Make the Barbarians Great Again

Chapter 33: The Night of Charun

Those who saw Hindir’s enigmatic smile felt the thick tension that had filled the space vanish in an instant.

The more perceptive among them realized it was due to Hindir’s ability, while the less sensitive simply exchanged confused glances at the sudden shift.

“It might be confusing for me to say this out of nowhere, but we need to get out of here.”

Hindir spoke, facing Seff.

“We want to leave too. But like I said, it’s not that easy right now.”

Hindir nodded in agreement.

Judging by the condition of the people here, the elderly in the cave beneath the cliff must be even worse off.

“For now, the food problem can be solved with what Parno stockpiled, but there are many whose health is in poor shape.”

“I’ll try to find a solution.”

“You? Do you even know any healers?”

Of course not.

But he did know of a miraculous remedy that could restore the Charun tribe’s health.

He just couldn’t be sure he’d be able to obtain it—hence why he said he’d try.

“It’s hard to explain, but the effect is guaranteed. Could you wait a few days?”

Suspicion filled everyone’s eyes at Hindir’s words.

Baltan, in particular, was visibly displeased.

The very fact that Hindir now held control over the situation was infuriating. Tʜe sourcᴇ of thɪs content ɪs novelfire(.)net

And what was with that tone of his?

He only spoke respectfully to his own family, while addressing other adults informally.

It felt as if he were disrespecting those who had long devoted themselves to the village.

No matter how much help he had provided, such blatant disregard for basic manners couldn’t be overlooked.

“Hindir…”

“Yes. We’ll go with that for now and make preparations on our end. Since we’ve decided to stand against Parno, it’s clear we can’t stay here.”

But just as Baltan was about to speak, Seff cut in first.

“And you need some rest too. Thinking about it, the journey back here from outside couldn’t have been easy. Keeping you around any longer would just be cruel.”

“No…”

He glared at Seff with dissatisfaction.

Wasn’t it obvious she was interrupting him?

He wanted to accuse her of going too easy on her own kin.

But he couldn’t.

‘Damn it… If you provoke that woman’s temper, it’s nothing but trouble.’

Hindir was unfamiliar and young.

Seff, on the other hand, was older than him and well-known for her nasty temper.

So he didn’t dare push back.

“Alright. Then let’s wrap things up for now.”

Seff looked around at the gathered group and continued.

“Everyone must be starving, so just for tonight, let’s raid the storeroom so we can all eat our fill. Kanar, you lead the people and manage the supplies accordingly. And Baltan, you’ll deliver the news to the elders, right?”

“I was going to talk to Hindir for a moment…”

“Hindir, come with me. Someone else is using your old place, so you’ll have to stay at my house. That okay?”

Grit—!

Leaving the sound of Baltan grinding his teeth behind, Seff led Hindir away.

Seff’s home wasn’t far.

Once they arrived, she clicked her tongue and spoke.

“Hindir, you have to understand. That bastard Baltan, he’s spent his whole life working for the village, and he prepared a lot for this fight. But for it to end so easily—it’s made him feel empty.”

“I understand.”

“That’s good. Tea?”

“That sounds nice.”

It would’ve been better if they had alcohol, but there was no way such a thing existed here.

As she handed him the tea, Seff thought she should probably rummage through the places where the Parno bastards had stayed once night fell.

Calling it tea was generous—it wasn’t proper tea.

It was little more than boiled weeds and snow, made to endure the bitter cold and hunger.

Even though Hindir had accepted all of Hindir’s memories, he couldn’t recall everything at once.

Having lived a completely different life for the past few months, memories long buried were only now resurfacing since returning to the village—and this weed tea was one of them.

“You never used to touch this stuff. Guess your taste’s changed.”

“It’s not bad.”

“Heh. Didn’t eat well out there, huh? Judging by how much bigger you’ve gotten, you must’ve had some good food.”

After preparing her own cup, Seff cracked the wooden window slightly and sat across from Hindir.

“Just the two of us in here, and it’s warm already. Who’d have thought I’d be opening windows from being too hot.”

Seff closed her eyes and savored the tea.

She took a sip, then clicked her tongue again.

“Still tastes like crap.”

She set her cup down and stared at Hindir intensely—almost uncomfortably so.

As Hindir silently returned her gaze, tension settled between them.

“…Who are you?”

Seff asked.

There was no malice, just a monumental question spoken as naturally as a greeting.

“I’m Hindir.”

“Hindir was a rude little punk. Called his aunt ‘hey’ and ‘you,’ and now he’s back after a few months, acting the complete opposite.”

“……”

He hadn’t expected that.

“But even if that weren’t the case, I can see it. I knew from the moment I saw you. Even though your appearance had changed a lot, I recognized you immediately as Hindir. But inside… it feels like something else is there that’s not Hindir.”

For once, Hindir felt troubled.

Apparently, the bond between Hindir and Seff had been deeper than he remembered.

Hindir and Orcus were the same person—both were him.

Yet, he hadn’t felt such a bond from Seff’s side, which now told him otherwise.

“…To be honest, I don’t remember much.”

He couldn’t tell her the full truth.

Even if she believed him, he had made up his mind.

He would only reveal the truth to those who needed to know.

And among those who learned the truth… none would survive.

“You don’t remember?”

“While fleeing from Parno’s pursuit, I fell off a cliff and lost my memory for quite some time. It only started coming back recently. Until then, I didn’t even know my name.”

“…I see. So you managed not to die.”

“Yes. I went through many things along the way, and they brought me here.”

“That rumor about you killing the head of the Parno family… is it true?”

“It is.”

“……”

Seff held her forehead and lowered her head.

As expected, these were difficult stories to accept.

But she knew that something significant was changing.

"Anyway, I get that you’ve gotten insanely strong. That must be why you wiped out those Parno bastards earlier."

Still, it was hard to believe that he’d really killed the Parno Family Head.

"But really, what else matters? The most important thing is that you’re alive. I guess I’ll just think you fell off the cliff and somehow had a fateful encounter or something."

"It’s roughly like that."

"Haha, saying that makes me feel a bit lighter."

She stood up, teacup in hand, and walked toward the door.

"You must be tired, so get some rest. The village only looks dim because of the cliff, but there’s still some time before it’s actually night. I’ll call you when it’s time to eat. Those guys will definitely slack off without me, so I better go."

"Understood."

With that, Seff left Hindir and walked out.

Her brisk steps quickly took her away. She looked up, biting down on a twitching corner of her lips.

Until now, she had always lived strong, never showing her sorrow or pain.

But this time was different. It was hard to endure.

Hindir was the child she had raised in place of his parents, who had died young.

There was no way she wouldn’t recognize a kid like that…

But that boy no longer existed.

No, it wasn’t just that he had matured and become an adult.

Seff knew.

Having lived here and led the village through countless experiences, she could tell Hindir was lying.

He didn’t even try to hide it—his expression made it obvious.

But even so, she couldn’t press him for the truth.

Because she was afraid of it.

So she left, almost as if running away.

And if she felt that way, how could Hindir not notice?

Sure enough, Hindir knew that Seff didn’t believe his words, but there was nothing he could do.

The two of them accepted reality as it was.

Seff decided to leave the truth buried, and Hindir accepted that consideration with silence.

They drank the same tea, but the taste was different for each.

To Hindir, it was unbearably bitter. But Seff, who usually drank it well, couldn’t bear the taste and ended up pouring it onto the ground.

The elderly who had been staying in the cave also managed to return to the village.

The number of them was surprisingly large, enough to shock Hindir at first, but on second thought, it was also too few for people who had hidden for over ten years.

As darkness fell and the village was swallowed in pitch-black night, a large fire was lit in the plaza, and the people gathered.

There originally wasn’t a space for such a fire, but during the battle, some houses had collapsed and burned down, so they just set the whole area aflame.

Even so, the homeowners had no complaints.

Because the act itself brought a sense of liberation.

They laid out food stored in Parno’s warehouse and feasted like the world would end tomorrow.

Even the alcohol, which had only been handed out sparingly as an occasional favor, was now being eagerly drunk.

It was a chaotic scene—people laughing, others crying, all tangled together.

But Hindir, watching it all, simply felt content.

That enormous flame, reminiscent of a Charun Warrior’s life, seemed like their desperate attempt to burn away the darkness within them.

Because this was the Night of Charun.

“Hindir.”

Just then, Kanar, who had been quietly observing from behind, approached Hindir.

He looked Hindir up and down and shook his head before sitting beside him.

“Damn… What the hell were you doing out there to end up with a body like this?”

“There were many battles.”

“Right. You said you turned the Parno family into a wasteland. Is that true?”

“It is.”

“…Still can’t get used to your tone, but I’ll try. After seeing you fight, honestly, I’m wondering if I should start calling you ‘sir.’”

At Kanar’s cheerful words, Hindir let out a faint chuckle.

“Oh? You can laugh? Well, anyway, that aside—about what you said earlier today. About a way to heal the sick. If you said that just to get out of the moment, it’s better to clear it up now.”

“It’s true.”

“What’s the method? If there’s anything we can do to help, we will.”

They had to survive on their own now.

They had survived today thanks to Hindir, but who knew what might happen tomorrow?

That’s why, starting with small things, they needed to learn to manage on their own.

“I’m thinking of finding a spirit elixir.”

“Spirit elixir? You mean that stuff that supposedly boosts your mana like crazy?”

Hindir nodded.

“How does that help us? None of us even know how to use mana.”

“For the Charun, just taking the spirit elixir can heal most injuries. So if I can find it, I plan to boil it down and give it to as many people as possible. That way, at the very least, they’ll have the strength to leave this place.”

“Uh… That’s kind of hard to follow. Charun—what’s that?”

Hindir suddenly realized—they still called themselves Barbarians.

“…Our original name. The Charun tribe.”

“Charun tribe… Doesn’t sound that cool, though.”

“……”

It was the same kind of comment as the Snowy King’s, and Hindir felt a little awkward.

“Anyway, sounds like you went through a lot out there. Spirit elixir… huh.”

“They’re usually found in dangerous places untouched by people. So it’d be better if I went alone.”

“Yeah, that makes sense. Not like we can really help anyway.”

“Maybe try taking better care of your body. You’ve done repetitive labor for so long that your muscle development is uneven.”

“Hey now, I’ll have you know these are all practical muscles.”

Hindir looked silently at Kanar, who flexed his arm proudly.

“…Damn it. Fine. Your arm’s thick.”

Grinning, he placed a hand on Hindir’s shoulder.

“Anyway, welcome back, Hindir. I’m sure you’re still thinking about what Baltan said earlier, but try to understand. He’s full of affection, but the people he cared about kept dying, so eventually he turned sharp like that.”

“I’ll keep it in mind.”

“Hehe, good. Still, it’s gonna take me a while to get used to your tone. You seem comfortable enough, though.”

He gave Hindir’s shoulder a firm squeeze and walked back.

Then he rejoined the others and began singing loudly again.

Hindir engraved that moment deep in his heart—not just Kanar’s, but Seff’s and everyone else’s too.

‘I have to return.’

He didn’t see the cold Seolyong Valley.

He saw these people, shouting in the center of a great camp filled with green grass and trees.

It was a vision filled with hope for the future—or perhaps a memory from the past.