Make the Barbarians Great Again

Chapter 39: Each One’s Cliff (6)

Hindir approached with light steps, considering he had just delivered a devastating blow.

His opponent tightened his grip on the sword even more as Hindir came closer.

“If you look at someone with such loving eyes, then suddenly erase that expression, wouldn’t your lover get hurt?”

He didn’t respond to Hindir’s words.

Lady Parno was clutching her ear pitifully and staring at him, but he didn’t even glance her way.

Because the moment he looked away, instinct told him—he might die.

“Where did you come from? Were you after the Ice Crystal Mine?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about…”

Hindir hadn’t expected an answer anyway.

And, to him, it wasn’t important.

Kwaang―!

With a thunderous crash, Hindir, who had been walking slowly, closed the distance in an instant.

The man hurriedly swung his sword.

When the blade crossed diagonally, the winds formed a barrier, trying to push Hindir’s charge back—but instead, it was he who was pushed away.

“Wait! Let’s talk first…”

“When I can clearly see your heart set on that cliff behind you, how could I possibly stop?”

His hips were already leaning backward; there was no way he could respond properly.

Cheolk―

A strange sound came from his sword, and an unidentified gas spewed out from beneath the hilt with a chhhh―

Seeing it engulf Hindir’s face, he immediately turned his head.

‘He’s been hit with paralysis poison. That should hold him for a moment…’

He dashed toward the edge of the cliff and leapt down.

The darkness below filled him with primal fear, but he trusted his body technique.

Whoong―

As if the wind embraced him, his body felt lighter, and when his foot touched the cliffside, he could move as though it were solid ground.

‘That guy’s a Barbarian… and that strong? He wasn’t just a slave? If it’s true that the Family Head was defeated…’

He already had a rough idea of what had happened inside Parno.

But it was such an unbelievable story that he had only half believed it.

Now that he had faced Hindir himself, the truth exceeded his imagination.

He couldn’t understand how someone whose mana was almost undetectable could defeat a Family Head—but one thing was certain: the man was undeniably strong.

So, for now, he had to escape and report this—

Kwarrrr―

“Hm?”

At that moment, he heard the shattering of rocks and looked up—

There was Hindir, sliding down the cliff, his hand buried deep in the wall.

“What―?”

He was coming down too fast. At this rate, he’d be crushed beneath him.

Pababat―

The man reversed his grip on the sword and twisted his body as he swung.

The blade wind surged up along the cliff, aiming at Hindir—but instead of dodging, Hindir released his hold and kicked off the wall.

Then he took the full brunt of the blade wind head-on.

Even if it wasn’t as powerful as sword energy, taking a blade wind with his bare body while falling at full speed was sheer madness.

Yet Hindir thrust one arm into the center of the attack, ripped through its power, and accelerated even faster.

The irregular wind from the torn air gave him even more speed.

‘Damn it!’

The man finally kicked off the cliff in the opposite direction.

When he extended his sword and infused mana into it, a strong wind rose, momentarily lifting his body upward.

He planned to attach himself to the opposite cliff—but Hindir’s physical prowess was far beyond such mana tricks.

Bang―!

Hindir kicked off the cliff and instantly caught his ankle.

“Hrrgh!”

Startled, the man swung his sword, but with his legs hanging in the air, there was no strength in his swing.

Only masters at the absolute peak could do that properly.

Pacak―

“Gah!”

Hindir struck his wrist, and with a dreadful crack, the man dropped his sword.

Hindir caught the falling weapon in mid-air, then drove it deep into the opposite cliff to halt his fall.

Tuung―

Using one hand, he pushed hard against the embedded sword and propelled himself up the cliff.

“Uaaagh!”

The man screamed as he slammed against the cliff face repeatedly.

Meanwhile, Hindir climbed effortlessly with one hand and reached the top in an instant.

Bang―

He flung the man he had dragged up, and the beaten figure lay there, dazed, looking utterly wrecked.

It was a strange, humiliating feeling—like being hunted by a beast.

But the words that came from Hindir next chilled him even more.

“So, you’re from the Salnir family.”

He couldn’t hide his agitation at having his identity exposed so easily.

“How should I interpret the Salnir family standing beside Lady Parno, I wonder?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. We’re merely lovers, nothing more.”

Hindir snorted.

“To say that even now… quite a love you’ve got.

If I hadn’t just watched you flee, I might have believed you completely.”

He was left speechless by Hindir’s mocking tone.

“Well then, would you like to hear what I thought about while chasing you?”

He didn’t know what Hindir meant by “while chasing you”, but since he had no choice, he only glared.

“Salnir has long had close ties with Parno. As the owner of the largest port connecting the Great Snowfields to the continent, it was only natural for your families to grow close.”

But in relationships between noble houses, pure friendship never existed.

“Yet you were also rivals for generations. Especially Salnir—you always pitied Parno for wasting the Great Snowfields without using them properly. You wanted to explore together, to develop its potential, but Parno never shared the Snowfields with anyone. At least, that’s what I know.”

If that relationship had remained unchanged, the appearance of the Snowlit Crimson must have provoked them deeply.

“Parno recognized the Snowlit Crimson. When Salnir learned that, I can only imagine how you felt. After all, Parno—who had been in good relations with you for centuries, even joined by marriage once—chose to acknowledge a band of drifters who fled the continent.”

“What do you know to be saying such things?”

At the man’s harsh tone, Hindir smiled.

“Judging by that expression, I’d say I know plenty.”

“……”

Originally, Hindir had liked the Salnir family.

There was even a saying—“If you follow the wind, you’ll meet Salnir,” because they were adventurers with an incurable wanderlust.

Their untamed freedom was reflected in their swordsmanship and mana techniques.

And it was precisely because of that distinct nature that Hindir had recognized their identity so quickly.

Of course, the truth hidden beneath that unrestrained façade was far from freedom.

They only disguised it as freedom, but in truth, they always calculated and acted for the benefit of their family.

To seduce the mistress of the Parno family… it was quite an audacious move, but one that exploited the peculiar culture of the Parno family very well.

And the Salnir had always been skilled at winning people’s favor with their fine looks and smooth words, so approaching the emotionally weakened Lady Parno wouldn’t have been difficult at all.

True love?

Perhaps, in that moment, it was genuine.

But at the same time, their calculation of profit and loss in the relationship was just as genuine.

And when that balance broke, leaving like the wind—that too was genuine.

“Were you the one who pushed her to do it?”

“What?”

“That woman wasn’t in her right mind. She didn’t seem like someone who could make such a bold decision.”

“What do you know about her to say such nonsense?”

“She didn’t even know why she came here.”

She had no feelings for her dead husband.

Even when she spoke about her son, there was not a trace of sorrow in her eyes.

No matter how cold-hearted Parno was, no one could remain that detached.

Hindir judged that she had no attachment to her family from the beginning.

That could only mean someone had instigated her—someone who had fueled such false emotions and irrational decisions.

And the most likely suspect was, of course, Salnir.

“If there’s a specific reason you came here, is it because you covet the Ice Crystal?”

“……”

“But taking it for yourself is impossible from the start. So what is it you hope to gain from this recklessness? Even if the Family Head is dead, Parno’s strength hasn’t vanished.”

Of course, plenty of the Wolves had died at Hindir’s hands… but could that really be all?

The man still kept his mouth shut.

There was nothing to gain from speaking, so silence was the only sensible choice.

Torture might change his attitude, but such things didn’t suit Hindir—or the Charun.

And since he had already confirmed the man’s identity, that was enough.

“Return to your family.”

“What?”

At the unexpected command, he asked back in confusion.

“Go, and do whatever it is you’re planning to do.”

“…What are you thinking?”

“If you were the one who lured that woman here, then you must know enough already.

You must also know that relations between us and Parno aren’t exactly pleasant.”

“……”

“So go and tell them—do as you please. But remember one thing.”

Hindir crouched down to meet the man’s eyes.

If he were to strike now, he might hope for a fatal blow.

But the man knew—it was confidence, and a provocation.

He also knew that the moment he moved, it would be over for him.

Once Hindir confirmed his hesitation, he spoke his final warning.

“Whatever you’re after, the Charun must not be involved.”

It didn’t take much wit to understand that “Charun” meant the Barbarians.

So, for now, he had no choice but to nod.

He had to stay alive, after all.

And the decision wasn’t his to make anyway.

He bore no responsibility for the answer that would be given later.

Once Hindir released him, the man from Salnir fled in a panic.

True to the Salnir name, his footwork was incredibly light.

In truth, Hindir had been torn over whether to let the man live.

He didn’t particularly like revealing the power of Charun—or his own—to outsiders so soon.

But in the end, he decided to let him go, for the opposite reason.

He hoped, ironically, that it might actually be safer that way.

A simple calculation.

If the man went missing, the Salnir family would investigate, and since Charun’s situation with Parno wasn’t yet resolved, that could bring more trouble.

But if he returned alive and informed Salnir of Parno’s current turmoil, the Salnir might move against Parno instead.

Hindir felt sorry for Parno, but a conflict between those two houses could turn out to Charun’s advantage.

In the end, regardless of what happened in the future, as long as the Ice Crystal existed, Charun was bound to clash with them sooner or later.

If their goal was the Ice Crystal Mine of Larka Village, they would soon realize that mining it was impossible without Charun’s help.

If possible, Hindir wanted them to fight fiercely—

and then face the weakened victor himself.

Srrr―

Recognizing that the battle had ended, Seff arrived first.

“Thank you. Because of you, I could fight without worry.”

Shhhh―

“The woman up there, you mean?”

Lady Parno remained on the opposite cliff.

The man from Salnir, afraid Hindir might change his mind, had fled without even looking back at her.

And surely, the woman had seen that.

Frankly, Hindir had spoken as if he knew everything,

but he didn’t truly know what she was thinking.

He had only said what he did to pressure the man.

Still, it was true that she didn’t seem normal.

‘She looked like someone whose soul had left her body.’

Hindir turned his head and looked up at the opposite cliff.

It was much higher, so her figure wasn’t visible.

But he could sense the unstable, wavering energy from above.

He thought, perhaps tomorrow, there might be another funeral for Parno.

Shiiik― Shik―

“She’s someone for whom this kind of cold means nothing.”

She carried a chill even harsher than the Family Head himself.

So freezing to death wouldn’t even be an issue for her.

If she did freeze to death… it would mean she chose it herself.

“She must be in turmoil. We should just leave. You should go back too.”

Shik shik―

“It’s fine. She won’t try to harm anyone.”

Besides, Hindir had no plans to stay here anyway.

The real danger wasn’t that woman—

but the drunk descendants who might recklessly try to climb the cliff in their stupor.

He couldn’t afford to sleep if he wanted to stop that.