After a thorough search and investigation, Messmer's expeditionary force finally found the engraved sigil hidden in a wooden cabin, along with an Albinauric.
Messmer himself had a friendly attitude toward the Albinauric, as his army included some of them. This surprised the found archer because her kind was not treated well in the Lands Between.
Messmer carefully explained to the Albinauric what his Holy Crusade Expeditionary Force was all about and arranged for his subordinate, the veteran commander Gaius, to take care of the archer, whose name was Latenna. If possible, he hoped to recruit her into his army.
Unlike other Albinauric archers, veteran commander Gaius was incredibly large and brawny. His mount was not an ordinary direwolf but a heavily armored war boar as massive as a small mountain.
However, like all Albinauric, his legs were incapable of standing on their own, making his boar his most crucial companion. He understood the pain of losing a partner, something all Albinauric experienced.
Gaius first comforted Latenna and gifted her a direwolf pup, allowing her to refrain from combat for a while. She was only required to follow the expeditionary force until she could move independently (once the direwolf matured). From then on, she could decide her path.
This clever psychological maneuver deeply moved Latenna, who had lived a life of hardship and placed all her hope in the Holy Tree and Miquella. She never expected that in this world, there could be a powerful yet gentle kin like Gaius—someone who, despite his crippled legs, was strong enough to help his people and earn the respect of those in the Lands Between.
However, strictly speaking, Gaius could have freed himself from his mount's limitations to fight independently. He had studied gravity magic alongside General Radahn under the guidance of the Black King, making them fellow disciples. Even with crippled legs, he could skillfully use gravity magic to fly, move, and fight.
Yet, to unite the Albinauric, Gaius wisely chose not to emphasize this ability. He knew that reaching such a level of gravity magic mastery was an exception, and most Albinauric would never achieve it. Giving them false hope only to cruelly take it away would be disastrous for their unity.
Thus, Gaius continued to fight atop his armored boar, inadvertently becoming a towering and resilient role model for the Albinauric who followed him. His leadership encouraged independence, unlike those Albinauric who remained in the Lands Between, wallowing in self-pity and placing their hopes in a young god.
In the end, after being thoroughly convinced by Messmer and Gaius, Latenna happily handed over the half-piece of the sigil she possessed. However, when Messmer took it, he was dumbfounded—this sigil was not part of the one he was looking for.
After questioning Latenna further, he learned that this sigil was used to activate a massive elevator leading to the northernmost snowfields, not to enter the Altus Plateau.
Messmer knew there was an underground passage to the Altus Plateau, but it was too narrow for his army's burly warriors and large war machines to pass through.
Thus, he had no choice but to seek the other half of the sigil. Technically, the half he held had been lent to him by his sister, Melina, so he needed to inform her about how he intended to use it. However, Melina had already traveled to Caelid with the Tarnished. If he wanted information about the other half of the sigil, he would have to find Melina and the Tarnished there.
After some thought, Messmer decided to send veteran commander Gaius and his Albinauric mounted archers to Caelid to search for the Tarnished and Melina. If necessary, Messmer also wanted Gaius to have a word with his half-dead senior disciple.
Gaius readily agreed after some consideration. Upon hearing about Radahn's current state, he sighed. He wouldn't mind ensuring that his once towering and proud senior had a dignified ending—something that, in a way, was part of their unspoken bond as fellow disciples.
Thus, another formidable contender was added to the participants of the Festival of Combat in Caelid. Meanwhile, Mesemo wasn't planning to remain idle either. His attention turned to his brother who had defied the Golden Order—the one who had merged with the Blasphemous Serpent, Rykard.
Queen Rennala had already learned of Rykard's situation through her channels. Among her three children, only Ranni had remained by her side in some capacity. Both Radahn and Rykard had chosen their paths.
Now, even after hearing about their conditions, Queen Rennala merely sighed at the whims of fate. She did not react aggressively but instead focused most of her energy on restoring the rule of the Carian Kingdom and caring for her newborn daughter.
Incidentally, this newborn daughter had finally received a name—no longer called the "Unborn One." Following tradition, she was named Rapi. Though when Aoko heard the name, she thought it sounded like something suited for a tropical island with sandy beaches and blue seas, it was still a good name overall.
Relieved by this news, Rennala rejoined Messmer's Holy Crusade Expeditionary Force and began discussing plans to march on Mt. Gelmir to suppress Rykard's rebellion.
Unlike an assault on the capital, which required siege weapons, Messmer believed that attacking Mt. Gelmir only required an elite strike force. His brother, whose mind had been devoured by a serpent, didn't warrant the use of Furnace Golems.
Thus, even without the other half of the sigil, Messmer could lead elite troops through the underground secret passage to the Altus Plateau and then make a detour to Mt. Gelmir.
Upon hearing this, Aoko found herself conflicted. Mt. Gelmir housed the Origin Magic master, Azur, whom she had long wished to retrieve personally.
After much discussion and deliberation, Aoko, Touko, and the newly revived Selene decided to split up.
Toko would join the strike team heading for Mt. Gelmir to rescue Azur and attack the Blasphemous Lord, Rykard.
Aoko and Selene would head to Caelid's magic prison to rescue Lusat. If the opportunity arose, they would also stop by Redmane Castle to witness General Radahn's Festival of Combat.