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

Vassal Marcel / Progress in Psychokinesis Magic

(Thank you for reading at bayabuscotranslation.com)

The year had turned, and it was the middle of January. Mika summoned Marcel to the lordly residence to present an important proposal.

“Actually… I would like you to become an official vassal of the Valentine Household. If it pleases you, I want you, starting this year, to assist in the governance of the Valentine territory as a civil officer and oversee agriculture.” (Mika)

In the great hall of the residence, Mika addressed Marcel across the table.

“The population of the territory has begun to grow faster than planned, and if matters proceed according to my design, it will continue to increase. In that case, in addition to the ordinary administration of the territory, we will need to expand housing and farmland, which will make administrative management far more demanding than it is now. Furthermore, although progress has been smooth so far, we must pay attention to maintaining harmony between the long-established settlers and the new settlers. We must carefully observe the social conditions within the territory and be prepared to respond immediately to any issue.” (Mika)

Marcel listened to Mika’s explanation with a serious expression. He did not appear very surprised. Perhaps he had somewhat anticipated that such a day would come.

“And if the territory’s agriculture becomes even more extensive and food production exceeds immediate needs, leading us to cultivate oats, beets, and other cash crops, the management of these must also be conducted more rigorously. If that happens, just the two of us, Mika and Ayla, will soon be unable to handle the administration alone, and it will become difficult for you to supervise large-scale agriculture alongside your own farming. That is precisely why I want you to become a dedicated civil officer. Naturally, you will receive appropriate compensation. Your income will increase from what it is now, and as the territory develops, your salary will rise accordingly.” (Mika)

“To become an official vassal of the lordly house…?” (Marcel)

Marcel spoke slowly, almost as if tasting the weight of the words, still with a solemn expression.

“What do you think? I do not believe it is a bad proposal.” (Mika)

After a short pause, Marcel nodded, a smile forming on his lips.

“I shall accept with all my heart. As a faithful vassal of the Valentine Household, my wife and I, and our descendants, shall serve diligently. Honestly, I have dreamed since childhood of serving a lordly house in this manner.” (Marcel)

Mika returned his smile as Marcel, with a faint blush, continued speaking. Mika understood that Marcel sought a position above that of an ordinary commoner, not out of ambition for status, but out of pride in proving his competence.

The previous lord, Dondo Dondando, had many relatives and vassals to whom he could delegate tasks, and the village’s small population meant Marcel could not have become anything more than a local figure among the settlers.

However, Mika currently had no family besides Ayla, and the vassal Dimitri was responsible primarily for his protection and personal care. Joel, who was expected to be officially appointed as a vassal, could serve both as a military officer due to his former knightly experience and as outdoor labor using his earth magic. As the territory expanded, a civil officer to assist in administration, oversee agriculture, and supervise settlers would be indispensable. At this place and time, Marcel was the only one capable of fulfilling that role.

Now, Mika could finally provide him with proper recognition and reward for his abilities and loyalty.

“I am pleased as a lord to fulfill your dream. I look forward to working with you henceforth.” (Mika)

From this day onward, Marcel became an increasingly essential pillar supporting the society of the Valentine territory.

 

—

 

Three years had passed since Mika discovered his talent for psychokinesis magic, and whenever time permitted, he trained to enhance his proficiency in magic. He aimed to overcome the greatest limitation of psychokinesis magic which was the inability to grasp objects worn or held by others with a “magic arm”, a significant drawback.

His efforts were gradually showing results, and compared to before, the limitation had been mitigated.

“Alright, here I go. Take this!” (Mika)

In the backyard of the lordly residence, Mika concentrated on the battle axe held in Dimitri’s right hand and activated psychokinesis magic. The “magic arm” wrenched the axe from Dimitri’s hand and placed it under Mika’s control.

The process took about three seconds. Considering that it had previously taken more than 10 seconds, this represented remarkable progress.

“Excellent. Even compared to the psychokinesis magic users I have met before, your power is remarkable, Your Excellency. Not only are you strong, but you can snatch a weapon from another’s hand in such a short time.” (Joel)

“Ahaha, thank you… though it is still far from being practical in actual combat.” (Mika)

A faint wry smile appeared on Mika’s face as he replied. Compared to before, he had grown and now surpassed the average psychokinesis magic user in skill. However, whether this dexterity would prove useful in combat remained uncertain. No enemy within four meters could be expected to remain still for three seconds.

With Dimitri moving around, snatching his weapons with the “magic arm” would take more than twice as long. The technique was still impractical in real battle.

“If I continue training at this pace, I may eventually be able to seize weapons from approaching enemies or trip them instantly. I hope.” (Mika)

It seemed unlikely that he could block or deflect attacks delivered at a speed too fast for his eyes to follow. However, the ability to seize nearby weapons or trip opponents could become useful in actual combat. Mika continued his training with that hope in mind.

“If you can use psychokinesis magic freely on objects worn or held by others, it would be considered exceptional for a psychokinesis magic user.” (Joel)

“I suppose that is the highest attainable improvement. Controlling living beings directly seems impossible, and I have given up flying.” (Mika)

“Flying? Did you try such a thing?” (Joel)

“At that time, Mika-sama was incredible. He stood on a wooden board and floated higher than my own height.” (Dimitri)

Joel’s eyes widened in shock as Dimitri recounted the episode with amusement.

“I nearly tipped over along with the board. I do not wish to try that again.” (Mika)

Mika murmured this with a smile at the memory.

In psychokinesis magic, if another person was simply on an object, the object was not fully considered as part of the person. Therefore, controlling an object someone was riding with magic was possible. Using this method, one could carry an injured person on a cart or float a wooden board with a person upon it over castle walls a few meters high.

However, controlling objects with a person on them works only with others. Attempting to control what Mika himself rides with the “magic arm” proved extremely difficult. There was no problem using magic while walking on his own feet, but attempting to move himself with magic caused severe instability. Moving his position with magic disrupted his consciousness and made spellcasting unreliable.

Therefore, for instance, using magic to pull a cart while riding it, without a horse, was unrealistic. Similarly, using a board to fly like a magic carpet was dangerous. Fear of unstable footing disrupted concentration, making the magic unstable, and during an earlier attempt, Mika nearly fell from a height of two meters.

Since using psychokinesis magic to move himself caused such instability, even a height of one meter could be fatal if he lost balance and broke his neck. Practicing such reckless magic would require far more lives than he had to achieve mastery.

It was far more practical to cut as many trees as possible and set as many logs as possible for houses and fences to contribute to the territory’s development and defense. Psychokinesis magic was already sufficiently effective, so Mika resolved to restrict the use of the “magic arm” to manipulating objects within a radius of four meters.

“Next, let us practice taking weapons from moving opponents. Joel, will you play the enemy?” (Mika)

“Certainly. I have never had a weapon taken from me by psychokinesis magic, so I look forward to it.” (Joel)

Joel answered and took Marcel’s place, standing before Mika.

Winter was entering its latter half. Under the clear blue afternoon sky, Mika continued his steady training.

 

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