< 55. 21st Century Robin Hood (9) >
***
=Changcheon··· Changcheon··· Please!=
In extreme fear, Ha Eun-seong stared at the ghost.
‘Where did the ghost I was looking for go and where did this terrifying spirit go…’
Clearly, someone did this with clear intention.
When I first saw it, I noticed things around me that I hadn’t noticed before. There was a magic circle that helped even non-shamans see and hear ghosts, and other unidentifiable circles were built beyond the barrier.
The one who helped with the confinement must have astral sensitivity, but judging from the fact that he even set up a secondary magic circle, the owner of this place doesn’t seem to have that ability. That makes it even more incomprehensible.
Why bother to go to such lengths to observe a ghost? What business could there be in a mad spirit that cannot even communicate?
And why on earth were you locked up?
How long?
=Save me…!=
Hurrruk!
‘Ouch, hot!’
The spiritual heat emitted by the phantom tormented the spirit of the ghost, which was also a spirit.
‘It seems like it would be dangerous to stay here for too long···.’
The moment I thought that.
Woof!
Ha Eun-seong looked inside himself in a daze.
‘Miss, what is this!’
It was a familiar light.
The beautiful light I saw inside the vault at the main branch of Changcheon Bank.
The moment he touched it, a giant crystal melted away like snow in the spring sun. The splendid light it emitted was spreading out softly from Ha Eun-seong’s spirit body.
‘It didn’t just evaporate after all!’
Ha Eun-seong was once again convinced that what he saw and felt at that time was not wrong.
The strangely named currency called ‘Dallant’ was not ejected into the spiritual world. It was absorbed into this. Until now, it had not been noticeable, so I did not notice it myself, but now I can see it.
‘But… why, of all times, now?!’
The reason for this was soon captured in sight. One of the various magic circles set up within the barrier that confined the ghost was flashing. It was as if it was resonating with the light swaying within Ha Eun Sung.
‘I don’t think I can stay here any longer!’
Although he had not yet explored all of the space, Ha Eun-seong eventually gave up and escaped out of the lair.
And he flew to the place where she was waiting, the only one among the Red Star members he could contact.
Even as she explained what had happened at Rare, the woman’s expression showed no sign of agitation.
‘No, aren’t you surprised to hear this? There was a dragon ghost in the dragon’s nest!’
The woman listened calmly and said:
“So you ended up not being able to explore all of the lairs?”
=······Yes.=
I felt intimidated even though I had done nothing wrong.
“Hmm… okay.”
The woman seemed to think about something for a moment, then said.
“Then, could you describe the internal structure, even up to the part you explored?”
Ha Eun-seong explained in detail, so much so that she could draw a map just by writing it down. The woman, who didn’t have a ghost-like memory, quickly typed it up and documented it.
“Thank you for your hard work. Take a rest today. I’ll see you here again in three days.
=Ah··· over there.=
Ha Eun-seong decided not to bring up the story of the light that had been flashing inside him. He had a feeling that if he did, he would get involved in something more troublesome. The reason he was hesitating now was for another reason.
“Why are you doing that?”
=Do I have to go to that rare again in three days?=
“Yes. We also need to discuss the information we have so far. I think it would be better to proceed with the next intrusion after that.”
=Excuse me, can’t we not do that?”
The woman’s face, which had shown little change in expression until now, hardened slightly.
Ha Eun-seong thought to himself after seeing that. For some reason, it seemed like he did it on purpose so that she would notice, rather than failing to control her expression.
“Why are you doing that?”
=I think it’s too dangerous···.=
It felt a bit odd to bring up this story now, after having searched through bank vaults and rares, but Ha Eun-seong was very intimidated by the ghost he had seen there.
“You experienced it firsthand this time. Even if it’s a rare dragon, you’re helpless against its power.”
=Still, it’s a dragon. I didn’t imagine that there would be a dragon ghost there until I went in. If I dig around in places I haven’t been to yet, something even more horrible and unimaginable might come out···.=
“Mr. Ha Eun-seong.”
The woman said with a gentle smile.
“You should think about your younger siblings.”
=······.=
Ha Eun-seong knows too.
Just looking at the documents they handed over when they offered to help their younger sisters, they had an overwhelming amount of information at their fingertips. It was also Red Star who found out the house the two younger sisters had moved into. In other words, they can track their younger sisters’ movements like the back of their hand.
The woman spoke with a nail in her mouth.
“Oh, by the way, your youngest sibling has made a very big decision. If you’d like, we can introduce you to a good doctor.”
=······!=
“We know the best authorities in the field.”
The youngest was pressuring the second son to get a surgery after his financial difficulties were resolved. Ha Eun-seong, who would visit the house without the two knowing to check on his younger siblings, heard the woman’s story.
So that was the problem.
He knows the youngest’s personality. He considers such topics embarrassing and never brings them up in front of anyone outside his family.
——————
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If Red Star knows that, it means he overheard a conversation that was only between the two of them.
The woman spoke without waiting for the ghost’s answer.
“See you here again in three days.”
***
Dongcheol is a fairly high-income earner by goblin standards.
His working hours were long, as he not only took care of Lakefield, who was sick, but also did odd jobs at the bookstore. His employer, Elf, paid him generously with overtime pay and bonuses, and his base salary was high to begin with.
In this country where there is no minimum wage, there is an unspoken atmosphere that Goblins are paid lower than other races who do the same work. The Elves saw this practice as absurd and simply paid them equally to other races, but in an instant, they became the top 1% earners based on their race, which is the reality of this society.
“Hey··· Dongcheol! It’s Dongcheol···!”
Dong-cheol, who came carrying a large shopping bag in both hands, was welcomed by the poor people of the tent village. They were all goblins who lived on the outskirts of the orc community.
Dong-cheol also lived in this neighborhood until he met Min-jun and got a job offer from him. At first, they lived together in a small shantytown that at least had a roof, but a few years ago, they couldn’t even live there, so they started living on the streets.
Dong-cheol started working at a bookstore, and even after moving out, he still visits here often, buying dozens of lunch boxes.
I didn’t have any complicated thoughts like it was impossible to feed them three meals a day with my salary and that this kind of help couldn’t be a fundamental solution.
I just hope that my friends enjoy the food that I eat and find delicious.
“Wow! This looks delicious···!”
Everyone’s faces brightened, they buried their faces in their lunch boxes and started eating hastily.
One time, I listened to Lakefield’s advice and bought a few boxes of convenience food that could be cooked on a portable burner and stored for a long time. After seeing the results, they immediately changed their method. Since starvation was a daily occurrence, instead of dividing the ten-day rations they received over ten days, they ate until their stomachs burst, eating them all in two or three days.
After that, Dong-cheol would come with lunch boxes for that day and preserved food for two days. He had to visit that often, but there was no other way.
“uh···?”
The spot where the tent had been just a few days ago is now empty. Dong-cheol looked around at his friends who were eating absentmindedly. Their numbers had decreased significantly.
He waited until one person finished eating, then asked.
“Hey… those people… where did they all go? Kyungsoo and… Yoonhee?”
“Ah··· That···”
The goblin rolled his eyes and spoke slowly.
“They… to the dragon….”
Dongcheol was terrified.
“······You got eaten?!”
Edelines came to mind. A bad dragon who tried to do something bad to the boss but failed and got scolded by her master.
It was a nightmare-like memory.
What kind of dragon would come to a place like this and eat my friend?!
“······No, it······went to the dragon.”
Dongcheol thought. Isn’t that it?
But after listening to my friend’s sporadic conversations, I was able to figure out the situation.
Recently, a group of ‘great people’, as my friend puts it, have been appearing all over the Orc community, treating sick people for free.
They were hired by the ‘Great Dragon’ and offered to hospitalize and treat the sick for free.
People were skeptical at first, but it didn’t take long for word to spread that they actually kept their promise. They welcomed everyone, regardless of whether they were human, orc, or goblin.
What is even more surprising is that even poor people with mild illnesses were allowed to stay in the hospital. Of course, they were provided with three meals a day.
Dong-cheol didn’t know, but in fact, the clinic was run by Chang-cheon.
The project plan she showed Minjun was for a large-scale new medical center built on an empty lot, but they had already purchased an existing hospital building and begun providing relief to the poor a long time ago.
“Then··· you guys··· why··· didn’t you go?”
“It’s a dragon… right? Later… what if it eats you?”
The instinctive fear of dragons made him overcome hunger.
The story goes that goblins who remained true to their instincts remained on the streets, while those who did not went to the hospital in search of food and a place to sleep, regardless of the severity of their illness.
The friend muttered.
“I… am scared. Is there a… truly… wonderful… dragon?”
After hearing his words, Dong-cheol thought of Edelines again.
A cold gaze that seemed to look down on trivial trash.
An expression that seemed more like someone looking at a piece of garbage on the side of the road rather than a person.
Dongcheol couldn’t believe it.
‘A good… dragon?’
***
Ha Eun-seong went to his younger siblings’ house.
I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had made a fatal mistake.
‘But, it’s a Red Star!’
Apostle of justice for the poor.
Why would such people threaten themselves?
When Ha Eun-seong arrived home, he took full advantage of the spirit’s characteristic of not being subject to material resistance and looked around. As a result, he was able to find several mechanical devices of unknown purpose and small signs that appeared to be magic circles.
Ha Eun-seong was shocked when he saw that.
‘I’m watching you!’
I was dizzy.
‘What should I do?!’
While he was lost in thought, he heard his two younger sisters talking. They were arguing, not imagining that their dead brother was here.
“Sister! Please, it’s my wish!”
“Shut up. Don’t ever say that in front of me again! Are you crazy? Why are you suddenly saying this when you’ve never said anything like that before?”
“I didn’t say anything back then because I didn’t have money! I have a conscience, too. How could I have surgery when I don’t have money to live off of? But now I have money!”
“Is this our money?”
“It’s our money! It’s our money, because they gave it to us to use!”
“I don’t even know which foundation is giving it to me. Even if I get it now, I don’t know when it will be cut off. I have to save it well!”
“Sister, I really can’t live like this. Please give me surgery!”
The youngest sibling’s biological father, who was being pressured by his older sister, was an orc.
Ha Eun-seong knew that the life of a half-orc high school girl would not be easy, but she did not know that she would be so sincere.
In a world where beauty standards are set by elves and humans, the news of anorexic orc girls who eat and vomit repeatedly in order to become as thin as them is not particularly new.
However, the case of the half-orcs was even worse. Unacceptable to either race, they dreamed of becoming as close to humans as possible.
As part of that effort, some went into enormous debt to undergo surgery that would completely dismantle their entire bodies, enduring the pain of having their bodies torn apart alive. It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that they actually had to grind their bones to the point of death.
“Stop talking about that! What if I die during the surgery? I’m barely able to make ends meet…!”
“No, I won’t be able to get a job or get married anyway. Is this how you live? Do you think all your problems will be solved just because you no longer have to worry about food? Of course you would, since you’re a pureblood. But I’m not!”
As I listened to the two fighting, my head became more complicated.
He thought for a while, floating next to his younger siblings who couldn’t see him, and then he finally made a decision.
‘······We have no choice but to continue cooperating, right?’
The thought that it might be dangerous is just a premonition. No matter how many times you visit Dragon’s Lair, it might end up without any problems.
However, the real danger he thought of was the question of how far and what women would demand of him.
Ha Eun-seong was now noticing the possibility that Red Star might not be the apostle of justice he had thought.
If it were true, it would be terrifying to even imagine.
=······Damn it!=
The ghost broke through the wall and came out of the house. It was still deep in thought until it passed through the hallway and came out. So Ha Eun-seong almost passed by without noticing anyone.
“Hey, over there.”
=?!=
Ha Eun-seong turned his head towards the direction where the voice was coming from. A man was looking at him.
······No, I thought you were looking at me.
‘What, that’s not true?’
A ghost can tell a person by looking at him. Whether he is a shaman or not.
The man who just spoke was not a telepath. He had called a living person, and it seemed he had reacted for no reason. But.
‘······Huh? There’s no one here?’
There were no pedestrians around. Was he on a phone call? I thought so and was about to go back on my way…
My thoughts went crazy again.
‘Wait a minute, this is the 15th floor?’
The man was floating in the air 15 stories high.
wizard.
“Where are you looking? Yes, I mean you.”
In the end, Ha Eun-seong had no choice but to say something she never imagined she would say to someone who was not a shaman.
=······Can you see me?=
“Yeah, I see it. A penguin with a knife in its neck.”
The man who introduced himself as an immigration agent said that he had come here after asking around among the ghosts. Ha Eun-seong’s expression froze when he heard that. Even though his ghost friends knew what his spirit looked like, they couldn’t possibly know where his siblings had moved into.
Something went wrong.
‘I have to run away!’
Shhh!
Ha Eun-seong gathered all his spiritual power. He tried to fly away at high speed. A desperate escape.
but···.
=Kikikikick!=
He saw a sight he could hardly believe.
‘Why are there ghosts?!’
Some of the ghosts wandering the city suddenly started rushing towards Ha Eun-seong!
=Hey, go away!=
Just as he had felt the heat from the spiritual fire brought about by the dragon’s spectre, the spectres now swarming in could also exert influence on his spiritual body.
But what I can’t understand is why those crazy ghosts suddenly flock to me as their target.
It was a natural question for an ordinary Earthling who had no knowledge of the concept of necromancy.
Meanwhile, Ye Min-jun, the man who temporarily created these ghosts and commanded them, looked at the handle of the knife stuck in the Ghost’s neck with an ominous look.
‘Where have I seen that?’
Of course, this isn’t something you’ve seen on Earth.
=Oh, no!=
=KiKiKi! KikikiKiKi!=
The chase between one ghost and several spectres did not last long.
Ha Eun-seong was brought in, possessed by ghosts like constables dragging in a criminal.
=Who the hell are you? Why are you doing this to me?!=
Ha Eun-seong asked, looking very frightened.
I had never imagined that someone other than a shaman could see ghosts and control spirits, so it was even more terrifying.
The realization that he was not the perfect ‘Munchkin Ghost’ as Ko Deok-hwan had assured him deepened his frustration.
The ghost senior’s words were only half true. Although he was immune to exorcism magic, there were other ways to subdue ghosts in the world.
Instead of chasing out ghosts, how to summon them!
Minjun said calmly.
“There are a few things I want to know, so please be honest with me.”
=······.=
I had a lot of questions, but work came first.
After obtaining the testimony of the Red Star executives, Minjun headed to Changcheon’s Lair, but she refused to allow him to enter. It was an absurd thing to do.
Instead, one of her subordinates, a telepath, searched the lair and found ‘no ghosts’ inside.
Since it was clear that Changcheon had already fled outside unless he had been hiding the ghost, Minjun changed his method. It was not difficult to find out the ghost’s identity when it was still alive, and he found the suspect after searching the houses of his younger siblings who were still alive.
Minjun brought up the same question he had posed to the Red Star executives.
“Where is the talent?”
=······.!=
Minjun’s words when he asked like that had an authority and status that Ha Eunseong had never felt since his death.
“You’d better be straight. Just because you’re dead doesn’t mean you’ll escape my hands.”
A warning not to think that ghosts are 100% safe.
Ha Eun-seong felt like a mouse in front of a cat. It wasn’t just because of the current situation that was being suppressed by him. Although his mind wasn’t completely controlled like the ghosts, the ghost was overwhelmed by the weight of his words and eventually gave up everything and confessed.
Minjun’s expression changed moment by moment as he heard his words.
‘What kind of nonsense is this!’
Ha Eun-seong, who was terrified, cut off everything and started talking about how he broke into the bank. Right after he confessed everything from the moment he entered the vault to the moment he finally withdrew, Min-jun distorted his face and shouted at him.
“Are you asking me to believe that now?”
=It’s all true! I didn’t lie!=
“You absorbed the talent? Into your spirit body?!”
Ha Eun-seong wanted to faint because Min-jun’s expression was so scary as he questioned her like that, but since she was in a spirit form, she couldn’t lose consciousness.
=It’s true!=
Ha Eun-seong wanted to cry.
“and.”
Minjun changed the question to one that was still sharp. It was about who gave him the orders to do so.
Only then did Ha Eun-seong bring up the name of Red Star, which he had not mentioned until now. The interrogator also knew that he was connected to them.
However, the moment he heard the story between them and the ghost, Minjun’s expression changed once again.
“Oh, really. I keep hearing weird stories today.”
=?=
“What? You broke in to find the ghost that was captured by the dragon? You broke into the bank and the lair just to save one ghost?”
Ha Eun-seong felt wronged. There was not a single lie in the statement. If there had been no such cause, it was a deal that he would not have agreed to in the first place.
“Moreover, that ghost followed Chairman Kim Gwang-woo for several months and then disappeared?”
=That’s what I said!=
He copied what the woman said verbatim. Given the ghost’s memory, it couldn’t have been distorted.
But Minjun was still looking at her with an expression as if to ask what the hell she was talking about.
“Hey. Are there any other ghosts as unique as you?”
=······?!=
The ghost couldn’t figure out the intention of the question. Then Minjun concretized the sentence. After capturing Ha Eunseong, he had already completed one experiment.
“You’re a ghost, so exorcism spells don’t work on you. Similarly, are there ghosts that shamans can’t see?”
I thought it was some kind of nonsense, but it was like having a knife held to my throat, so I answered obediently.
=No? I haven’t seen a ghost like that yet···.=
Minjun said with a hint of annoyance.
“So in the end, you were used too.”
=?!=
It seemed like he was talking about his younger siblings, but Minjun’s next words contained something completely different.
“There was no such ghost in the first place. It was Red Star’s assistant who was imprisoned by the dragon.”
=What is that!=
“Then I ask you. How great of a ghost must one be to track down a man who can see ghosts for months without being detected?”
The ghost was speechless, and seeing her expression, Minjun could easily tell that Ha Eunseong had also been deceived by Red Star.
There was reason to be so confident.
This is because Minjun knows one little-known fact related to Chairman Kim Gwang-woo.
The orc who was preparing for business with Changcheon, but then disappeared with some strange excuse…
“Chairman Kim Gwang-woo is a telepath.”
=?!=
That is, he can see and hear spirits.
< 55. 21st Century Robin Hood (9) > End
