Goblin Library - Chapter 36

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 36

Yu Tae-poong arrived at work early in the morning and spotted the Dung Carrier Goblin the moment he opened the door.
Surprised to see the Dung Carrier Goblin sweeping with a broom, Yu Tae-poong hurried over.
“Why are you cleaning?”
“You always clean in the morning, so I did it for you.”
The Dung Carrier Goblin smiled and continued speaking.
“A person has to do their part wherever they go, or they’ll be a burden.”
“You should have waited for me to do it together.”
“It’s fine, it’s fine. What does it matter who does it?”
The Dung Carrier Goblin was about to sweep the floor again when he paused, sighed, and looked at Yu Tae-poong.
“Um, little brother.”
“Yes?”
When Yu Tae-poong looked at him, the Dung Carrier Goblin hesitated for a moment and sighed again.
“What’s wrong?”
Seeing the Dung Carrier Goblin hesitate as if he’d done something wrong, Yu Tae-poong tilted his head in confusion. The goblin stammered as he spoke.
“The truth is, I did clean… but I didn’t do it the hard way.”
“What do you mean?”
As Yu Tae-poong tilted his head, the Dung Carrier Goblin pulled out the cloth he had wrapped around his waist.
He then waved it lightly through the air. The cloth split and expanded as if dividing, spreading out and fluttering in all directions.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The cloths spread in all directions began wiping the floor and bookshelves.
Once the wiping was finished, they gathered back into the Dung Carrier Goblin’s hands and became one again.
“That’s how I did it.”
“Wow. That’s amazing.”
Stunned by the incredible sight, Yu Tae-poong stared at the Dung Carrier Goblin’s goblin club cloth with wide eyes. But then he wondered why the goblin was holding a broom if he had such a convenient cleaning tool.
“But why were you holding the broom?”
The Dung Carrier Goblin scratched his head.
“I wanted to make it look like I’d cleaned… but it felt like I was lying to you, so I’m telling you the truth.”
Watching the Dung Carrier Goblin fumble with his words, Yu Tae-poong found himself laughing.
“Haha!”
“See… you’re laughing at me. I shouldn’t have done this…”
“No, that’s not it.”
Yu Tae-poong quickly waved his hand and laughed.
“You’re really… a good person.”
“Me?”
The Dung Carrier Goblin asked as if he couldn’t believe it. Yu Tae-poong smiled, took the broom from his hands, and carried it to the storage room as he spoke.
“Usually people don’t apologize for something like this. And what’s wrong with showing a little effort? You did clean, after all.”
“Is that so?”
“Of course.”
Yu Tae-poong placed the broom in the storage closet and walked toward the counter as he spoke.
“If you hadn’t left any trace, I would never have known you cleaned.”
As he spoke, Yu Tae-poong glanced around the Goblin Library.
“Since I clean every day, this place is always spotless.”
Because it was cleaned daily, a single day or two without cleaning wouldn’t show any difference.
So even if the Dung Carrier Goblin had cleaned, Yu Tae-poong would have known nothing and simply cleaned again.
“Brother, please leave traces from now on.”
“Leave traces?”
“That way I’ll know to be grateful to you. Gratitude isn’t expressed through love alone.”
And if the Dung Carrier Goblin left traces, that meant cleaning had to be done—which would spare Yu Tae-poong the labor each time.
Yu Tae-poong opened a drawer and looked at the Dung Carrier Goblin.
“Since you cleaned for me, I’ll prepare something to drink. Coffee or tea? What would you prefer?”
“Coffee. Strong.”
At the Dung Carrier Goblin’s words, Yu Tae-poong nodded and began grinding coffee beans.
Whirrrr! Whirrrr!
As Yu Tae-poong ground the beans, the Bamboo Sword Goblin approached. Upon seeing the Dung Carrier Goblin, he paused for a moment before speaking.
“What brings you here?”
At the Bamboo Sword Goblin’s unwelcoming tone, the Dung Carrier Goblin shot back.
“I came to read books in the library. Why, do you not want me here?”
The Bamboo Sword Goblin regarded him silently for a moment, then shook his head slightly.
At this, the Dung Carrier Goblin’s eyes narrowed.
“You really don’t want me here?”
“If I refused goblins who came to read, I wouldn’t run this library.”
Then the Bamboo Sword Goblin looked at Yu Tae-poong.
“Coffee. To go.”
“Yes.”
Yu Tae-poong paused while grinding the beans and spoke softly.
“I’ll prepare yours first.”
At Yu Tae-poong’s words, the Bamboo Sword Goblin’s eyebrows twitched briefly. He glanced once at the Dung Carrier Goblin, then pressed his lips firmly together.
At the Bamboo Sword Goblin’s reaction, the Dung Carrier Goblin’s face lit with satisfaction as he leaned back against his chair.
Yu Tae-poong was preparing his coffee first, and this pleased him greatly.
The Dung Carrier Goblin, contentedly watching Yu Tae-poong grind the beans, spoke to the Bamboo Sword Goblin with a leisurely expression.
“Your writing was quite good.”
At the Dung Carrier Goblin’s words, the Bamboo Sword Goblin looked at him.
“….”
The Bamboo Sword Goblin, who had been regarding him silently, asked a question.
“Will you be coming often?”
The Dung Carrier Goblin’s eyes narrowed.
“You said you wouldn’t turn away Goblins who came to read books. Do I really bother you by coming so often?”
“That’s not it at all.”
The Bamboo Sword Goblin then gestured toward the shelves.
“My books are over there in front. Feel free to look at them if you’d like.”
The Dung Carrier Goblin nodded at the Bamboo Sword Goblin’s invitation to browse his collection.
“I will.”
As they spoke, Yu Tae-poong set down a cup of coffee in front of the Dung Carrier Goblin.
“I brewed it strong.”
The Dung Carrier Goblin caught the aroma and took a sip of the coffee.
Watching this, Yu Tae-poong freshly ground new beans to match the Bamboo Sword Goblin’s preferences and brewed another cup.
Glug, glug!
Yu Tae-poong poured the coffee into a portable tumbler and handed it over. The Bamboo Sword Goblin savored the aroma, took a taste, and nodded approvingly.
“This tastes excellent.”
“I’m glad to hear it.”
The Bamboo Sword Goblin nodded and was about to leave with his coffee when Yu Tae-poong asked a question.
“When will Lee Jong-hyuk’s trial end?”
“Trials don’t wrap up easily, so I can’t say exactly when. But those thugs won’t be causing trouble at school anymore.”
“That’s a relief.”
Yu Tae-poong nodded, then remembered something else and asked.
“What about that student?”
“Which one?”
“The student who ran off with the stolen goods.”
At Yu Tae-poong’s words, the Bamboo Sword Goblin paused before answering.
“Noh Hong-su found his courage.”
“Hong-su?”
“He went to the Police Station and took off his clothes.”
Yu Tae-poong looked confused at this statement, and the Bamboo Sword Goblin smiled faintly.
“He went to the Police Station, removed his clothes, and showed them all the bruises and welts covering his body. It must have been humiliating and shameful. And he knew it would worry his parents. Showing them that he’d been beaten by the school gang members… as their son, he must have felt terrible about it.”
The Bamboo Sword Goblin paused for a moment before continuing.
“By revealing his own injuries and bruises, he made it clear that the other student had done the same thing—all under coercion and assault.”
“Hong-su… he finally found his courage.”
“That’s right.”
The Bamboo Sword Goblin smiled.
“Whether he spoke up or not, the school gang members were no longer a threat to him anyway. Lee Jong-hyuk and his cronies will either face trial and go to Prison, get forcibly transferred, or simply never appear before Hong-su again. But he found the courage to testify for a friend who, like him, had suffered bullying and ended up at the Police Station, lumped in with the gang members.”
“Things really turned out well.”
“Yes, they did.”
“Will that student be released?”
“Even though he was coerced, he still stole the goods, so he won’t be released immediately. But Lim Sung-un is working to get him the most lenient sentence possible, so he should be out soon.”
“That’s good too.”
At Yu Tae-poong’s words, the Bamboo Sword Goblin nodded and left the Goblin Library.
After the door closed, Yu Tae-poong observed the Dung Carrier Goblin.
“You and the boss don’t get along well?”
“Hm?”
The Dung Carrier Goblin, looking at Yu Tae-poong with confusion, glanced toward where the Bamboo Sword Goblin had left before speaking.
“There’s nothing to get along or not get along about. We’re just not particularly close. Why?”
“Well, it seemed like you didn’t enjoy the conversation earlier. The way you were speaking….”
As Yu Tae-poong trailed off, the Dung Carrier Goblin let out an “ah” and scratched his head. After a moment, he spoke.
“I’m always like that with goblins I’m not close to.”
“Why?”
Yu Tae-poong looked at the Dung Carrier Goblin with bewilderment. This was someone who treated him so warmly, yet toward others….
As Yu Tae-poong’s thoughts crystallized, he nodded with understanding.
He hadn’t considered it before because they’d grown close, but the Dung Carrier Goblin was, quite literally, a dung carrier.
And he’d inherited to some degree the temperament of his master, who would fling dung at those who mocked and mistreated him.
So toward those he wasn’t close with, he was curt and frankly discourteous.
It was that kind of feeling—if I dislike you, then it doesn’t matter if you dislike me. Of course, once he grew close to someone, he was kinder to them than to anyone else.
Having grasped what the Dung Carrier Goblin truly was, Yu Tae-poong poured coffee into his cup.
Then he took a sip and spoke.
“So you’ll be reading books?”
“Of course.”
The Dung Carrier Goblin scanned the bookshelves before speaking.
“I’m going to read whatever catches my eye first.”
“Then if you find any interesting books while reading, could you recommend them to me?”
“A recommendation? Sure! If I find a good book, I’ll recommend it to you!”
The Dung Carrier Goblin smiled brightly, picked up his coffee, and made his way toward the bookshelves.
He began examining the books lined up there. After watching the Dung Carrier Goblin for a moment, Yu Tae-poong retrieved Cha Dol’s martial arts manual from the shelf and began mimicking the movements.
Cleaning followed by practicing Cha Dol’s martial techniques was my daily routine.

Yu Tae-poong and the Dung Carrier Goblin were having kimchi stew for lunch at Jeonjujeon.
“I’m not sure if someone like me should even be coming to a restaurant.”
At the Dung Carrier Goblin’s words, Choi Ok-ja laughed and spoke.
“Our shop mainly does evening business, so we don’t have many customers at lunch. Please, eat comfortably.”
At Choi Ok-ja’s words, the Dung Carrier Goblin nodded and ate the kimchi stew.
“This tastes excellent.”
“Thank you. Please, have plenty.”
After that, Choi Ok-ja looked at Yu Tae-poong.
“I’ve always eaten alone and kept myself company, but now I have a new companion.”
“Indeed.”
Yu Tae-poong answered with a smile.
After Choi Ok-ja entered the kitchen, Yu Tae-poong looked at the Dung Carrier Goblin.
“You were reading books earlier—how did you manage to choose one that suited your taste?”
The Dung Carrier Goblin had read books that morning. But he hadn’t been able to focus intently, repeatedly opening and closing them.
“There are plenty of books, but I haven’t found one that truly matches my taste.”
“It’s not easy. Finding a book that suits your preferences.”
At Yu Tae-poong’s words, the Dung Carrier Goblin scooped a large spoonful of rice into his mouth and spoke.
“But there are so many books where the protagonist dies.”
“That’s because they’re written about real people. Everyone dies eventually.”
In ordinary novels, the story wouldn’t describe the protagonist’s death; instead, it would end with something like “and they lived happily ever after” or conclude after defeating the final boss.
But the Goblins’ books were written about real people in actual reality, so many of them ended with the protagonist’s death.
The novels about Cha Dol and Kim Hyang-i that Yu Tae-poong had read all the way through ended with the protagonist’s death.
Cha Dol died tragically at the hands of government forces, while Kim Hyang-i peacefully closed her eyes while drinking tea at her own tea house.
Meanwhile, Lim Sung-un and the protagonists of other books were still in their prime and hadn’t died yet.
At Yu Tae-poong’s words, the Dung Carrier Goblin shook his head.
“Is that so? But even considering that, there are quite a lot.”
At the mention of “quite a lot,” puzzlement flickered across Yu Tae-poong’s face.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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