WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

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Chapter 95: Judge Kim Panyeong (3)

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Judge Kim had thought about it for a long time.

His lingering grievance remained because every penny of his retirement savings had been swindled away.

He harbored a grudge against the con artist who had ruined his later years, and that grudge had turned him into a vengeful soul.

Then the only way to resolve it was to settle that grudge.

To take revenge on the culprit himself, the con artist.

The con artist who had brought ruin upon his household and turned him into a vengeful soul...

【You'll resolve my lingering grievance? How?】

"Wouldn't beating up the con artist do it? Getting ghosts to torment someone in prison doesn't sound all that difficult, either."

【...Why?】

"For you to volunteer your expertise, Judge Kim? I needed someone in the legal field. I don't think a lawyer or prosecutor would be much use, though."

Judge Kim realized the young man before him wasn't bluffing.

There was Eight-Foot Sister, who had raced alongside a subway train, and the fox yokai who had caught him and mobilized hundreds of pigeons.

Not to mention the huge-mouthed angel behind Yohan.

He was no ordinary being.

Yohan could easily grant Judge Kim his revenge.

【Ugh...】

Judge Kim pondered it.

It would be easy. Take revenge, then resolve his lingering grievance.

The price would probably be his experience and abilities as a judge.

All he had to do was accept, and his grievance would be resolved.

But... wouldn't accepting that mean repudiating the entire life Judge Kim Panyeong had lived?

He had handed down judgments according to the law and its principles.

Never too harshly, never too lightly. He had sentenced criminals only within the bounds of precedent and established law.

Some might have found that frustrating.

They might accuse him of being like all those judges who applied one standard to themselves and another to everyone else.

Whenever that happened, he felt wronged and wanted to protest. Even so, he believed he could not go beyond his own standards.

Punishing his own enemy in private?

For some, it would be an obvious choice.

If people could borrow supernatural power, free from the limits of the law, to punish their enemies, many would choose revenge.

But what about Judge Kim Panyeong?

Could Judge Kim Panyeong impose private punishment beyond the standards set by law?

【I...】

Haa...

Before making his decision, Judge Kim let out one deep sigh after another.

It was a difficult choice.

Still, he believed this was right.

【I don't want revenge.】

"Hm? Really?"

【The criminal has already been sentenced and is serving his punishment. It wouldn't be legally right for me to interfere any further.】

Everyone had to be equal before the law.

Ordinary people and judges alike.

Even if that was difficult in reality, they at least had to strive for it.

"That's unexpected. Still, I can't say I don't understand. I don't think that choice is wrong, either."

It was a choice that did not repudiate the life Judge Kim Panyeong had lived.

Even if it meant he could not resolve his lingering grievance.

"I like you even more for it. You're a judge who sticks to principles."

If he had gladly chosen revenge, he would not have been a fair man.

What kind of fair judge would apply strict standards when judging others, then use different standards in matters involving himself?

Judge Kim had made a choice many people could not.

【Then... could you resolve my lingering grievance another way?】

"Another way?"

What Judge Kim asked for was surprisingly simple.

Especially for Baek Yohan.

* * *

Morning.

From before dawn, ghosts had lined up outside Yohan's house.

【Good grief... there are already this many people...】

【Our turn won't come today, then.】

Recently, ghosts had taken to lining up before dawn at Yohan's house.

They had to arrive as early as possible if they wanted to air their grievances and get a chance at passage to the afterlife.

【When will we ever get our grievances resolved?】

【His Majesty tries to handle what he can, but can he really manage all this work alone?】

Since the sanctuary had been declared, it had become a sacred refuge that guaranteed safety for ordinary ghosts.

No longer afraid of being devoured by evil spirits, they began to hope for a chance to settle disputes with other ghosts or attain passage to the afterlife.

The sanctuary's owner tried, as much as possible, to accommodate them.

Still, the owner was not a legal expert or some perfect great king.

He tried to make fair, correct judgments, but there were limits to what a nonprofessional could do.

And whenever the owner went out for work, resolving a lingering grievance for the ghosts could not even begin that day.

They hoped their turn would come this time.

"All right! Business is now open!"

The front gate opened, and the little fox announced the start of work.

Inside, as always, stood Eight-Foot Sister and the angel with the enormous mouth.

Those terrifying beings kept the ghosts from causing trouble, but lately, the fox yokai was the one keeping everyone in line.

That little fox was more talented at controlling crowds than she looked.

It was closer to a fox borrowing a tiger's authority, though.

When they entered, they found someone different from usual.

【A judicial robe? Is that a judge?】

Yohan still occupied the seat of honor, but a judge in a judicial robe sat in the seat prepared before him.

He struck his gavel and addressed the murmuring ghosts.

【Quiet! Maintain order in the courtroom!】

He certainly looked the part.

It did not seem like they had just grabbed some random ghost and put a robe on him. He looked like a real judge.

"Starting today, Judge Kim Panyeong will help handle disputes. Everyone, listen to what he says~"

It looked like Yohan had brought in a judge ghost from somewhere.

It was not common, but there had to be judge ghosts in the world too.

The ghosts were soon sorted by the type of petition they had brought.

"Legal disputes, line up at the red line! Resolving a lingering grievance, line up at the blue line!"

The petitioners, divided into their respective lines, began filing their cases.

Judge Kim's gavel struck beside them, while the little fox and Eight-Foot Sister took down the ghosts' stories.

* * *

Once Judge Kim joined them, work wrapped up far more smoothly.

Judge Kim used his professional legal knowledge to handle disputes fairly according to the Constitution, while I used the secret arts in the Ghost Soul Compendium for resolving a lingering grievance.

Many ghosts did not even know what grievance they carried, but the Soul-Rekindling Technique usually let me figure out the cause.

"That's terrible. Your body was swept down the river, and you're buried beneath the Han River? I should tell the police... Actually, would it be better to tell Pastor Go?"

【The defendant abused the fact that he was a ghost to enter the plaintiff's family's home and repeatedly harass them. I sentence him to two years in prison.】

【N-no! I only went into the bathhouse a few times! Aaagh! D-don't come closer! Stay away! Aaaaargh!】

Thwack!

【That will be the defendant's new prison. Reflect on your actions!】

Judge Kim's rulings were fair.

The only difference from actual rulings was that there were no suspended sentences or fines.

Since those punishments were meaningless for ghosts, he said he would sentence them according to the circumstances.

The Ghost Soul Compendium also made my work easier.

It was incredibly easy to resolve the grievances of ghosts with no memories, and once the number of cases we processed increased, a new phenomenon appeared.

【Um... Your Majesty.】

"Yes, go ahead."

【I-I want to convert to Christianity. What should I do?】

"Convert?"

【Yes. I didn't have a religion before, but... someone like you exists, and so does the angel... I thought maybe I should believe now, even if it's late. Is it... too late?】

"There's no such thing as being too late to believe in God. See Pastor Go over there? He performs baptisms too, so go get one."

There were ghosts who had already been Christians, but far more who had not.

As more of them converted, it was pleasing in Gari's sight.

It was pleasing in my sight as well.

"Lord, there's another one headed to heaven~"

Clack, clack!

"All right! That's it for today! Everyone, go home now!"

【Phew... Another day with nothing.】

【Still, it feels like things moved much faster than before. If we put up with this for a few days, we'll get our turn.】

【We've got all the time in the world. Let's wait a little longer.】

We usually only handled a small number of petitioners, but today, the number of cases we processed had increased dramatically.

If I could get a few more ghosts with professional skills, this might practically run itself.

"Judge Kim~ How was work today?"

【Ah, yes! I think we handled everything without any major issues!】

Judge Kim deserved much of the credit for that.

He had the law memorized inside out, so the ghosts' disputes flew by.

"Report cases that seem serious through Kohaku. Gari won't always be around, so the other Eight-Foot Sisters will come take any criminals you sentence into custody. You can also have WaeWae or Gugu's flock do it."

【Ah, yes! They will serve as guards or prison officers, then.】

Thankfully, there was no need to build an actual prison.

Gari could just swallow them.

Once their sentence was up, Gari could spit them out, and that would be the end of it.

"Then, shall we get going?"

【Yes...】

Gulp!

Looking visibly tense, Judge Kim took my hand.

The next moment, we leaped through space.

* * *

Judge Kim's home was in an old low-rise apartment neighborhood on the outskirts of Seoul.

Similar-looking multi-family homes clung close together along sloping alleys.

It was hard to believe this was where the family of a former judge lived.

"Your family's really fallen on hard times."

【Yes... It's shameful.】

"Why should the victim be ashamed when the con artist is the bad guy?"

【That's... true.】

My words seemed to comfort him, and Judge Kim gave a faint smile.

"Let's see... Unit 402. This is the place, right?"

【Yes, it seems they haven't moved yet.】

Without hesitation, I knocked on the door.

"Anyone home?"

"Who is it?"

I answered the voice from inside.

"Is this Judge Kim Panyeong's home?"

"Uh..."

The door soon opened, revealing an elderly woman.

【Honey...】

Judge Kim's eyes reddened.

Of course, his wife could not see him.

"Why are you asking about him all of a sudden...?"

"I heard he passed away. My condolences."

I bowed my head, then spoke to his wife.

"What about the rest of the family?"

"They're all at work."

"Then... would it be all right if I waited until everyone was here?"

Since I had come around quitting time, Judge Kim's family returned within a couple of hours.

His son lived independently, but came at his mother's call. His daughter, who lived with her mother, also brought her family.

"My father... was your father's mentor?"

"Yes. Judge Kim gave my father a great deal of help."

The son and daughter seemed unsettled to learn of that connection.

Judge Kim's wife, who had heard the explanation beforehand, continued.

"It seems he heard that we're struggling. If you're all all right with it, he says he'll find work not only for you, but for your sons and daughters as well."

"O-our children too?"

"Yes. He runs a hotel and a materials company, so it's a good opportunity."

This was the salary I would give Judge Kim, and the way I would resolve his lingering grievance.

Judge Kim's grievance was not only about his resentment toward the con artist.

He wanted to do something for the family that had suffered after falling into hardship because of his mistake.

"Y-you'd do all this?"

"Our youngest hasn't even graduated from college yet. Will you really do this much for us?"

"Please accept it and consider it thanks to Judge Kim. Is that all right?"

"O-of course! You're being so generous..."

I needed to hire employees anyway, and some extra payroll expenses for tax purposes would not hurt.

After promising to hire Judge Kim's entire family, I accepted their respectful bows and left the house.

【Thank you! Thank you!】

"It's nothing. Let's work well together from now on."

* * *

Follow the ridges of Taebaeksan farther and farther north, and Geumgangsan soon appears.

The two Koreas were divided, and the Military Demarcation Line was blocked off with mines, but those obstacles meant nothing to spiritual beings.

Ssssss...

Hundreds of spiritual beings flowed through the Demilitarized Zone, where fog always hung thick.

With the road south blocked, they were instead heading north.

Grudge-filled ghosts passed between trees, passed through rocks, and looked down from cliffs without stopping, bound by no physical limitations.

They blindly pressed onward and crossed the border.

Late that night, a dog barked in a small village below Geumgangsan.

Woof! Woof woof!

"What's wrong with that stray mutt? Why's it making such a racket in the middle of the night?"

"I told you we should've caught and eaten it ages ago."

The villagers were puzzled by the chorus of stray dogs that had suddenly begun barking.

Had a wild animal come down from the mountain?

Worried for his chickens, the family's property, Mr. Kim stepped out into the yard and checked the coop first.

"Did a wild boar come down or something...?"

The fog was so thick he could not even see the dogs' shadows.

"What kind of fog is this...?"

It was as though the entire mountain was pouring down over the village...

Then, a human shape emerged from the thick fog.

"Who's there? What are you doing at someone else's house at this hour..."

The shadow raised its head.

Its body looked as though it had been torn apart by wild animals...

"Gasp!"

Fog swallowed the village.

The next day, it was reported that every person in the village had disappeared.

Footnotes:

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