incident.” (Mika)

Holding Ayla’s hand, Mika murmured with quiet sentiment.

And, as the world so often went, it was precisely when one wished for peace that disturbance arose.

From the northern hill region came an ominous report approximately one week later.

 

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