The Chief Judge cautiously broached the subject.
“Chief of Public Safety, it seems we’re quite short on personnel compared to what was anticipated. With just 400 people, it’s impossible to manage all the waste in Florence.”
Florence’s official population is 200,000, but this number only counts ‘middle-class men’.
Considering the lower classes and the poor, the total roughly reaches 700,000.
In a place where there’s no concept of working hours, if you push for 14 hours a day, six days a week, you might manage to clear all the waste in Florence, but…
‘We can’t spare enough for actual involvement in gunpowder production.’
I gathered only 400 people knowing this.
Because handling waste is somewhat base and dirty, it would suffice to simply recruit the poor as a form of welfare ‘volunteer work’.
To change waste into a state suitable for extracting saltpeter, it requires a year of fermentation—would the impoverished even want to do that?
You’d just have to round up desperate folks or criminals to get it done.
“No matter how much the poor might be potential criminals, would they work all day long while constantly smelling decaying waste?”
Of course, if you paid them handsomely, it wouldn’t be impossible.
Even offering half the salary Chris receives would make them grateful while they wade through piles of refuse, right?
‘If you offer someone who normally makes 300,000 won a chance to earn 7–800,000 won after taxes, they’ll work like a dog.’
“Plenty of money might solve the issue. But why should we shower the poor with such cash for something they haven’t earned? It’s a waste of taxes.”
“The poor are nothing but trash; they only want things from the Empire while killing and robbing each other daily. Even if we force them into work for the nation, there’s no need to pay them a lot.”
“And how many death row inmates or criminals do we have in our empire?”
The best way to prevent crime is to make the environment in which criminals serve their sentences ‘harsh’.
Sure, lawyers might object, but in the real world, you can find plenty of repeat offenders who find prisons in advanced countries quite cozy.
What if you shoved such trash into a ‘prison worse than death’?
“I suppose I should go see the Chief of Public Safety.”
It’s also a good deed to give all criminals a chance at rehabilitation.
The Chief of Public Safety outranked me.
But a noble of his stature would surely understand ‘one’s place in society’.
He certainly didn’t look down on me just because I held a lower rank.
“Why has the newly appointed Chief of Public Safety sought me out? Are you here to borrow some guards due to a royal decree? You can borrow as many as you like.”
“I’m not here to borrow troops; I would like to take some offenders off your hands.”
The Chief of Public Safety frowned deeply.
For him, to offer up his subordinates would be a tremendous favor to me.
I agreed with that reasoning, giving him about three gold coins last time as a thank-you for the cooperation request when I borrowed soldiers.
But what if I said I wanted to take some offenders under his jurisdiction as well?
‘If I had no social status, I might have been grabbed by the collar.’
“The inmates currently locked up are individuals who were rightfully sentenced through legal procedure. Furthermore, it’s my duty to oversee them.”
In other words, his words translate to this:
‘How dare someone of equal rank and lower position encroach upon someone else’s authority?’
In reality, my actions did infringe upon the Chief’s authority, so I had nothing to counter with.
“I’m aware of that.”
The Chief of Public Safety sighed heavily.
“You have the Emperor’s favor, so I’ll be blunt: it’s no issue to ‘terminate’ one or two offenders who you find useful.”
As for offenders that aren’t serial rapists or murderers, if they meet an untimely end, hardly anyone would care.
Because to the average citizen, frankly speaking, whether a criminal lives or dies is of no concern.
‘When a strikingly pretty young woman enters the prison, mysterious deaths often follow.’
And when that woman’s demise is forgotten, she is sometimes found as someone’s plaything.
The chances of it being discovered are less than 0.05%.
“But judging by your instincts, it seems like you’d want to take hundreds, if not all but those who are due for execution. That’s beyond my ability to accommodate.”
Here’s the crucial point:
‘Outside my capacity.’
In other words, as long as you provided a method I could manage, it implies he would actively cooperate with me, having received a special decree from the Emperor.
I guess this person is quite eager for promotion.
If he moves up from Chief of Public Safety to a key position like Financial Director, the bribes he receives would triple, and his family’s influence would grow.
“Currently imprisoning criminals the way we do is, frankly, inefficient. No matter how cheap the food and how lackluster the heating, it doesn’t change the fact that they’re merely parasites consuming resources.”
I heard it costs 30 million won to maintain a single death row inmate.
The Toscan Empire guarantees ‘inhumane treatment’ for criminals, so the upkeep of those caught committing crimes in prison is around
‘Honestly, I’m not sure, but I think it’s about one silver coin a year.’
However, there are nearly 1,000 such inmates in Florence’s prison alone.
Even for minor offenses like petty theft, they impose capital punishment on the poor.
When you add it all up, it amounts to about 100 gold coins, which is certainly not a small sum.
“Moreover, those who have committed heinous crimes like murder, rape, or blasphemy barely make up 20% of the inmates, right? Most are in for things like punching someone a few times or getting caught stealing a loaf of bread.”
Executions for major crimes are executed quickly right after the investigation concludes.
Thus, these individuals hardly stay in prison for more than three months at most.
But for petty offenders, even the empire deems it a bit excessive to execute them, which delays the process.
Judges and public safety officials are somewhat reluctant to execute such offenders.
‘Generally, I’ve heard they end up serving life sentences.’
“There’s no need to execute those who commit minor offenses, as they can atone through several years of hard labor. Major offenders, however, will pay for their crimes for life.”
While I’m the one building the facility, the process of fermenting waste to produce gunpowder is undeniably horrific.
The resulting gunpowder is invaluable, but the quality of life for those working with it is abysmal.
Just imagining the terrible stench of waste fermentation combined with the idea that I’d have to mix it myself is enough to make one reconsider.
‘Even those who argue for the absence of offender rights would change their minds upon witnessing this work.’
“Your Majesty’s mercy could help widely demonstrate the importance of valuing the people’s taxes.”
At my words, the Chief of Public Safety’s eyes widened.
Yes, I’ll twist this causal relationship a bit to write my report.
While I pondered over bringing in personnel to carry out this horrible task of mixing and fermenting waste, you, Chief of Public Safety, provided the solution.
And all of this stems from loyalty towards His Majesty.
‘For me, as long as I secure a sufficient quantity of gunpowder to sell to Ifritia and Nador, that’s all I need.’
With just the gunpowder production method and the improvement in hygiene to reduce diseases, I would have accomplished more than enough for one individual.
‘People must share and live together. If not, one might get stabbed in the back.’
The wise Chief of Public Safety gripped my hand tightly after listening to my words.
“Except for those slated for immediate execution, we’ll ensure that those accused of moderate crimes serve their sentences while we’ll release petty offenders after a few years. This way, we can efficiently utilize those wicked criminals.”
“You save lives, save money, and even do good for the country.”
The Chief of Public Safety jumped up from his seat.
“Are you sure you can afford to let me take such immense credit? I feel rather guilty about it.”
“We must help each other. And about that one incident with Chief Judge Mancini.”
It remains a secret that I acted upon imperial order.
However, thanks to me bestowing the merits of my righteous accusation entirely upon Mancini, I expedited my promotion to chief judge by a few years compared to my peers.
The Chief of Public Safety squeezed my hand tightly.
He looked like he might cry any moment.
“Honestly, I thought my career would end here, but because of you, I see a path to a higher position. If this gunpowder production succeeds, you’ll be our Baron Chelo’s benefactor.”
“Thank you.”
“Then I’ll go research how to apply this in practice.”
And the Chief of Public Safety began to run, forgetting all decorum.
Seeing him go to such lengths gave me a sense of relief.
Now, I need to visit the site I’ve scouted for stone pits near Florence when the prisoners gather.
I have to teach them everything I know so that no problems arise.
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