Messmer agrees to Aoko's request.
Thus, Touko followed Messmer's army as they continued their march toward Stormveil Castle. At the same time, Aoko headed in another direction—toward the ruins of Waypoint—to search for everyone's favorite sorcerer teacher, Sellen. This marked the first time the Aozaki sisters had split up since arriving in this world.
Relying on her memories, Aoko reassessed the geography of the Lands Between, which was much larger than in the game, confirming the locations of various important landmarks. Then, fueled by her magic supply, she used flight magic to take off at full speed.
Along the way, she encountered numerous northern warriors dressed like bandits and golden ones resembling the living dead. While she had seen these minor enemies in the game before, witnessing them firsthand, in reality, made her truly appreciate the devastation caused by the shattering of the Elden Ring—an utterly tragic scene befitting a dark medieval fantasy.
However, this did not stop Aoko from looting treasures along the way. After a thorough search, she found a noble sorcerer wielding a Glintstone Sorcery Scroll near a large fragment of the fallen Sky City of Farum Azula. Eliminating him, she acquired the scroll.
Aoko carefully unrolled the scroll but, after examining its contents, simply raised an eyebrow in mild surprise—its recorded Glintstone sorceries were all quite basic, ones she had already learned from the library at Ensis Castle.
Nonetheless, the scroll itself was exquisitely crafted. Even though its previous owner had been reduced to a husk barely distinguishable from the living, the scroll remained in pristine condition due to his lingering obsession. While there were inevitable traces of time's passage, Aoko found this added a unique charm—she liked it.
Unlike Touko, who had a fanatical passion for antiques, Aoko had a deep fondness for well-bound magic tomes and scrolls. In a way, the books and scrolls of the Lands Between suited her tastes perfectly. (She had already helped herself to Ymir's collection.)
Satisfied, Aoko tucked the scroll into her Imaginary Pocket and flew toward the ruins of Waypoint, where numerous Miranda Flowers roamed.
The ruins weren't far from where she had found the scroll—it took her only about five minutes to arrive.
"Disgusting..." Aoko muttered, frowning in displeasure at the grotesque, plant-like creatures wandering the ruins. She had already made up her mind.
Raising a finger toward the sky, she chanted a low incantation, conjuring a fireball roughly the size of a pineapple above her fingertip.
Casually tossing the fireball downward, she watched as an explosion erupted, accompanied by the sound of crackling flames. The tentacle-ridden, mobile flowers infesting the ruins were incinerated completely. Even the remaining outer walls of the ruins collapsed significantly due to the blast.
Aoko's material-free spellcasting was a new technique she had developed by combining the principles of Glintstone Sorcery. Originally, removing material components from a spell like Fireball required extensive research and practice. However, her latest discovery allowed her to substitute material consumption by slightly extending the incantation duration—an efficient loophole, in a way.
Lowering her altitude, Aoko searched through the ruins until she finally found the entrance to the underground section beneath a pile of rubble.
The passageway leading to the basement was longer than in the game. Aged stone bricks, covered in damp moss, lined the corridor. A floating light orb illuminated the surroundings as Aoko advanced.
When she pushed open the rusted iron door, the first thing she saw was a towering figure clad in a metal pumpkin helm—a Pumpkin Head Warrior.
Roaring furiously, the warrior brandished a brutal-looking flail and charged at Aoko, ready to smash this insignificant woman into a pulp.
However, it was clear that, to Aoko, the Pumpkin Head was all bark and no bite.
With a gentle flick of her Scarlet Staff, shimmering azure magic erupted into a dazzling array of sharp crystal shards. Like a flurry of lethal daggers, they shredded the bulky warrior, pinning him against the wall like a punctured beehive.
His filthy blood seeped across the floor. Aoko wrinkled her nose in disgust before forming three hand seals. Instantly, the corpse and blood were frozen solid by Datsun's Freezing Prison, causing the underground chamber's temperature to plummet.
Aoko exhaled a misty breath in the sudden cold and paused briefly. Tapping her staff against the rusted iron door—just large enough for a human to pass through—she received no response. Nonetheless, the door opened under her magical influence.
"Oh?"
Behind the door stood a slender woman clad in the robes of the Royal Academy of Raya Lucaria. Arms crossed, she rested her chin on her hand, scrutinizing Aoko with a mix of curiosity and amusement.
"Now this is a rare guest. To think someone would visit these ruins, of all places—how unexpected."
"I am Sellen, as you can see, a sorcerer… Now then, stranger of divine origins, what business do you have with me?"
Though her true body was not here, Sellen—one of the most prodigious sorcerers in the history of the Royal Academy—possessed an extraordinarily keen perception. At a glance, she discerned the peculiar Law Aoko wielded, while Aoko's fiery red hair alone hinted at her extraordinary nature.
"Naturally, I came for you, Lady Sellen," Aoko said with a cheerful smile. "I have long admired the so-called 'Graven Witch.' I came here for two reasons: first, for an academic exchange, and second, to invite you to join our ranks. One of our objectives is to return to the Royal Academy and purge those disgraceful traitors."
"A sorcerer of the Carian Royal Family? No… The only divine heir of Caria is Princess Rellana. You are not her," Sellen mused.
"I have no objections to leaving this place with you, but unfortunately, my physical body is not here—it is imprisoned in a distant dungeon."
"I know," Aoko nodded. "I came here first out of courtesy—to formally introduce myself. Furthermore, details about me and the faction I currently belong to will have to wait until after I rescue your true body. "
"Sounds reasonable. Heh," Sellen chuckled softly beneath her sorceress's glintstone hood. Her mood seemed pleasant.
"As much as I am curious about the secrets you carry, escaping my current predicament takes priority. I shall leave it to you, then."
Aoko nodded, accepting a parchment map from Sellen's bookshelf. Without delay, she departed, heading for the Sealed Witch Ruins—where Sellen's true body was held captive.