That night, Messerm's Expeditionary Army officially occupied Stormveil, and the Storm Castle changed hands once again. The sorrowful and hateful sobs of Godrick echoed intermittently in the biting cold wind, heralding the victory of the Impaler.
After some subtle inquiries, Aoko and Touko pulled aside Rellana, who might have known some inside information, and the three of them whispered gossip about Messerm and Melina in the bedroom.
"One hundred percent, they are siblings!" Rellana pounded her breastplate loudly. Her helmet had long been removed and placed aside, revealing her ink-black long hair and delicate features to the Aozaki sisters. "When I was arranging Lady Melina's lodging, I deliberately made a 'slip of the tongue' and referred to her as 'your sister' when consulting with Prince Messmer. He immediately responded, 'Alright, I'll leave it to you!'"
"Huh?" Aoko sat cross-legged, floating in mid-air while sipping fruit juice. "But… their size difference is way too extreme!"
"That's because Lady Melina lost her physical body for some reason," Rellana shook her head and explained. "Demigods are tall because of the blessings of the Erdtree and their inherent immense power. But if they lose their physical form, their height will appear to be the same as ordinary people."
Aoko nodded while recalling the Miniature Ranni, as well as the fallen Morgott and Godrick. After their deaths or the abandonment of their bodies, their heights all returned to normal.
However, Godrick seemed more like he had deflated after losing his Great Rune. His original power was not particularly strong to begin with. It could only be said that Godwyn's wife was likely a very ordinary Golden Lineage woman, which is why Godrick, as their offspring, had degenerated so severely.
"So, what does Prince Messerm plan to do next?" Touko set down her book and asked. "Now that Stormveil Castle has been occupied, will someone be left behind to govern the city?"
"Most likely," Rellana thought for a moment before answering. "There are a few Flame Knights with experience in governing territories. In the end, a portion of the army will probably be stationed here to guard this strategic fortress."
The three of them continued discussing various past and present matters regarding Liurnia of the Lakes, and Aoko noticed a discrepancy.
According to Rellana, reaching the Royal Academy of Raya Lucaria required passing through a bridge checkpoint from the eastern land or taking a boat directly to the academy town.
However, to Aoko's intelligence, the lake of Liurnia had nearly dried up. Rather than a lake, it was more like a vast, damp swamp, and as long as one's horse was strong enough, they could easily reach their destination.
Rellana had mentally prepared herself for the changes in her homeland. But when she first heard that her elder sister had been imprisoned in the Grand Library by a group of traitors, with only a single Carian Knight guarding her, she was deeply shaken.
Now that the last checkpoint before reaching Liurnia had been conquered, there were no longer any obstacles between her and her homeland. Rellana made up her mind—those disgraceful traitors would pay the price they deserved.
Aoko, observing the thoughts of this battle-hardened Carian princess, silently offered her condolences in advance for the mages in the academy—just joking, of course.
As Rellana had predicted, Messerm did not linger in Stormveil. The next day, he left behind a portion of his forces to manage the city alongside the native Misbegotten Knights. Among his Flame Knights, one who specialized in flame incantations was appointed as the new ruler of the city by Messmer.
Melina seemed to have had a long conversation with Messmer the previous night, but Aoko had not heard any rumors about their discussion.
Even the Tarnished, who had spent some time with Melina, had no information. Melina had done an excellent job keeping things confidential.
However, it was evident that the siblings had reached some form of agreement. The Tarnished and Melina would temporarily join the Expeditionary Army and travel together to Liurnia of the Lakes.
At sunrise, Messmer ascended the Divine Tower next to Stormveil Castle. At the tower's peak, he activated the Great Rune, fully harnessing the power of this pivotal fragment, becoming a true Shardbearer King—a demigod blessed by a Great Rune.
For Aoko, the stronger Messmer became, the better it was for them, as it would make it easier for her and Touko to gather magical knowledge and Erdtree seeds.
As their group passed through the back gate of Stormveil Castle and entered Liurnia of the Lakes, Aoko immediately remembered an old acquaintance who needed visiting. She informed Rellana about this matter.
"What? Those idiots at the academy exiled someone of this caliber?" Rellana was both shocked and furious after hearing Aoko's explanation. "Are their brains made of stone? Can't they recognize the immense value of such a revolutionary magical theory?"
"Sometimes, people find it hard to step out of their comfort zones," Aoko shrugged. "Besides Thops, whom I mentioned earlier, Lady Sellen was also expelled from the academy for similar reasons. Being one step ahead makes you a genius, but to the mediocre, being two steps ahead makes you a monster."
"Or rather, it's a good thing those fools at the academy acted this way," Touko adjusted her glasses and added. "Otherwise, we wouldn't have such an easy time recruiting these talents."
"I understand. I'll inform Prince Messmer. You two go ahead and bring that sorcerer Thops into our fold," Rellana nodded and instructed Aoko and Touko.
...
"You… are you Tarnished?" A bald, dejected sorcerer, sitting on a stone bench amidst the ruins of a church, asked Aoko and her companions. Perhaps because he first noticed the curious Tarnished accompanying them, he assumed all three were Tarnished. "If you could spare me some runes, I can teach you magic… just 10 runes will do."
Seeing how utterly destitute and humble this man was, Aoko could only sigh. She stepped forward and handed Thops a Shadowland Rune worth 20,000 runes.
"T-This is too much!" Thops stared in shock at the Shadowland Rune in his hand. Though it was subtly different from the runes he was familiar with, it was undoubtedly still a rune—and an enormous sum at that. "I don't need this much… Please, take it back. I only need a little."
"Take it, Mr. Thops," Aoko shook her head and said. "My sister and I are not Tarnished—he is."
"We are here on behalf of Carian Princess Rellana, inviting you to join our ranks. Consider this just a down payment," Aoko stated seriously. "Your research is of immense value. If you agree to join us, we will provide you with all the runes and materials you need for your studies."
Although he didn't immediately grasp the full meaning of Aoko's words, Thops gradually sensed the immense magical power hidden within the two red-haired female sorcerers, as well as the faint starlight emanating from the staff held by the one speaking to him.
These undeniable facts made Thops instinctively believe Aoko's words because figures of such stature had no reason to deceive a worthless stone like him.
...
Before long, Rellana saw the Aozaki sisters returning with the Tarnished and a somewhat dazed academy sorcerer. It seemed their persuasion had gone remarkably well.