Character Introduction And Preview

◇ Hiroto / Zeke
The body Hiroto possessed. Fifteen years old. A villain.
Three years had passed since he possessed Zeke. His goal—to survive—had not changed, and he continued training to gain strength. That effort paid off, and he attained overwhelming power that kept others at bay. Over those three years he gained many encounters, yet Hiroto never opened his heart. He kept telling himself it was because they would ultimately become enemies.

◇ Ciel Astera
Sixteen years old. Silver hair. Main character.
A girl born into the Astera Ducal House as a concubine’s child. Though she inherited strong royal blood, her inability to use sacred arts marked her for disposal, and she was demoted and sent to Apion. During that process she met Zeke and was saved by him; through Unison Link, she awakened to sacred arts. In the original story she opposed Zeke, but in the main story she recognized him as someone precious.

◇ Golton
A man who served as Ciel’s retainer. He had served her since she was young and cherished her so deeply that he usually addressed her as “young lady.” In the original story, he died during the Apion incident.

◇ Stille
A woman who served as Ciel’s retainer. Though the transfer to Apion was effectively a death sentence, she showed resolve to serve Ciel to the very end together with Golton. She did not appear in the original story.

◇ Mauve
A soldier stationed in Apion and a background character. Though he had more ability than expected, he lacked resistance to curses.

◇ Actol Astera
A young man born into the Astera Ducal House, with silver mixed into his hair. Ciel’s half-brother. A member of the intelligence organization that protected the nation from the shadows, and the one who ordered Ciel’s disposal. He felt neither affection nor hatred toward his half-sister, believing his actions to be the best choice for the country’s future. Highly skilled in the use of sacred arts. In the original story, he brought the protagonists and Ciel together.

◇ Markus
A man belonging to the Mage Corps. He once met Zeke in the Lagias Dungeon and had his life saved by him. Though he held no fond feelings for the House of Lagias, he considered Zeke an exception. His hobby was collecting glasses.

◇ Keat
A man belonging to the Knight Order. He was known for his careless attitude, but after facing mortal danger in the Lagias Dungeon, he began working with sincerity. He had been asked by “the Sage” to assist Zeke.

◇ Strohk Larc
A man serving as a regimental commander in the Knight Order. A man of few words, but with genuine skill and deep trust from his subordinates. A contemporary of Brink and close to him both professionally and privately. Rumor had it that he became talkative when drunk.

◇ Yorn Grin
A powerful man belonging to the Mage Corps. A natural genius who wielded multiple forms of magic and was often hailed as the next “Sage.” His occasional reckless remarks made Markus wary of him. In truth, he was also skilled with the sword. After entering his thirties, he began to feel his age.

◇ Bart Pinas
A man belonging to the Maria Church. A fierce-looking priest with a shaved head and a prominent scar on his forehead. Contrary to his appearance, he was a specialist in recovery, having perfectly mastered healing and restoration magic. He was also devoted to his wife.

◇ Haria Charge
Leader of the A-rank party Wings of Light. After the attack incident in the royal capital, he received the harsh punishment of having his adventurer rank stripped, but he had since restarted adventuring from scratch. He initially harbored resentment toward Zeke, but now felt no ill will and instead felt gratitude for being given a chance to reexamine himself.

◇ Aaron Izosaar
A young man belonging to the Royal Guard Corps and the third son of the Marquis Izosaar House. A master of court swordsmanship, with lightning magic rivaling that of the Mage Corps. He also held a hidden role within the nation’s intelligence organization. Troubled by his family and brothers, and torn between his public and secret roles, he lost sight of himself and his reason for living. In that state, he met Zeke and found light in him—not as a prodigy of the marquis house, but as Aaron himself.

◇ Ellis Larc
A girl living in the royal capital, with a rare combat style using daggers and a short staff. She excelled at buff magic. Though reckless by nature, her encounter with Zeke allowed her to view things more objectively. Her dream was to become both a knight and a mage. In the original story, she died, and her father Strohk fell into darkness after her death.

◇ Van Freak
Fifteen years old. Brown hair. Main character.
The original protagonist. He visited the royal capital during his peddling travels and met Zeke. After Zeke denied everything Van had been until then, Van challenged him to battle and was utterly defeated. Unable to accept Zeke’s belief that power was everything, Van believed that a world where such thinking prevailed was wrong. After leaving the capital, he trained under his grandfather, but in his pursuit of strength he lost sight of both himself and those around him. His motivation is akin an obsession with power.

◇ Brink Hartmann
A man belonging to the Knight Order. Luke’s father and Zeke’s former tutor. He had left the Knight Order due to his son’s illness, but after his recovery he returned to service and became a regimental commander. His swordsmanship was so refined he was called the most beautiful blade in the Knight Order, and many sought his instruction from outside. A fine middle-aged man.

◇ Luke Hartmann
Fifteen years old. Blond hair. Main character.
A boy once saved by Zeke. Spending three years together, he gained strength that far surpassed ordinary knights. He achieved his dream and goal by joining the Knight Order as its youngest member. To support his best friend Zeke from a different position, he chose to part ways. If necessary, he was prepared to make the entire country his enemy. In the original story his name was Fonsell, and Lagias had been his father’s enemy.

◇ Skinny
A newly recruited male knight. He had belonged to the same squad as Luke during the entrance exam. Though he initially viewed Luke through biased lenses, Luke’s overwhelming strength and sincerity changed his perception. His swordsmanship was passable, but his stamina and mana were paper-thin.

◇ Nahal
A newly recruited male mage. Though he looked nervous and high-strung, he was surprisingly friendly once spoken to. He cherished the members of the First Squad who fought together during the entrance exam. A fan of Markus.

◇ Calm
A newly recruited female mage. Though brimming with confidence before the entrance exam, learning the vastness of the world and the fragility of life forced her to reexamine herself. She was deeply unsettled by the “masked gentleman” she saw on the battlefield.

◇ Hares Wilder
A man serving as a regimental commander in the Knight Order. He had been tasked with overseeing the entrance exam. Though secretly instructed to advance a military operation, he suffered an attack far beyond expectations and nearly died. He harbored a strong sense of alarm toward Zeke and the Lagias private army. This was not a harem.

◇ Simon
A man belonging to the Lagias private army. Three years ago he was a squad leader, but he had since risen to the rank of captain. His ability rivaled even that of Knight Order regimental commanders, and taken as a whole the private army possessed nation-level combat power.

◇ Kratz Line
A soldier of Wartel, the capital of the Republic of Ignote. He aspired to become a soldier to protect his hometown, but his swordsmanship, magic, academics, and all else were at the bare minimum. He barely passed as a reserve and became a soldier by the skin of his teeth. Though he had suffered greatly due to his birth, he never gave up. Recently, the happiest thing in his life was meeting a friend named Zeke.

◇ Blood
A figure known as the Yaksha, always clad in full armor. He cooperated with the military at their request. His true identity was a noble from the Kingdom of Anishing. The armor he wore was the cursed relic of a spear wielder once renowned for martial prowess, filled with lingering grudges, and could not be removed—except under specific conditions.
In the main story, Blood, consumed by resentment, fought against Zeke.

◇ Zepha von Ravcino
A man who led the noble faction. He also bore the face of a soldier, plotting on both the public and hidden fronts. Using a jeweled core as a vessel, he summoned Leviathan and sought to seize control of the nation, but failed to control it. He was currently imprisoned.

◇ Jirk
A core member of the noble faction. He idolized Zepha. Highly skilled in mana manipulation, he used a magic sword to brutalize Kratz, only to be utterly defeated by Zeke afterward. He was currently imprisoned.

◇ President Riedel
The head of state of the Republic of Ignote. A man in his seventies chosen by popular vote. A politician with a clear distinction between on and off duty. He prepared a family registry for Zeke, but having missed hearing Zeke’s new name, he now worried over it.

◇ Selen Bloom
Sixteen years old. Blue hair. Main character.
A girl who once wore cursed equipment. To protect her family, she reached for forbidden power, only to be blamed and rejected instead. Having lost her place in the world, Selen wandered and eventually arrived in Wartel. Though consumed by resentment, she was freed from the cursed equipment by Zeke’s power and regained her freedom. After regaining consciousness, she set her sights on the Kingdom of Diabalet—to become a strength for the man who saved her.

◇ Glanz Folt
Sixty years old. Long gray hair. Main character.
A retired mage known as “the Sage.” Even after leaving the Mage Corps, he continued relentless training. Driven by a strong desire to repay his debt to Zeke, his power now surpassed even his days of active service. Alongside his training, he also pursued research into ancient magic.

◇ Atri
Fourteen years old. White hair. Main character.
A girl saved by Zeke and the original story’s heroine. As in the game, she worked as a member of the Freak Trading Company. In striving too hard to follow Zeke as her ideal, she grew excessively strong, earning the secret nickname “Destruction Girl” among the company and being feared. Recently, she found Van irritating. Just a little.

◇ Apion in the Original Story
A provincial city belonging to the Kingdom of Diabalet. In both the original story and the main story, it became a target of curses. Under Actol’s orders, Ciel was assigned to Apion, where she was afflicted by curses and witnessed the deaths of countless people. Through this, she awakened to sacred arts. Even with sacred arts, it was impossible to save the retainers who died from the curse.

◇ Royal Capital Spirito in the Original Story
The capital of the Kingdom of Diabalet. While heavily damaged by an attack in the main story, no such incident occurred in the original story. Both versions shared the presence of shadowy forces, and Ellis was killed by them. Van never visited the capital in the original story.

◇ Knight Order Entrance Exam in the Original Story
In the original story, only the Knight Order held an entrance exam. There was no monster attack as in the main story, and it proceeded as usual. Fonsell passed and became the youngest knight, but received no blessing from his father. Zeke joined a year later through connections.

◇ Wartel in the Original Story
The capital of the Republic of Ignote, known as the City of Water. In the game, it was only briefly mentioned and never fully explored. In the original story as well, Zepha summoned Leviathan, but lacking sufficient mana, the summoning was incomplete. As in the main story, he failed to control it, the dragon rampaged, and Wartel was destroyed.
Blood (Selen) passed through Wartel but did not stay long, continuing her journey. Saved by Ciel in Apion, she later became involved as her guard and close friend.

“I became strong. I gained power. I will not lose to your sword anymore…!”

“Hmph… Do you remember what you said to me in the royal capital? —What you’re doing now is exactly the same as me.”

“Will you cling to the past forever?”

“No matter what you say, it won’t change. My feelings and my past.”

“Your magic is crying… Did my words fail to reach you?”

“Have you gone senile, old man? I exist only for myself.”

“I’m sorry… I couldn’t protect them.”

“Are you an idiot? I never expected anything from the start. ×××××××××××××”

“Impossible… Why do you have that…?”

“Trash like you has no right to speak of him.”

“What are you doing? You’re in the way—get lost.”

“Then I’ll help you. Listen—being alone is painful and sad. That’s why people live by leaning on each other.”

“Yes… my lord.”

“…Hey. There’s a sick person here.”

“Why… do you possess that power…?”

“I’ll give you the words I told you before. Don’t think you’re the only special one.”

“You alone are hurt… Is that really enough for you? I hate that.”

“Hah. I don’t care what you think. …I will move forward.”

“I want you to tell me, ×××. If I had met you one year earlier… could I have stood by your side?”

“Nothing would have changed. Including this outcome.”

“Now the conditions are the same. So—what will you do next?”