The group had returned to the crimson castle at last.
John now sat locked away in one of the damp, shadowed dungeon cells.
The entire castle fell into a mild chaos the moment everyone realized their newly appointed Lord remained trapped inside a distant cave swarming with snow goblins.
Nicholas oversaw the rescue preparations with steady focus, working side by side with Sean, the seasoned expedition leader.
Two long days passed. At last, the rescue team stood fully prepared, their armor polished and supplies carefully packed.
"We are ready to move," Sean informed Nicholas, reclining against the cushioned bench in the quiet resting room.
"Then let's make haste," Nicholas replied, his voice firm yet laced with quiet concern. "And hope he is still alive."
"Before we leave, I wish to ask for clarity," Sean said, steeling himself as he straightened his posture.
"And what's that?" Nicholas asked, rising slowly to his feet with measured grace.
"You are a four-star knight," Sean pressed, his hand resting lightly on the hilt of his sword. "You had more than enough power to blast a hole straight through those rocks. Why didn't you?"
"Good observation," Nicholas answered calmly, not the least bit ruffled by Sean's wary stance. "I was simply following orders."
"By whom?" Sean asked, his trust in Nicholas visibly fading with each passing second.
"By the Lord himself," Nicholas replied evenly. He turned and walked out of the office.
Sean stood frozen for several long seconds, stunned into silence. The weight of those words settled heavily on his shoulders. Then, shaking off the shock, he hurried after Nicholas.
"Why would he do that?" Sean asked, voicing the obvious question that burned in his mind.
"You will find out eventually," Nicholas answered without breaking stride.
Together, they led the rescue group through the biting cold toward the very same cave where Ethan was waiting to be freed.
Meanwhile, Ethan made full use of his time by watching the crimson castle from afar.
It was yet another striking proof of the overwhelming power of his broken ability.
No matter where he found himself, the crimson castle remained perfectly visible in his mind's eye, clear as if he stood within its halls.
With that same gift, he had been paying close attention to John the entire time, carefully monitoring every visitor who approached the prisoner's cell.
And it had paid off, though not quite in the way Ethan had expected.
"He's the only mole, huh," Ethan muttered, shrugging his shoulders with a faint sigh. "A little disappointed, but oh well."
Through his omniscient eyes, he saw clearly that John was working alone. The traitor spoke softly into a well-hidden communication transmitter, his voice low and urgent in the dim cell.
"Damn. A communication transmitter," Ethan complained under his breath, still watching intently. "Even I don't have one."
"Hello. I wish to speak to Prince Gregory," John said the instant the communicator crackled to life. "I have completed his task."
"Prince Gregory is quite busy," the voice on the other end replied smoothly. "But he will hear of your exploit. How did you accomplish it?"
"He foolishly scouted a cave filled with snow goblins alongside me," John explained, a smug edge creeping into his tone. "I used that as my chance to kill him. But now I'm stuck in jail for questioning."
"Did you leave any loose ends?"
"No," John bragged. "I blew the cave entrance. Now they are going to excavate the whole thing just to recover what they think is his corpse."
"Good job. I will inform Prince Gregory."
"Thank you," John said, his voice turning pleading. "And if you can, please—I might need help escaping from here. I'm a very valuable asset."
"Hmm. I will inform Prince Gregory when I get the chance."
---
"Well then," Ethan murmured to himself, a cold smile touching his lips. "I guess it's time to deal with the pest."
A sudden boom echoed from outside the cave.
Ethan's bet had been right, the explosion came from Nicholas and the rescue team carving their way through the blocked entrance.
Standing up from the rough rock he had been sitting on, Ethan moved calmly toward the group.
"My lord! You are safe!" Nicholas called out first, his eyes widening in relief as he spotted Ethan completely unharmed.
"Yes. It was simply a minor matter," Ethan replied, waving it off with casual ease.
"The rest of you, go deeper into the cave and retrieve the poison glands from the snow goblins I have already gathered,"
Ethan instructed a portion of the team. His voice carried clear authority through the echoing chamber.
"My lord, the snow goblins—"
"I have dealt with them," Ethan cut in smoothly, answering Sean's unspoken question before the man could even finish. "No need to worry about that."
Sean stared at Ethan in speechless amazement.
Hadn't the stories always claimed Ethan possessed a frail body and was a useless fighter in combat? The confusion settled heavily over him.
Doubting what he had just heard, Sean ventured deeper into the cave anyway. What he found left him utterly shocked.
Two hundred snow goblins lay dead across the cavern floor, their bodies scattered like fallen leaves. All of them had been slain by one man who wasn't even a one-star knight.
Comprehending how Ethan had managed such a feat felt nearly impossible for Sean. The sheer scale of the slaughter defied every expectation he held.
Yet he could not voice his questions. Instead, he could only follow the clear direction of his lord.
Nicholas approached Ethan's side with an astonished yet deeply confused look on his face. The flickering shadows danced across his features.
"I worked it out," Ethan explained vaguely, offering nothing more.
"Let's go," Ethan told the group, his tone calm but decisive. "We have a mongrel to deal with."
The words left the team visibly confused, but they fell into step without hesitation.
Alongside the rescue team, Ethan made his way back to the crimson castle. The journey felt lighter now, the cold wind carrying a fresh bite of victory.
It did not take long for the citizens of the frost empire to learn of Ethan's remarkable exploit.
Word spread like wildfire through the bustling streets and crowded marketplaces.
The frail prince had single-handedly defeated two hundred snow goblins and survived alone in that frozen cave for two full days.
The news left the majority of the citizens astonished.
Murmurs of awe rippled through the crowds, and eyes that once held doubt now shone with newfound respect.
After all, one of the most valued traits the frost empire sought in their lords was raw might, and Ethan had just proven he possessed it.