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

Peaceful Autumn

(Thank you for reading at bayabuscotranslation.com)

In the early days of October, in the Holy Calendar year 1044, about a month had passed since Mika and Ayla had been joined, and by that time, they had grown fully accustomed to life as husband and wife. From the territory of Yutilainen, the long-awaited plow horses were delivered to the Valentine territory.

Along with them, the second plow that had been ordered from the workshop in Eltpoli also arrived. The two plow horses and the newly crafted plow immediately began their work, tilling the fields prepared for the winter crops of wheat and rye.

“It seems we shall need a few more horses if we are to plow all the village fields properly. I hope to have them within three years.” (Mika)

Watching the villagers who had already learned to handle both horse and plow as they worked the fields, Mika murmured to himself. He was taking a short rest from pulling the plow by thought magic. In his hand, he held a canteen filled with water mixed with powdered magic stone.

With only two plow horses, it was impossible to till all the fields of the village. Mika continued to plow by magic as well, but even with that, the work was not yet sufficient to cover every field with the benefit of the plow.

To spread those benefits across all the farmland, at least another pair of plow horses would be needed. And if Mika were to free himself entirely from the work of pulling the plow, another two would be necessary. That was what he had in mind.

Fortunately, there was already a clear prospect of being able to purchase four more plow horses within a few years. The income of the Valentine Territory had increased compared to before, and there was also the generous dowry received from the Howellz Household. Sugar production was also expected to start yielding profits as early as next year.

“If we increase the number of horses that much, tending to them will become quite the task for Dimitri and the others.” (Ayla)

“Please leave that to me. Ivan-san has taught me a great deal, and I can now handle all the basic care myself. Marcel-san and the villagers also lend a hand, so even if we add a few more horses, we will look after them properly.” (Dimitri)

Dimitri replied with confidence to Mika’s words.

Having taken care of the horses once owned by the former lord’s household, the servant Ivan was well versed in horse handling. Dimitri, learning from him, had been studying daily.

Although the plow horses were owned by the Valentine Household and lent to the villagers, since they used the animals for their own work, Marcel and the other villagers willingly helped with their care. The two plow horses, as well as the single warhorse Mika had been given by Patrick, were all looked after with diligence. Feed was not an issue either, as both oats and beets had been successfully harvested. There was no difficulty in maintaining the animals.

“That is good to hear. Dimitri, you are becoming more and more reliable as a retainer of the lord. The construction of the castle is progressing well, so soon, we will need to hire new servants. Ivan and Helga will likely retire before long.” (Mika)

Ivan, who worked outdoors at the manor, and Helga, who handled the household chores inside, were both elderly. Though still in good health, it was wise to assume they could work only a few more years. Once the Valentine Household moved their residence to the new castle, Mika, Ayla, Dimitri, and Bianca alone would not be enough to manage it, and new help would be necessary.

As for the castle, construction had advanced faster than Mika had predicted, and the artificial hill forming its foundation was expected to be completed within the year. After that, they would surround it with a wooden palisade and begin building the manor and other structures.

“Well then, it is time to resume the work.” (Mika)

Saying this, Mika rose to his feet and activated his magic, setting the plow in motion once more.

 

—

 

By the latter part of October, the tilling for the winter crops was completed. In the manor of the Valentine Territory, Mika stood before a pot in the kitchen.

“It seems to have softened nicely.” (Mika)

“Yes, and it has begun to release a faintly sweet aroma.” (Ayla)

Answering Mika’s observation was his wife, Ayla Valentine, standing beside him. Before the two of them, beets simmered in the pot. They were attempting their first trial at producing beet sugar. To extract the sugar, they had begun by boiling finely chopped beet roots in hot water.

“I think it is ready now. Let us pour the juice into the other pot.” (Mika)

Mika said this, lifting the pot from the stove and tilting it toward another that Ayla had prepared. The roots remained on the strainer set atop the pot, while the liquid passed through and collected in the vessel below.

“Mika, should we squeeze the roots?” (Ayla)

“Yes, let us. There is still sugar remaining, so we must extract as much as possible.” (Mika)

After the roots had cooled a little, Mika and Ayla squeezed them above the pot. They then filtered the liquid through cloth to remove visible impurities. From a chair in the corner, the stuffed toy Amber watched quietly as the couple worked cheerfully together on their sugar making.

“All right, next we shall boil down this juice and let the water evaporate.” (Mika)

Mika placed the strained liquid back over the fire. As it boiled vigorously, he skimmed off the foam with a spoon, stirring from time to time and allowing the moisture to escape.

“Mika, let me wipe your sweat.” (Ayla)

“Thank you.” (Mika)

Standing before the fire for long hours brought perspiration, and Mika thanked Ayla as she gently wiped his face with a cloth.

Because the process took a long time, they alternated the task between Ayla, Bianca, and Helga. After several hours of boiling, with meals and other duties in between, most of the water had evaporated, leaving behind the concentrated sugar. Mika thought it looked like melted caramel.

“It must be done now. Let us take it out and let it cool.” (Mika)

“Understood.” (Bianca)

Bianca, who had been managing the boiling, nodded and spread cloth over a wooden board usually used as a cutting surface. Tilting the pot, she poured out the thick brown contents. As it cooled on the cloth, the mass hardened into brown crystalline solids.

“So, this is sugar. It looks almost like stone.” (Dimitri)

“I have never seen sugar before, so I cannot tell if it turned out well.” (Ayla)

“I have not either.” (Helga)

Dimitri spoke frankly, while Helga and Ivan, who had come to watch the experiment, voiced their thoughts.

“Mika-sama, do you think this is a success?” (Bianca)

“For a first attempt, it is not bad. To be honest, I have only seen sugar once before myself.” (Mika)

Mika tilted his head slightly as he answered.

In his previous life, sugar had been a common ingredient, but in this world, particularly in the Dariander region, it was exceedingly rare. He had once been allowed to taste it while his father was still alive. That sugar had not been pure white like that of his former world but closer to what was called brown sugar. If they crushed the hardened brown slabs before them, they might achieve something similar to the sugar known here.

“I have only tasted sugar a few times myself, but if we break this apart, I think it will resemble the one I remember.” (Ayla)

“In that case, let us break off some pieces and try them.” (Mika)

Mika used the spatula he had stirred with to break the brown sugar mass into smaller pieces. Everyone present took a fragment and placed it in their mouths.

“It is delicious!” (Dimitri)

“Ah, so sweet…” (Bianca)

Dimitri widened his eyes in astonishment, while Bianca’s expression melted with delight.

“I have lived over 60 years, and I have never tasted anything this sweet.” (Ivan)

“Truly. What an exquisite flavor.” (Helga)

Ivan and Helga spoke with heartfelt emotion.

“Yes, this is indeed sugar.” (Mika)

“It tastes just like the sugar I remember from long ago.” (Ayla)

Even though Mika and Ayla had tasted sugar before, the rich sweetness brought smiles to their faces as they nodded at each other.

“Still, the taste is a bit rough. It seems slightly burnt too. There is room for improvement.” (Mika)

It was sugar nonetheless, and even with its imperfections, it would serve as a high-priced delicacy. Yet since the castle, destined to be both a sugar production hub and the defensive stronghold of the territory, was still under construction, selling sugar beyond the territory this year would be risky.

Mika had already planned to limit this year’s efforts to trial production and refinement. Beet cultivation had been done with that in mind, so the yield was not large. He thought that by improving the removal of impurities and refining the boiling process, they could eventually establish a way to produce sugar of higher quality.

 

—

 

Before winter set in, the artificial hill forming the foundation of the castle was finally complete.

The soil had been piled up, packed down with shovels, trampled underfoot, and rolled flat by large logs moved by Mika’s magic. The resulting mound was so firm and solid that one could hardly believe it man-made.

Next came the construction of the palisade to enclose the castle grounds. Logs, felled from the surrounding forest, had their tips sharpened before being driven into the earth and lined up to form a wooden wall.

“All right, I shall drive it in now!” (Mika)

After ensuring that no one stood too close, Mika called out to warn the others, then lifted a log stake with thought magic and dropped it into the shallow hole marking the wall’s position. He then raised another shorter log and used it as a hammer, striking the head of the stake. With each heavy blow, the log stake was driven deeper into the earth. The portions buried underground had been charred by fire to prevent rot. When the blackened surface was nearly invisible, Mika moved on to the next stake.

By continuing this work, they managed to raise about three meters of new wall that day. Combined with the previous sections, nearly twenty meters of palisade now stood completed.

“At this point, it is beginning to look quite like a wall.” (Mika)

“To make such progress in so short a time, it is truly thanks to your magic, Mika-sama. Even when we rebuilt the houses destroyed in last year’s battle, I thought how much more effective magic is compared to human labor.” (Marcel)

“Haha, I would much rather use magic for peaceful work like this than for battle.” (Mika)

Mika exchanged words with Marcel, who had come to inspect the progress.

Several villagers serving their corvée labor took part in the wall’s construction, shaping the logs Mika would drive in, filling the gaps at the base of the stakes with earth, and performing other tasks that required many hands.

“If we can maintain this pace, we should finish driving the stakes by next spring. The problem will be keeping up with making them. Sharpening the tips is delicate work, and my magic does not help much with it. Once winter begins, I want to offer some payment and ask for help even on non-duty days.” (Mika)

“Then, I will start spreading the word among the people and gather those willing to help.” (Marcel)

“Thank you, I appreciate it.” (Mika)

Once the palisade was complete, they would begin building the interior structures. Mika thought that if the main hall, the place of work and residence, were completed swiftly, they might move into the castle as early as next year.

That night, before falling asleep, Mika and Ayla lay together in bed, talking softly.

“The land development and castle construction are both going smoothly. At this rate, we can start recruiting settlers next year.” (Mika)

“So then, we will finally expand the territory’s scale. This is all thanks to your dedication and effort. You are amazing, Mika.” (Ayla)

“Haha, you flatter me.” (Mika)

Ayla embraced him, and Mika smiled with quiet satisfaction.

By late autumn, the nights had grown much colder. Though they lay together with nothing between them, they were not cold beneath the fur blanket made from the horned bear Mika had hunted the previous winter.

The pelt of a horned bear was an exceedingly rare luxury. To use a whole unblemished hide as bedding was a lavish indulgence. Displaying one’s wealth and strength through possessions was an important duty of a lord. To say, “I sleep beneath the fur of the horned bear I slew myself,” left no one doubting either his prowess or prosperity.

“You have worked so hard. Tonight, I must reward you again. And besides, it is a lord’s duty to see to his heirs. Let us enjoy ourselves together once more, Mika.” (Ayla)

Smiling with alluring grace, Ayla leaned over him.

“Yes, I love you, Ayla.” (Mika)

Mika accepted his beloved wife, who had grown all the more passionate since their marriage.

 

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