Goblin Library - Chapter 85

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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 85

After finishing the morning cleaning, Yu Tae-poong was browsing the news on his phone.
“The world’s in quite a state these days.”
At Yu Tae-poong’s remark, the Dung Carrier Goblin paused from writing and looked at him.
“What news?”
“It looks like there might be a war breaking out abroad.”
“Russia and Ukraine are still at it, aren’t they?”
At the mention of the Russia-Ukraine war, Yu Tae-poong nodded and spoke.
“At first, I thought it would be over in a few months, but they’re still going at it. So many people dying… and it looks like another war might break out somewhere else.”
At Yu Tae-poong’s words, the Dung Carrier Goblin sighed and shook his head.
“The problem is that the people who decide to wage war are always in the safest places during the conflict.”
Yu Tae-poong nodded in agreement.
“That’s true. Most of the time, those who decide to wage war stay in the safest locations until the war ends. If you asked a frontline soldier, ‘Want to start a war? But you have to pick up a gun and stand at the very front,’ who would agree to it?”
“Exactly. Exactly. They start the war and then just bark orders from the safest rear position… The person who made the decision should be commanding from the front lines.”
At the Dung Carrier Goblin’s words, Yu Tae-poong laughed and nodded. But it was something that could never happen.
Sure, one could talk about commanding from a safe place, but if the commander died on the front lines, there would be no one to control the army.
So having the supreme commander control all forces from the rear was actually a rational action. But… it was still true that such people remained the safest from war.
The Dung Carrier Goblin, who had been discussing war, shook his head.
“I haven’t experienced things like the Imjin War or the Byeongja War, but I’ve lived through the Japanese occupation and the Korean War…”
The Dung Carrier Goblin sighed.
“War is truly terrifying.”
“That’s right. I agree with you, brother.”
As Yu Tae-poong nodded, the door opened and the Bamboo Sword Goblin entered.
“Welcome… huh?”
Noticing the Bamboo Sword Goblin’s unusually serious expression, Yu Tae-poong looked at him with curiosity.
Feeling Yu Tae-poong’s gaze, the Bamboo Sword Goblin turned to him and spoke.
“One iced Americano.”
“Right away.”
Sensing that something troubling had happened to the Bamboo Sword Goblin, Yu Tae-poong went to the counter to prepare the coffee.
As Yu Tae-poong ground the beans, the Dung Carrier Goblin looked at the Bamboo Sword Goblin with curiosity and asked.
“Why do you look like that? Something wrong?”
At the Dung Carrier Goblin’s question, the Bamboo Sword Goblin hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“I went to the Prison today with Lim Sung-un… and I discovered a diamond.”
“A diamond? You mean material for writing?”
“Yeah.”
“Then that’s good news, isn’t it? Finding great material is incredible luck for a writer.”
The Dung Carrier Goblin looked at him as if asking why his expression wasn’t better, and the Bamboo Sword Goblin shook his head.
“In the past, that would’ve been good news. But right now, I’m working on two pieces simultaneously.”
“Ah… so you don’t have the bandwidth to write a new one.”
“That’s right.”
Bamboo Sword Goblin was currently juggling two works at once. I moved between the two protagonists, observing their stories, and when I couldn’t be present, I left goblin-fire to watch over them.
But there were limits to observing material through goblin-fire alone. That’s why Bamboo Sword Goblin preferred to go observe the subjects directly whenever possible.
“There are goblins who work on three, even five pieces at once, but it’s not easy.”
“If I wanted to, I could manage it. But… I can’t maintain focus. I don’t want to write that kind of work.”
“That’s true. Concentration is crucial when writing.”
Yu Tae-poong, who had been listening to the two goblin writers’ conversation, asked a question.
“But what kind of subject matter is it?”
Bamboo Sword Goblin answered Yu Tae-poong’s question.
“A guy who went to prison fifteen years ago for murder.”
“Murder!”
Yu Tae-poong looked startled. Writing about someone who committed murder as the protagonist? It didn’t align with Bamboo Sword Goblin’s nature at all.
‘Wait… if he killed an evil person, that would actually fit Bamboo Sword Goblin’s character?’
Just as that thought crossed my mind, Bamboo Sword Goblin shook his head.
“The murder was a false accusation.”
“A false accusation?”
“Lim Sung-un caught the real culprit while investigating another case—the actual murderer from fifteen years ago. That’s why he went to inform the wrongfully accused man that he’d soon be released.”
“Ah… so he was wrongfully imprisoned for fifteen years?”
“That’s right.”
Yu Tae-poong poured coffee over ice and brought it over.
“Here you go.”
Bamboo Sword Goblin drank the iced americano refreshingly and spoke.
“The moment I saw him, I knew. This man is the embodiment of vengeance.”
“But you said the person he wanted revenge on was already caught.”
“His real target isn’t that man.”
Bamboo Sword Goblin smiled as he spoke.
“He’s plotting revenge against the police, the Prosecutor’s Office, and the entire judicial system.”
“Against the police and prosecutors?”
“More precisely, revenge against the corrupt police and prosecutors.”
Bamboo Sword Goblin continued speaking with a smile on his face.
“Due to the police’s faulty investigation and the prosecutors’ failure to examine it properly, he was falsely accused. This subject claimed his innocence multiple times and provided alibis, but they were never acknowledged. That’s how he ended up in prison for murder.”
“How did that happen? The police wouldn’t have done that without any evidence, would they?”
“There was an eyewitness. But because the description they gave matched this subject’s appearance, he was arrested. There were some circumstantial evidence presented as well, but his alibi was solid… he could’ve been released. However, the detective in charge wanted to wrap up the investigation quickly, so he pinned the crime on him.”
“That detective must have been corrupt.”
“From what I observed, he wasn’t particularly corrupt. He was just incompetent and lazy. He formed his conviction based only on what he saw.”
At Bamboo Sword Goblin’s words, Dung Carrier Goblin nodded.
“Incompetence and laziness can sometimes be worse than corruption. Especially in the police and prosecutors’ offices… sometimes a corrupt person with competence would be better.”
“What do you mean by that?”
Dung Carrier Goblin answered Yu Tae-poong’s question.
“At the very least, capable criminals… the police investigate ordinary crimes pretty thoroughly.”
Yu Tae-poong paused to consider this, then nodded.
“That’s true. Capable criminals might cover up profitable operations, but otherwise the law will catch them all.”
Dung Carrier Goblin sighed and shook his head.
“Most police and prosecutors work tirelessly to protect the people’s safety, but there are some who fit better with criminals like gang members than with law enforcement.”
At Dung Carrier Goblin’s words, Bamboo Sword Goblin spoke.
“That’s true of any organization. There’s no organization in this world that’s clean from top to bottom.”
“That’s fair.”
“Anyway, that bastard studied various things in prison. At first, he learned how to use his fists to survive among the rough inmates. After he grew stronger, he learned many things from those with skills who came into the prison. And he gathered those who received protection from his fists to create an organization.”
“An organization?”
“Various criminals come to prison. He created something like a personnel office that connects these criminals. When there’s a big job, he connects team members suited for it.”
At Bamboo Sword Goblin’s words, Yu Tae-poong squinted his eyes.
“Then isn’t he just a bad guy?”
At Yu Tae-poong’s point, Dung Carrier Goblin also nodded in agreement.
“Right. Even if we overlook the circumstances of how he ended up in prison, if he created a criminal organization connected to the outside while inside and controlled it, then he’s just a bad guy, isn’t he?”
Bamboo Sword Goblin shook his head.
“Of course, up to this point, he’s not someone I’d be interested in. No matter how clever and capable he is, if he moves only for money without his own sense of justice, he’s nothing but evil. But….”
Bamboo Sword Goblin’s lips curved upward slightly.
“From now on, this will suit my taste.”
“From now on, he’s dealing with corrupt law enforcement?”
“Exactly!”
Thwack!
Bamboo Sword Goblin laughed as he struck the table with his hand.
“After hearing from Lim Sung-un that he would be released, that bastard immediately began preparing his revenge against the judicial system that made him this way. He’s gathering stories from those who came to prison unjustly like himself, verifying their truth, and when confirmed as genuine, he’s investigating the incompetent and negligent law enforcement officials involved.”
At this unexpected revelation, Yu Tae-poong asked.
“Wrongfully imprisoned people?”
“He’s trying to save those who came to prison unjustly like himself, and punish those incompetent ones who caused it.”
Bamboo Sword Goblin explained, and then Dung Carrier Goblin spoke.
“I’ve been to prison too.”
“You have, hyung?”
Surprised, Yu Tae-poong’s reaction made Dung Carrier Goblin guess what he was thinking, so he shook his head.
“I don’t mean I was imprisoned. Someone related to my location was in prison, so I went to visit.”
Then Dung Carrier Goblin looked at Bamboo Sword Goblin and continued.
“When you go to prison, there’s not a single person who doesn’t feel wronged. Even a murderer will say he killed because that guy wronged him, that he wouldn’t have killed anyone if that guy hadn’t touched him, and everyone feels aggrieved.”
Bamboo Sword Goblin nodded.
“I know that too. There’s no tomb without an excuse, as they say. And because that bastard knows this, he’s only collecting stories from truly wrongfully imprisoned people.”
“That’s not easy.”
“Because it’s not easy, he doesn’t take the easy path.”
At Bamboo Sword Goblin’s words, Yu Tae-poong asked.
“So you’re saying you’ll help those kinds of people.”
“While helping them, I ultimately intend to punish the prosecutors and police who created such wrongful circumstances.”
Bamboo Sword Goblin smiled.
“By any means necessary.”
“Well… if you learned various things in prison, those wouldn’t be good means.”
“They say criminals have human rights, but I don’t think so. Criminals must suffer in proportion to their crimes.”
Bamboo Sword Goblin sighed after speaking.
“It’s good material, but….”
I wasn’t in a position to write about him. And I didn’t feel like putting down one of my current works to start something new.
Dung Carrier Goblin, who had been watching the troubled Bamboo Sword Goblin with curious eyes, suddenly made a suggestion.
“Then should I write it?”
“Your character doesn’t match his.”
“Doesn’t he have family too? And he was cursed by people as a murderer… so wouldn’t my character match his?”
Even if cursed by people, if one has family and loved ones, one can live for them.
At Dung Carrier Goblin’s words, Bamboo Sword Goblin fell silent for a moment, then shook his head.
“He was an only child, and his parents passed away.”
“They passed away?”
“His mother fell into despair after her son ended up that way and wasted away from illness, and his father died after being hit by a drunk driver while searching for evidence and witnesses to prove his son’s innocence.”
“Ah….”
Yu Tae-poong sighed in shock and sympathy, and Bamboo Sword Goblin spoke.
“So he’s full of resentment.”
Dung Carrier Goblin sighed regretfully.
“Then I can’t do it.”
He had no confidence in writing about someone filled with such resentment and vengeance.
“And I don’t want to give it to someone else either.”
After hearing Bamboo Sword Goblin’s firm answer, Yu Tae-poong thought for a moment and spoke.
“What if you featured that person in Lim Sung-un?”
“He already appeared in a minor role when visiting the prison for visitation while Lim Sung-un was trying to release him.”
“That was just a minor appearance when Lim Sung-un came looking to release him. But what if….”
Yu Tae-poong spoke while looking at Bamboo Sword Goblin.
“He appeared as the opposing force to Lim Sung-un, wouldn’t that work?”
“The opposing force?”
Bamboo Sword Goblin looked at Yu Tae-poong with a puzzled expression.

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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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