Chapter 4: The Earl Wants to Shovel Poop

Early the next morning.

Slurp~

Slurp~ Slurp~

The castle's cook had some aptitude after all. After watching Bruno demonstrate once, he quickly picked up the skill—after all, making noodles wasn't particularly difficult.

What was remarkable, however, was that the cook even managed to invent a new dish on his own: fried eggs.

"He's able to develop new dishes on his own, which means this new cook isn't a fool. Make sure to reward him," Bruno said casually.

"I'll see to it right away, my lord," his servant responded.

After enjoying a breakfast that, while not extravagant, was quite satisfying, Bruno found Shabi already waiting at the castle gates.

Although Shabi was puzzled by Bruno's sudden decision to inspect the territory, he asked no questions. He simply followed orders, as always.

According to his plan, Bruno intended to take a proper look at his domain today—Idar City.

This wasn't just to better understand this world but also to find a suitable location for his future hanging garden.

He didn't bring many people along—aside from his valet Shabi there were only two guards. The old butler, Ford, was busy conducting a census of Idar City.

Bruno mounted his horse and, relying on the memories of his predecessor, set off.

This was his first time riding a horse since arriving in this world. At first, he wobbled unsteadily in the saddle, but he quickly adapted and even started to urge his horse to move faster.

Bruno's castle was located in the northwest corner of Idar City, built atop a low hill. Though only about three or four stories tall, and appearing somewhat old and shabby in Bruno's eyes, it was still the grandest and most luxurious building in all of Idar City.

Luxury, after all, is relative.

As Bruno rode on, he noticed that the farther he traveled from the castle, the more rundown the houses became.

The homes nearest to the castle were mostly two-story stone buildings, some even featuring sizable courtyards. However, as he moved farther away, the stone houses gave way to wooden ones, and the courtyards grew smaller and smaller.

"The people living near the castle mostly work for us. Their wages are decent, so they enjoy relatively good living conditions compared to the rest of Idar City," Saby explained, noticing Bruno's curiosity.

"Honestly, my lord, there's no need for you to come here. This area is mostly inhabited by peasants and serfs—there's nothing worth seeing."

The road grew narrower, and the air became thick with an unpleasant stench.

It had rained recently, leaving the roads muddy. The mixture of animal manure and rain-soaked dirt made it difficult to tell one from the other.

More people appeared along the roadside, most wearing ragged, dirty clothes and walking barefoot through the filth. Some even wore shackles, their eyes dull and lifeless.

Shabi spurred his horse forward and rode ahead of Bruno.

"Move aside! Move aside! A noble lord is passing through!" he shouted, cracking his whip—a perfect picture of a lackey abusing his master's power.

"Don't harm the women or children," Bruno instructed from behind, but he made no move to stop Saby's behavior.

This was simply how this world worked. Until he gained more power, he had no choice but to go along with it.

A barefoot child, snot dripping from his nose, curiously watched the nobleman on horseback. But his panicked parents quickly pressed him down and knelt at the roadside, unsure of what to do.

This was Idar City. This was the world he now lived in.

Idar City housed nearly ten thousand commoners and slaves. The closer they got to the city center, the more crowded the streets became, and the stench in the air grew even worse.

As they neared the heart of the city, Bruno finally realized what was causing the terrible smell.

It was the result of human and animal waste fermenting in the open air.

He even saw someone dump a bucket of excrement right onto the street. The moment they noticed him, they dropped to their knees in terror—landing in their own waste.

Dear God, what a disgusting stench!

At that moment, a terrifying thought struck Bruno—the Black Death!

The plague that had once wiped out a third of Europe's population!

"Is this how waste is usually disposed of?" he asked.

Shabi nodded as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

And it was. When people were struggling just to survive, sanitation was the last thing on their minds.

A clean, hygienic environment was a luxury only the nobility could afford.

Thank goodness he was on horseback...

Bruno finally understood why medieval nobles always carried parasols when they went out—and he also realized where high heels originally got their, well, distinctive odor.

Struggling to endure the stench, Bruno and his party quickened their pace, heading toward the distant city walls.

At last… they were outside the city.

Bruno took a deep breath, savoring the fresh air. The scent of nature had never seemed so wonderful.

"Shabi!" he called firmly.

"Yes, my lord?"

"Starting tomorrow, I want people assigned to collect all the waste in the city. Also, post a notice—anyone who brings in three full baskets of manure will receive one copper coin!"

Filthy. Disorganized. Foul.

That was Bruno's impression of Idar City in a nutshell.

And he refused to accept that his domain looked like this.

Bruno valued his life, and Idar City's unsanitary conditions were nothing less than a ticking time bomb—one that, if detonated, would unleash an uncontrollable plague.

He would never allow that to happen!

Shabi rubbed his ears, wondering if he had misheard.

"Collect… manure?" he asked hesitantly.

"That's right! You heard me!" Bruno said firmly.

"But… isn't three baskets for a copper coin a bit too generous? Even at ten baskets per coin, people would still bring it in."

Shabi was nearly in tears. Just when their young lord had been acting normal for a while, he was back to his old antics. After all, every noble's territory was like this—why did Bruno have to go stirring things up?

The thought of valuable copper coins being exchanged for poop made Shabi want to cry. He could already imagine the scolding he'd receive from the old butler when they got back.

"Three baskets per copper coin. That's final!" Bruno declared.

The currency of the Norman Empire consisted of gold coins, silver shillings, and copper coins.

One gold coin equaled twenty silver shillings, and one silver shilling equaled twenty copper coins.

"But my lord, this will cost the territory a considerable amount. There's manure everywhere in the city—anyone could just scoop some up and make a fortune."

"It's fine! Manure is actually quite valuable," Bruno said with a grin.

"Valuable...?" Shabi thought his lord was losing his mind.

"Do you have a problem with that?" Bruno glared at him.

"N-No, not at all!" Shabi stammered.

"The serfs need proper supervision to make sure they don't slack off. From now on, I'm appointing you as Idar City's waste collector overseer—your job is to supervise the serfs as they gather and transport manure."