The scale of Ensis Castle was not as large as Aoko had initially imagined. Or rather, she had expected the borderland castles to be towering and entirely crafted by human hands. However, Ensis Castle was clearly of the half-natural, half-artificial type.
In other words, this fortress was built around a perilous mountain peak, utilizing the terrain to block the possibility of the Horned Ones advancing in another direction after leaving Tower Town.
The entire landscape was highly treacherous, truly living up to the phrase easy to defend, hard to attack. Even in a world with dragons and magic, it would likely be an incredibly difficult stronghold to breach.
Aoko and Touko concealed their presence as they ascended through the air, surveying the interior of this formidable fortress from above.
The Aozaki sisters had to admit that the soldiers within this citadel were exceptionally well-trained. Even the patrol units moved in pairs—one soldier leading a hunting dog while the other remained on guard with a weapon in hand. Despite the absence of immediate threats, none of them showed any sign of complacency.
In addition to the ordinary soldiers bearing unfamiliar emblems, the castle was also home to numerous frail but elderly nobles wielding Glintstone staves. It seemed that these individuals had accompanied the army from the borderlands to this place.
However, compared to the sorcerers of Carian, these nobles who could only use a little Glintstone magic were rather unimpressive. Along the way, Aoko saw many robed figures wearing Glintstone crowns yet carrying swords and shields—the type of Glintstone Sorcerer who would not hesitate to draw their swords and behead someone at the slightest provocation.
After some searching, the two finally reached the highest structure in Ensis Castle. At the top of this building was a spacious plaza.
This was the last checkpoint leading to the rear areas of Ensis Castle. At the center of the plaza was a circular platform, engraved with numerous inscriptions that seemed to possess magical properties.
Aoko found this type of plaza architecture extremely familiar. Or rather, in her memories, she had visited places with strikingly similar structures more than once—such as the Royal Moongazing Grounds Site of Grace in the Elden Ring.
A tall and slender figure, clad in elaborate silver and blue armor, floated at the center of the plaza. Judging by her posture, the female knight appeared to be meditating, drawing power from the Glintstone magic circle beneath her.
Aoko signaled to Touko before dispelling her concealment magic, and slowly descending onto the plaza. She waited politely for the Glintstone-knight to finish her meditation.
From her appearance... she closely resembled Loretta, the knight who guarded the Caria Manor. However, this knight's armor was far more ornate, and the emblem she bore represented the Caria royal authority—the moon. Could she be a personal guard of Ranni?
"I do not recall ever inviting uninvited guests," the floating knight spoke in a cold voice as she gracefully descended to the ground. "Those who trespass into Ensis Castle... must be punished."
"Greetings, ruler of Ensis Castle." Aoko performed a Sorcerer's salute, the deep blue magical radiance forming the sigil of the Arcane Eye. "Forgive our abrupt visit, but we are traveling Sorcerer from beyond this realm, seeking new knowledge."
"Are you... Tarnished?" The knight scrutinized Aoko and Touko, then dismissed her suspicion. "No... you are not Tarnished... The laws of Gold and Stars? No, they seem different from what I know..."
She muttered to herself for a moment. Aoko waited patiently for the knight to finish her thoughts, while Touko curiously observed the tall woman—she could sense that the knight was a spellcaster, yet she wore heavy armor and carried twin swords.
"We originally intended to visit the borderlands," Aoko explained, "but due to some unknown interference, we arrived at this strange place. And that black tree... it doesn't seem like the Erdtree..."
"Enough talk," the knight interrupted, raising a hand to stop Aoko. "Let us speak with our swords, for swords do not lie. I will only know what kind of people you are after we fight."
Seeing no alternative, Aoko accepted this challenge without complaint. She placed her backpack in a corner of the plaza and stretched slightly. Getting the chance to spar in a relatively friendly setting with someone so closely tied to the Carian royal family wasn't a bad opportunity.
"Both of you, come at me together," the knight declared, unsheathing her twin swords. "I want to see what kind of strength you wield as bearers of foreign laws!"
The knight moved with astonishing speed as if the heavy armor she wore did not exist at all. Her swift motions were as silent as the cold moonlight.
She suddenly swung her sword at Aoko, and the Glintstone-embedded blade immediately unleashed a ghostly blue wave of energy, hurtling toward her.
There wasn't enough time for Aoko to activate her full transformation spells, but as a Sorcerer marked by the Law of Magic, she could instantly enhance her agility to evade attacks of this level.
Though her coat concealed most of her body, the exposed skin on her wrists and neck glowed with intricate blue markings.
Her movements appeared slow, yet she shifted like drifting willow leaves, subtly dodging the knight's magical slash. At the same time, she countered with a barrage of pale blue magical projectiles.
The dual-wielding knight reacted swiftly, twirling her swords in a graceful dance, deflecting each projectile. Some of the stray shots were even redirected toward Touko.
Perhaps wary of Touko's potential interference, the knight immediately launched another magical slash at her, seemingly intending to force her back and focus on defeating Aoko first.
However, to the knight's surprise, her target—Aoko—suddenly vanished, and in her place stood a massive, golden-furred beast.
What kind of magnificent creature was this? The knight couldn't help but recall the red-haired man and his crimson wolves...
Yet the golden wolf before her was even larger, more majestic... and radiated an undeniable intelligence.
It seemed that unless she revealed her true strength, she would not be able to deal with these two unexpected intruders. The knight resolved herself to battle.