Third Person’s POV

Her expression slowly shifted into one of restrained resignation, though her eyes still burned with suppressed fury as she stared at him.

"Alright... we move now," Erius said casually, as if everything had already been decided long before this moment.

With that, he lowered his hood once more, concealing his face, and turned away as he glided down the mountain slope with smooth and effortless movements.

Though his body faced forward, there was an unmistakable sense that his attention lingered on Arlene, as if he was savoring her helplessness and the control he held over the situation.

Ivan Froststar followed silently behind him, the chained coffin dragging along the ice with a dull scraping sound that echoed faintly through the still air.

The green-robed woman lingered for a brief moment longer, her green eyes curving slightly as she gave Arlene a subtle, mocking wink before turning away as well while carrying the bound and helpless Claire with her as she departed.

But just as they began to leave, a hesitant and desperate voice rang out from behind and broke the tense silence.

"What about me, young master?!"

Old man Caspian could no longer remain silent after being ignored for so long since the hostile group had arrived.

At his cry, the three figures ahead paused and slowly turned back.

Erius shifted his gaze from Arlene to the old man.

For a second, he had a serious expression on his face as he seemed to be pondering something important, while looking at old man Caspian.

Old man Caspian instantly wore an expression of excitement and expectation as he started to rub his hands together,

But then, suddenly, a playful, mocking smile spread across his face as he clapped his hands lightly, his tone filling with exaggerated realization.

"Ah... I completely forgot about you, old Caspian," he said, his voice dripping with amusement.

"As for what about you... hehe..."

His soft laughter carried an unsettling undertone that made Caspian’s heart tremble for a brief moment, making his smile vanish from his face.

But he forced himself to remain composed.

His voice became slightly unsteady as he asked,

"What do you mean, Prince?"

Erius’s smile thinned and lost its playful edge as his eyes grew colder.

"What I mean is..." he said casually,

"You have already fulfilled the task for which I contacted you, and so you are of no use to me any longer."

The words struck as a blade, and Caspian’s face froze instantly, all color draining from it as realization dawned upon him.

Without another word and without even sparing a glance toward his grandson, he turned and ran while pouring every ounce of strength he had into his escape.

His old but surprisingly fast figure stumbled through the snow as desperation overtook him.

But it was already too late.

The smile on Erius’s face vanished completely and was replaced by a cold and indifferent expression as he spoke a single command, his voice devoid of emotion,

"Kill them both."

The moment those words were spoken, the green-robed woman raised her slender, pale hand, and a faint green ring of energy formed around her palm, glowing softly as her spell activated.

In the next instant, two sharp, barbed vines erupted violently from the ground beneath the fleeing figures.

They moved with terrifying speed as they pierced straight through both Caspian and his grandson.

Their bodies jerked violently as the vines skewered them completely, lifting them slightly off the ground.

Blood burst forth from their mouths, noses, and eyes, while their torn flesh stained the pristine snow in gruesome streaks of red.

The grandson died instantly, the light vanishing from his eyes, leaving behind only frozen confusion and terror.

Caspian, however, lingered for a few moments longer, his trembling hands grasping weakly at the vine impaling him as he forced out his final words through blood-filled breaths,

"Y-You... evil... bastard..."

And then he fell silent.

The life left his eyes, and his body hung limp against the barbed vine before collapsing into the snow.

Watching the scene unfold, Arlene’s heart pounded violently within her chest, and fear coiled tightly around her heart like an icy grip, yet she did not feel pity for the old man.

The traitor had met the fate he deserved.

But as her gaze shifted briefly toward the fallen grandson, a faint trace of pity surfaced within her heart despite everything.

The boy had likely known nothing of his grandfather’s schemes, as his foolishness and ignorance made him nothing more than a pawn caught in a game far beyond his understanding, just like she herself had been.

After ordering the deaths of the two, Erius neither lingered to admire the outcome nor indulged in any boastful remark about what had just transpired.

His expression remained calm and almost indifferent, as if the lives that had been extinguished held no weight in his thoughts.

Without sparing another word, he simply turned and continued his descent down the mountain slope in his unhurried pace.

His presence was composed, and his gaze briefly flickered back toward Arlene, as though committing her defeated state to memory before finally disappearing into the depths of the snow-covered ridges.

Ivan Froststar followed behind him in the same silence, the heavy blue coffin dragging across the icy ground with a dull, grating sound that slowly faded into the distance.

The green-robed woman too vanished soon after, carrying the bound Claire as if she weighed nothing at all, leaving behind only the lingering chill of her presence and the faint disturbance in the snow where she had stood moments ago.

When the three figures finally disappeared completely into the winding paths of the mountains, after being swallowed by the swirling snow and the endless white horizon, Arlene could no longer maintain the strong façade she had been forcing upon herself.

Her legs gave way, and she slowly sank to her knees upon the cold, unforgiving ground, her body trembling faintly as the weight of everything that had just occurred came crashing down upon her all at once.