History Characters / TheBeginningAfterTheEndArthurLeywin

** In his past life, the death of his ParentalSubstitute Olivia Willbeck was what set Grey and his friends on the path they would take for the rest of their lives, which in Grey's case led to him not only becoming king, but declaring war on the nation that orchestrated her death and causing untold casualties in pursuit of his revenge. In addition, on the path to become king, Grey was forced to duel [[spoiler:his former ChildhoodFriendLoveInterest Cecilia. Their duel culminated in Cecilia committing SuicideByCop by throwing herself on Grey's blade, which not only traumatized Grey but marked the end of his friendship with her fiancé and his former best friend Nico]]. In his new life, Arthur has resolved to become strong enough to protect his loved ones from the same fate as those from his past life.

** His friendship with Elijah forms in this manner. After Arthur collapses following his slaying of the elderwood guardian, he wakes up to learn that Elijah had been tending to both him and Jasmine when he could have just as easily abandoned them like Lucas did. The two of them proceed to warm up to each other while they recover. Arthur views Elijah's actions as a true indication of his character and thus worthy of his friendship, while Elijah comes to view Arthur as his FirstFriend. After escaping the Dire Tombs, Arthur brings Elijah to live with his family in Xyrus, and in turn the two of them end up attending Xyrus Academy together.

** At the end of the [[spoiler:Siege of Vildorial, Arthur gets the remaining Alacryan forces to retreat by saying Agrona has exhausted his patience and that he is giving them a ten second-MercyLead before he decides to kill them all. Given that he had just fended off an entire squad of Wraiths and was holding aloft the severed horn of one, on top of having destroyed an entire military facility in Vechor, the Alacryans wisely decide to retreat]].

* BullyHunter: Arthur is not very fond of those oppress the weak. In his time in Xyrus Academy, Arthur becomes a member of the Disciplinary Committee which means hunting bullies becomes part of his job as the committee was created to resolve disputes and put down instances of FantasticRacism on-campus. Later on during his [[spoiler:time in Central Academy, Arthur fends off a group of bullies who were picking on Seth]].

* ConsummateLiar: In his guise as [[spoiler:Grey, Arthur has little trouble passing himself off as a country person raised in isolation to justify his ignorance of Alacryan customs. He even pretends to be Caera's manservant, though unfortunately for him he meets a LivingLieDetector. Later on, when the time comes for him to acquire the fourth keystone, he keeps almost all of his allies LockedOutOfTheLoop regarding the true nature of his plan, which includes lying to a good majority of them to make them think they are defending his location when in fact he will not be there]].

** In addition, while both men encounter [[spoiler:people from their past lives]], in Rudeus's case [[spoiler:they end up being side characters who become his associates]], while in Arthur's case [[spoiler:it is far more personal as they were his best friends who the BigBad had ReforgedIntoAMinion as his new CoDragons and turned against their former friend]].

** While he has no trust of the [[spoiler:asuras after learning of their true nature]], Arthur is able to sense that something is very amiss during his interrogation of [[spoiler:Oludari after he returns from the Hearth. While Oludari as a Sovereign is prone to being evasive, he notes that the body language and reactions of Windsom and Charon suggest they are hiding something as well. By using King's Gambit, Arthur is able to infer that Oludari cut a deal with the dragons to give them exclusive information while withholding it from him. However, he is not able to discern what the nature and specifics of their deal were before the interrogation comes to an end and Oludari is due to be returned to Epheotus]].

* FatalFlaw: How extreme Arthur is generally about his personal relationships. It goes all the way from being aloof and extremely distant in his previous life out of fear his personal connections might be used against him, straight to being overprotective to the absurd. This costs him dearly, as this mindset railroads him into situations that could've been avoided. Later from the beginning of Volume 8 onwards he gets better about handling his relationships.

** This trope becomes ''especially'' evident from Volume 8 onward after Arthur [[spoiler:learns the truth about how the DivineConflict started and who his true enemies ultimately are. As he is going up against the {{God and Satan|AreBothJerks}} analogues of the setting who have at their disposal warriors that can effortlessly defeat the strongest mortal mages with ease, Arthur ''has'' to become as powerful as them just to give him and his loved ones a chance to stand against them let alone survive the conflict. Not only that, but he has to step up as ''the'' BigGood as the other potential BigGood[=s=] (Virion[[note]]Who has been broken by all the suffering he and his people have undergone during the war and can only serve as a SupportingLeader at most[[/note]], Seris[[note]]Who he cannot easily work with due to the prejudices of the occupying asuras and eventually gets forced back into Agrona's service by way of his blood allowing him to control her and her followers[[/note]], and Mordain[[note]]Who has been keeping his people in seclusion for millennia to avoid the wrath of both Agrona and Kezess and refuses to become NeutralNoLonger[[/note]]) can only act in a supporting capacity, especially since Arthur's unique abilities and experiences are what allow him to act in an inspirational fashion that none of them can hope to achieve]].

** In Volume 10, at the end of the [[spoiler:Siege of Vildorial, Arthur collapses after getting the Alacryans to lift the siege. Beforehand, he had fought off a squad of Wraiths and used their tempus warp to end up in a military facility in Vechor which he promptly destroyed using the Destruction godrune. As he could barely fight at that point, Arthur had to hold aloft one of the Wraiths' severed heads while uttering a BlasphemousBoast against Agrona as a bluff. Arthur remains incapacitated for a day and a half, and even then once he does wake up he has still not recovered from his injuries]].

* TheAce: In his past life, King Grey was unparalleled in all forms of combat, which was essential to maintaining his position as king. This status carried over into his reincarnation, as Arthur is extremely talented in both physical and magical combat thanks to his retention of his past self's maturity and expertise. He is able to control all four elements, the deviant forms of two of them, and the ElementNumberFive of aether. His prowess earns him a spot among the Lances, the most powerful mages of Dicathen. He becomes even more inspirational after [[spoiler:he returns to an occupied Dicathen a year after the war, not only wielding godlike powers but also single-handedly retaking the continent]].

** His friendship with Elijah forms in this manner. After Arthur collapses following his slaying of the elderwood guardian, he wakes up to learn that Elijah had been tending to both him and Jasmine when he could have just as easily abandoned them like Lucas did. The two of them proceed to warm up to each other while they recover. Arthur views Elijah's actions as a true indication of his character and thus worthy of his friendship, while Elijah comes to view Arthur as his FirstFriend. After escaping the Dire Tombs, Arthur elects to bring Elijah to live with him and his family in Xyrus, and in turn the two of them end up attending Xyrus Academy together.

** At the end of the [[spoiler:Siege of Vildorial, Arthur gets the remaining Alacryan forces to retreat by saying Agrona has exhausted his patience and that he is giving them a ten second-MercyLead before he decides to kill them all. Given that he had just fended off an entire squad of Wraiths and was holding aloft the severed horn from one of them, on top of having destroyed an entire military facility in Vechor using the tempus warp the Wraiths used, the Alacryans wisely decide to retreat]].

* CallingParentsByTheirName: In his narration, he sometimes refers to his parents by their given names, Reynolds and Alice. After [[spoiler:revealing the truth about his reincarnation to them, he briefly slips up and calls his father Reynolds, which only makes their parting even worse]].

* ChildProdigy: Aside from awakening his mana core at the age of three, at the age of eight he has become a quadra-elemental mage able to bend not just the four elements but the deviant forms of two of them and the ElementNumberFive. His unprecedented prowess manages to impress Cynthia Goodsky, the Director of Xyrus Academy, and she would have gladly admitted him on the spot were it not for him telling her that he intends to wait until he is older so he can attend the academy with his age group.

* {{Cincinnatus}}: Despite having been a king in his past life, all Arthur wants in his current life is to live with his loved ones in peace and safety. Even after [[spoiler:becoming the de facto leader of the Dicathians following his return to the continent, he reiterates to them that he is only acting as their leader to protect them from the threats they currently face and inspire them to stand up for themselves. He even tells his mother and sister - who are already SecretKeeper[=s=] to his reincarnation - that after the war is over that he might as well take up the CallToAgriculture instead of remaining in power]].

* CombatByChampion: In the world of his past self King Grey, kings had to duel representatives from other countries both to resolve disputes and to maintain their position. Luckily for Grey, he was strong enough to beat every contender that challenged him.

* CoolCrown: Given his status as a reincarnated king, Arthur is associated with crowns. As King Grey, he wore a rather elaborate crown. In several promotional materials and images, Arthur is seen wearing a crown of his own despite never actually wearing one in the story. When Arthur [[spoiler:acquires the third djinn keystone from Mordain, the godrune he creates from it, King's Gambit, manifests as a golden floating crown above his head]].

** {{Subverted}} with his return to Dicathen after spending years training in Epheotus. At the time, it seems to be quite the coincidence that Arthur ended up into the same dungeon that Tessia was stationed in and slaughtered the mana beasts infesting it. However, Aldir infers that Wren intentionally sent Arthur there to reunite with Tessia given how Wren was a ShipperOnDeck for their relationship.

** Summoning his beast will allows him to use Sylvia's dragon powers for a short while, but it causes a violent backlash that leaves him unconscious for hours in the best case and [[spoiler:nearly disintegrates his body in the worst case]].
** At its full power, [[spoiler:the Destruction godrune can destroy a whole continent. This is not helped by the fact that overusage of it puts Arthur on a PowerHigh that compels him to unleash its full power. As such, Arthur often has to regulate his usage of it to prevent CollateralDamage though Regis helps him out]].
* DavidVersusGoliath: His fight against the elderwood guardian during the ill-fated expedition into the Dire Tombs. Arthur is only an adolescent just about to enter puberty and is still shorter than Jasmine (who herself is rather short to begin with), while the elderwood guardian is a towering mass of vines. Arthur still manages to bring it down.

* DerivativeDifferentiation: Originally, Arthur started out as a carbon copy of [[Literature/MushokuTensei Rudeus Greyrat]], with [[VirtuousCharacterCopy the only major differences]] between them at first being their past lives (Arthur was a WarriorKing while Rudeus was a {{Hikikomori}}) and more importantly their attitude towards sexuality (Arthur is a CelibateHero who spurns most girls due to the mental age gap in sharp contrast to the perverted {{Manchild}} that is Rudeus prior to his CharacterDevelopment). However, Arthur diverges considerably from Rudeus as the story progresses.

** In addition, while both men end up encountering [[spoiler:people from their past lives]], in Rudeus's case [[spoiler:they end up being side characters who become his associates]], while in Arthur's case [[spoiler:it is far more personal as they were his best friends who summoned by the BigBad and subjected to MindRape, in the process turning them against their former friend as the BigBad's new CoDragons]].

** Non-romantic example. After discovering the dying Alea in Widow's Crypt and hearing out her story, he holds her tight as she slowly expires.

** Arthur wears a white cloak on top of [[spoiler:the djinn armor]] as seen in the cover of Volume 9.

* HadToBeSharp: Has been subjected to this trope throughout practically his ''entire'' existence, spanning both of his lives. In his past life, he lived in a war-torn CrapsackWorld defined by AsskickingLeadsToLeadership where he was constantly forced to fight just to get by in life. This drive is what turned him into an unmatched WarriorKing. In his current life, while it takes place in a more peaceful world Arthur has been put through some rather harsh situations where he had to exhibit that same drive from his past life to make it through.

* WeUsedToBeFriends: [[spoiler:With Nico/Elijah and Cecilia. They used to be childhood friends in their past lives until Grey was manipulated into dueling Cecilia during the King's Tourney and she took the opportunity to commit SuicideByCop. This caused Nico - who did not know any better - to swear vengeance against his former friend. If that was not bad enough, Agrona, who sought Cecilia's power as the Legacy, reincarnated the three of them to serve him. While Grey managed to avoid the MindRape and FalseMemories his friends were subjected to thanks to the temporally-displaced Sylvie's intervention, he still has to contend with the fact that Agrona had them both ReforgedIntoAMinion and twisted their hatred of him against him]].

* DespairEventHorizon: Crosses it momentarily [[spoiler:as he lies broken and powerless in an alien dimension, with Sylvie seemingly dead, his homeland conquered, the fate of his loved ones uncertain, the truth of the DivineConflict laid bare before him, and his mana core shattered beyond all repair]].

** During [[spoiler:his negotiations with Kezess, Arthur twice calls him out on his genocide of the djinn even though Kezess, being the TopGod, is far more powerful than he is. The only reason Kezess does not strike him down for his insolence is because Arthur is the first being in millennia since the genocide to have come close to understanding how to control aether, though Kezess sternly rebukes him by warning him that any further mention of the djinn will be the end of him]].
** A {{Downplayed}} example occurs [[spoiler:following Oludari's capture. Arthur is angry at his asuran allies for not upholding their end of their bargain in that the operation to capture the rogue Sovereign caused the deaths of several Dicathian refugees who were caught up in the crossfire. This causes him to backhand Sarvash, the dragon who had been leading the asuras accompanying him. The asuras present call him out for his apparent lack of respect before Arthur counters their accusations by calling them out for their own callous lack of regard over the CollateralDamage they had caused]].

* DramaPreservingHandicap: When Arthur [[spoiler:ends up in the Relictombs, his mana core has been damaged beyond recovery. As he has been rendered almost powerless, Arthur is forced to accompany a group of Alacryans while looking for a way to RePower himself]].

* DudeLooksLikeALady: His features become [[spoiler:rather effeminate after fusing with Sylvie as his body had lost all muscle definitions, to the point where Caera and her attendants mistake him for a woman. This is only temporary as he eventually regains his former strength and physique]].

* ExtremelyProtectiveChild: His desire to protect his loved ones was there right from his rebirth. He was willing to take a blast to protect his pregnant mother even though it knocked him off the mountain they were traveling. No wonder he takes [[spoiler:failing to be there to prevent the death of his father in a rather severe fashion]].

* FamedInStory: His reputation spreads much faster than he would like, given that he is a quadra-elemental mage with a PhysicalGod for a bond and close connections to two of the three royal families of Dicathen. Naturally, he attracts the attention of the normally-aloof asuras who take him and Sylvie to Epheotus to train for the impending war. Upon his return he becomes one of the Lances, the elite MagicKnight[=s=] of Dicathen, and helps lead the defense of the continent. However, his reputation becomes legendary in light of [[spoiler:becoming an aether-wielding demigod and single-handedly retaking Dicathen, in the process becoming a figure whom both his allies and enemies recognize has the potential to end the DivineConflict]].

* SuperpowerfulGenetics: Being a descendant of [[spoiler:the djinn means Arthur has an affinity for controlling aether. This proves handy when he is trying to RePower himself after losing his mana core, which leads to him developing an aether core to replace it. It also allows him to activate many of the djinn relics he finds during his endeavors in the Relictombs as they recognize him as a descendant]].

* WeUsedToBeFriends: [[spoiler:With Nico/Elijah and Cecilia. They used to be childhood friends in their past lives until Grey was manipulated into dueling Cecilia during the King's Tourney and she took the opportunity to commit SuicideByCop. This caused Nico, who did not know any better, to swear vengeance against his former friend. If that was not bad enough, Agrona, who sought Cecilia's power as the Legacy, reincarnated the three of them to serve him. While Grey managed to avoid the MindRape and FalseMemories his friends were subjected to thanks to the temporally-displaced Sylvie's intervention, he still has to contend with the fact that Agrona had them both ReforgedIntoAMinion and twisted their hatred of him against him]].

* UnfinishedUntestedUsedAnyway: Ideally, Wren would have preferred to have spent years if not decades analyzing how Arthur fought before creating a weapon that was perfectly suited for him, but with the unprecedented rate that the war was progressing, he opted to instead give Arthur the acclorite as a gamble, as it would take in every variable and factor that Arthur would face during the war before eventually manifesting. Suffice to say, Wren's gamble works, as Regis ends up evolving with Arthur as the latter RePower[=s=] himself with aether, in the process becoming an extremely powerful LivingWeapon.

** After being ArrestedForHeroism in the aftermath of the attack on Xyrus, Arthur is brought before the Council. Although the Eraliths are sympathetic to him, the majority of the Council are being manipulated by the Vritra Clan into handing over Arthur to them. It is only thanks to the intervention of Windsom and Aldir in purging the Council of corruption that the verdict does not come to pass.
** Upon arriving in [[spoiler:Alacyra, Arthur is put on trial by Blood Granbehl for the deaths of Kalon, Ezra, and Riah in the previous volume. This time around, Seris Vritra is the one responsible for getting Arthur acquitted as she is pulling strings for him to survive in Alacrya and be of use in her own schemes against the Vritra]].

* MissedHimByThatMuch: After Arthur returns from the [[spoiler:third djinn ruin, Bairon attempts to notify him of the arrival of Caera, who has been incarcerated for the time being until he can validate her statements. Arthur could have secured Caera's release right there were it not for the unexpected arrival of Avier bearing summons from Aldir, which Arthur immediately prioritizes instead. This leads to Arthur being stuck in the aether realm for two months in order to resurrect Sylvie, resulting in Caera languishing in prison for much longer than she should have. Not helping Caera's predicament is that Kezess ordered his forces to occupy Dicathen as part of his deal with Arthur, and the occupying dragons naturally treated her rather badly]].

** Even after her death, [[spoiler:Rinia's prophetic advice to him serves as a reminder for him not to relapse into being the vengeful King Grey]].

* SuggestiveCollision: In an original scene in the {{Webcomic}} version, Tessia ends up pinning Arthur to the ground after he playfully teases her about how scared she used to be when they first met. It is not until her grandfather Virion walks in on them that she realizes that she is straddling Arthur in a rather compromising position, which causes her to jump off him in embarrassment when it gets pointed out.

* TeleportSpam: [[spoiler:God Step allows him to pull this off by teleporting short distances in rapid succession]].

* WouldHitAGirl: GenderIsNoObject in Arthur's eyes, after all. When he stumbles across a pair of human students writing some racist graffiti on one of his nightly patrols as part of the Disciplinary Committee, the female student asks him if he would hit her. Arthur replies that he is an adherent of gender equality and so promptly subdues her. Not to mention he has killed several female villains such as Jagrette and [[spoiler:Viessa]].

** One of the most pivotal moments of Arthur's past life was when he returned home to the orphanage one day to find his surrogate mother Olivia Willbeck murdered by agents of a foreign nation. Upon becoming king, Grey declared war on the nation responsible for her death, leading to the deaths of thousands in the pursuit of his vengeance.

* GuardianEntity: As the manifestation of the acclorite Wren had embedded onto Arthur, Regis is bound to Arthur and so his master can summon him as if he were a [[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure Stand]] or Franchise/{{Persona}}. Uniquely, Regis has far more autonomy compared to similar examples of this trope in that he is not completely bound to Arthur's person and Arthur can temporarily release him if he chooses; he leaves him behind [[spoiler:whenever he leaves for Epheotus to have an audience with Kezess, and after joining up with Seris's rebellion has him take her place in powering the shield by having him inhabit Orlaeth's skull]]. In spite of how independent he is, Regis still needs to return to Arthur's core whenever he runs out of aether.

* HisStoryRepeatsItself: As much as Arthur wishes to leave his past life as King Grey behind, events in his reincarnated life end up paralleling that of his past one, and oftentimes the lowest points of it. It does not help that much of these unfortunate parallels are {{Invoked}}, either directly or indirectly, on [[spoiler:Agrona's]] part.
** He loses a ParentalSubstitute at a young age, whose death sets him on the path he follows throughout his life (Olivia Willbeck/Sylvia).

** King Grey had white-blonde hair and wore a black suit of armor with white cloth draped around it. In his current state, [[spoiler:Arthur has MysticalWhiteHair and wears a black suit of armor and a white cloak. He even briefly reassumed the name Grey during his time in the Relictombs and Alacrya. In fact, when Arthur and Nico confront each other in the Victoriad, they resemble the spitting images of their past selves with the only major difference being that Arthur has long hair rather than the short hair he had as Grey]].

* TheJailbaitWait: By the time Arthur reunites with Tessia in Xyrus Academy as teenagers, he knows that even though she is physically a year older than him that it would be outright immoral for him to reciprocate her affections towards him given how he is mentally much older than her. However, given his own growing attraction towards her, in order to resolve the issue he tells her that while he cannot be in a relationship with her at the moment, he would like for them to resume their courtship when they are older. Tessia relents and decides to be a PatientChildhoodLoveInterest towards him as a result.

* ReincarnationIdentifyingTrait: In a {{Webcomic}} original scene, Arthur and Elijah are sparring in the former's private training facility when the former knocks out the latter. When Arthur reaches his hand out to his friend to help him get back up, Elijah [[spoiler:recognizes the gesture as one Arthur made in his past life complete with him seeing the specter of King Grey appearing behind Arthur. What follows is Elijah immediately being overwhelmed by a string of hateful emotions towards Grey's apparition. It is at this moment that Elijah, or rather his true personality Nico, recognizes Arthur as the reincarnation of his former childhood friend whom he has grown to despise]].

* SpontaneousWeaponCreation: Arthur's mastery over the elements allows him to create ElementalWeapon[=s=]. This capability is demonstrated during his fight with Jagrette when in order to finish off the Retainer, Arthur creates a spear of ice which he impales her on after having Sylvie take her up into the skies and drop her. However, this trope becomes much more prominent as part of [[spoiler:his enhanced aether powers following him developing his aether core, as he is able to manifest weaponry made out of pure aether]].

* StrongAndSkilled: He combines his maturity, knowledge, and experience from his past life with his unparalleled mastery over mana and later [[spoiler:aether]] in his current one to become the strongest mortal mage in the setting.

** During the WarArc, Arthur tended to not see eye to eye with the other Lances as they were "pretty self-absorbed and insufficient" in his own words. In particular, Bairon hated him for killing his brother Lucas. After the end of the war, [[spoiler:the Lances are split up with Arthur finding himself marooned in the Relictombs. By the time he returns to Dicathen, the Lances are forced to fight the asura Taci and barely survive. In the aftermath, Arthur makes up with the remaining Lances, Bairon in particular, and they all resolve to be better than who they used to be. Arthur even uses his newfound insight to break the {{Power Limiter}}s Kezess put on their [[ArtifactOfPower Artifacts of Power]] to make them much more stronger]].

* BreathWeapon: Is able to breath out flames of pure Destruction.

* ImplacableMan: Becomes this during [[spoiler:the reconquest of Dicathen. Arthur is hell-bent on retaking his homeland and repeatedly hands the Alacryan armies a string of crushing defeats. Even when he is severely injured he comes back to continue his reconquest. Case in point, by the end of the Siege of Vildorial Arthur was able to get the Alacryans to retreat even though he had sustained severe injuries including losing an arm, and by the time he went back into the field had healed up like nothing had happened. He cannot be argued with either, as he will make sure the negotiations are all in his favor and almost never compromising]].

** After being ArrestedForHeroism in the aftermath of the attack on Xyrus, Arthur is brought before the Council. While the Eraliths are sympathetic to him, the majority of the Council being manipulated by Agrona and the Vritra who orchestrated the attack. As such, the intent of the trial is to neutralize Arthur and Director Goodsky by getting them convicted of the attack. It is only thanks to the intervention of Windsom and Aldir in purging the Council of corruption that the verdict does not come to pass.

* LonelyAtTheTop: He remember being so lonely in his past life to the point of that it led him to AbdicateTheThrone. {{Reconstructed}} when he is reincarnated and seeks to amend this in his new life, especially after Sylvia encourages him to cherish those around him.

* StormOfBlades: As part of his [[spoiler:enhanced aether powers following his RePower, Arthur is able to create multitudes of aetheric swords that he can project against his enemies]].

* ContrastingReplacementCharacter: To Sylvie as a companion of asuran origin who is bonded to Arthur, replacing her following her HeroicSacrifice at the end of Volume 7. Sylvie used to be innocent and childlike but during the WarArc became more serious as developed concern for her bond's well-being. Regis on the other hand tends to tick off his bond with his constant snarky remarks and humor. Following [[spoiler:Sylvie's resurrection, the two coexist as {{Foil}}[=s=] to one another as they form a FreudianTrio with Arthur]]. Not to mention, while both are capable of shapeshifting, Sylvie has assumed a much wider range of forms due to being a dragon while most of Regis's forms are variants of his default wolf form.

** In order to [[spoiler:acquire the final keystone, Arthur's mind will be trapped in the keystone until he attains the insight needed to pass it, which will leave his body RemoteYetVulnerable. Knowing how Agrona has eyes everywhere, he uses King's Gambit to formulate a complex plan involving fortifying key locations across Dicathen to bait Agrona into attacking where he is not. To make sure the plan goes off without a hitch, he keeps practically all of his allies LockedOutOfTheLoop (especially his Alacryan ones as mentioned above) regarding the true nature of his plan. He does not like having to lie to people he trusts on top of putting them in the line of fire, but he has no other choice if he wants to gain the insight needed to end the DivineConflict]].

** Due to his rescue of Princess Tessia and subsequently living with House Eralith for three years, Arthur ends up becoming an honorary member of the elven royal family with Virion in particular viewing him as his honorary grandson.

* MissedHimByThatMuch: After Arthur and his party return from the [[spoiler:third djinn ruin within the Relictombs, Bairon attempts to notify him of the arrival of Caera, who has been incarcerated for the time being until he can validate her statements. Arthur could have secured Caera's release right there were it not for the unexpected arrival of Avier bearing summons from Aldir, which Arthur immediately prioritizes instead. This eventually leads to Arthur being stuck in the aether realm for two months in order to resurrect Sylvie, resulting in Caera languishing in prison for much longer than she should have. Not helping Caera's predicament is that Kezess ordered his forces to occupy Dicathen as part of his deal with Arthur, and the occupying dragons naturally treated her rather badly given their hatred for Vritra-blooded Alacryans like her]].

** Case in point, when Arthur [[spoiler:uses the tempus warp the Wraiths had left behind and ends up in a military facility in Vechor, the commander of the Alacryan troops stationed there tries to get his troops to calm down by pointing out how Arthur is barely clinging on to life. He is proven horribly wrong as they promptly get a front row seat to Arthur unleashing the full power of the Destruction godrune and are completely obliterated in the process]].

** His time in [[spoiler:Alacrya exposes him to the fact that the Alacryans are not entirely evil and are just as much victims of the DivineConflict as the Dicathians are. In particular, the bonds Arthur forges with his students at Central Academy play a major role in him developing this realization, which he specifically cites as the defining factor for this change of perspective when he is properly introduced to Seris's rebellion. When he bargains with Kezess, he asks for the populace of Alacrya to be spared from any potential CollateralDamage from his intervention]].

* ParentChildTeam: He and his bond Sylvie form this dynamic, especially once Sylvie [[spoiler:assumes both human form and his surname over either of her biological parents. Sure enough, shortly after he resurrects her Sylvie accompanies her adoptive father and his party when they enter the Relictombs to relieve Seris's rebellion]].

* PassedInTheirSleep: His past life came to an end when he fell into a sleep that he would never awaken from, with him finding himself being reincarnated as the newborn Arthur shortly afterward.

* RePower: Arthur [[spoiler:goes from being a quadra-elemental prodigy to an aether-powered demigod. After barely surviving a losing battle thanks to Sylvie pulling a HeroicSacrifice to save him from his HeroicRROD and preserve his body, Arthur ends up alone in the Relictombs with his mana core damaged beyond recognition. He learns Sylvie's sacrifice had made his body part-asura, which increased his affinity for aether. Through developing an aether core to replace his destroyed mana core and increasing his own understanding of aether in the process, Arthur CameBackStrong as he becomes exponentially more powerful than ever]].

* {{Retirony}}: The day he resigned from his position as king was the last day of his past life. Given how it is later revealed that [[spoiler:Agrona had been the one who caused his reincarnation in the first place, meaning that his resignation might have been caused by Agrona slowly weakening his soul before taking it]].

** After learning that [[spoiler:Kezess sent his forces to occupy Dicathen in the two months he was in the aether realm trying to resurrect Sylvie, Arthur is forced to begrudgingly work alongside them against their common nemeses in Agrona and the Vritra Clan. Not only do the dragons try to turn public opinion in Dicathen against Arthur and make him a HeroWithBadPublicity, but they also prevent him from openly allying with other factions that they are hostile against, namely Seris and Mordain (and in the case of the former he has to convince them to allow Seris and her followers sanctuary)]].

** Volume 8. In the aftermath, [[spoiler:Arthur ended up in the Relictombs, a dimension completely alien to him with no apparent way out. He finds out thanks to the second message Sylvia left for him the truth about the war - that Kezess and the Indrath Clan had committed genocide on the djinn which led to Agrona and the Vritra Clan's StartOfDarkness and thus the war itself. He also finds out that his mana core was damaged beyond recovery and he is forced to go incognito among a group of Alacryans. Finally, he witnesses Tessia having been turned into the vessel for the Legacy, followed by Aldir completely annihilating Elenoir using the World Eater technique]].

* UnwantedHarem: Over the course of the story, Arthur attracts the attention of multiple female characters such as [[OurElvesAreDifferent Tessia]], [[AloofDarkHairedGirl Jasmine]][[note]]Though hers is more of a BigSisterInstinct[[/note]], [[UnluckyChildhoodFriend Lilia]], [[DefrostingIceQueen Kathyln]], [[BespectacledCutie Emily]], and [[DarkActionGirl Caera]]. He tends not to reciprocate any of their feelings due to the mental age gap.

* ArchaeologicalArmsRace: From Volume 8 onward, [[spoiler:Arthur and Agrona are engaged in race to investigate the Relictombs - the last bastion of the long-extinct djinn and their knowledge - in order to acquire the four keystones the djinn left behind. In doing so, they seek to uncover the workings of aether and the ability to master fate itself, which has the potential to end the DivineConflict]].

** At the climax of the attack on Xyrus Academy, Lucas gloats to Arthur about how much fun he will have desecrating the incapacitated body of Arthur's LoveInterest Tessia. What follows is Arthur's KillingIntent overpowering Lucas (who at this point has been empowered by a stronger version of one of the elixirs the Radicals have been using) before he in a state of TranquilFury subjects him to a very graphic CruelAndUnusualDeath.

* ChronicHeroSyndrome: {{Averted}}. While still nominally heroic, Arthur is only in it for his family and loved ones. [[spoiler:He even attempts to take Agrona up on his offer to sit out the war after seeing the toll it has taken on his family. Later PlayedStraight after his stay in Alacrya for a year and then returning and retaking Dicathen, his goal shifts from only protecting his family and loved ones to saving the peoples of both continents and ending the DivineConflict]].

*** To elaborate on the similarities, both are adult men who died only to ReincarnateInAnotherWorld to a family that consists of a loving healer mother, martial father [[spoiler:who dies later on]], and LittleSisterHeroine, first demonstrated their magical prowess at a young age by destroying part of their house, were separated from their families for years due to a tragic accident, became an extremely talented mage and adventurer, attend a MagicalAcademy, own a supernatural CanineCompanion, have a suit of PoweredArmor, are brought into contact with enigmatic deities who [[spoiler:later turn out to be their enemies]], encounter [[spoiler:people from their past lives]], attract the attention of several LoveInterests including a {{Childhood Friend|Romance}} RescueRomance with a silver-haired elf, and discover [[spoiler:their reincarnations have made them a ParadoxPerson]].

** At the start of Volume 5, Arthur finds himself brought before the Council after having been arrested in the aftermath of the attack on Xyrus. While the Eraliths are sympathetic to him, the majority of the Council being manipulated by Agrona and the Vritra who orchestrated the attack on Xyrus. As such, the intent of the trial is to neutralize Arthur and Director Goodsky by getting them convicted of the attack. It is only thanks to the intervention of the asuras Windsom and Aldir in purging the Council of corruption that the verdict does not come to pass.
** In Volume 9, [[spoiler:upon arriving in Alacyra Arthur is put on trial by Blood Granbehl for the deaths of Kalon, Ezra, and Riah in the previous volume. This time around, Seris Vritra is the one responsible for getting Arthur acquitted as she began pulling strings so that he would survive in Alacrya and be of use in her own schemes against the Vritra]].

* TheOutsiderBefriendsTheBest: Despite being a human, he ends up forming strong ties with House Eralith, the royal family of the elves. His rescue of the young Princess Tessia from slave traders leads to him living with the Eraliths for three years before he reunites with his own family, effectively becoming an honorary member of their family. When he comes of age during the WarArc, he even becomes one of their Lances. A few elven characters are taken by surprise to learn that this human has a very close connection to their royal family, especially their princess.

* PokeInTheThirdEye: A somewhat literal instance of this trope. When he witnesses [[spoiler:Aldir (who has his EyesAlwaysShut except for his ThirdEye) using the World Eater technique to destroy Elenoir via the Scrying artifact, Aldir is able to sense him observing him. Aldir does not recognize that it is Arthur, but when Seris informs him that Arthur survived he puts two and two together. This leads to Aldir becoming a DefectorFromDecadence as he realizes Arthur's survival could upend the DivineConflict and, given his own disillusionment with Kezess over forcing him to commit genocide for ultimately nothing, is willing to throw in his lot with Arthur to bring the conflict to an end and overthrow his former master]].

* RedeemingReplacement: Combined with KlingonPromotion. [[spoiler:When he arrives to retake Etisin, Lyra not only surrenders for the remaining Alacryan forces on the continent, but declares him as the new regent. This example is {{Downplayed}} as he was already the acting leader of the Dicathians at that point and would have continued to do so after retaking the continent regardless of whether or not Lyra had relinquished her title to him]].

** In Volume 8, [[spoiler:Arthur learns that after the climactic battle of the previous volume, his mana core has been damaged beyond recovery. From there, he ends up RePower[=ing=] himself and CameBackStrong. He learns that Sylvie's HeroicSacrifice has made his body part-asura, develops an aether core which grants him a SwissArmySuperpower, acquires game-changing spells known as godrunes and a suit of ancient PoweredArmor, and awakens the acclorite which manifests as a shapeshifting GuardianEntity named Regis. Thanks to his own insight into aether and the power of his bonds, Arthur is poised to master all three paths of aether, with him wielding spacium, Regis wielding vivum, and Sylvie wielding aevum, which in turn could lead to him mastering the ultimate form of aether, fate]].

* TeleportSpam: [[spoiler:God Step allows him to pull this off by teleporting short distances in rapid succession. It even allows him to keep himself in midair]].

* WorkoutFanservice: During his time training under Wren, the asura has Arthur strip himself of all clothing in order to better analyze his movements. In the process, Arthur ends up showing off his rather developed and athletic physique.

* WowingCthulhu: Despite [[spoiler:viewing the asuras as his enemies after learning the truth of how the DivineConflict started, Arthur begins to impress a few of them thanks to his own feats and reputation from that point onward. When he meets Veruhn, the latter gives him a set of Tears of the Mother pearls as a gift to him and his family. Arthur learns that shortly afterward from Mordain that Veruhn very rarely gives out these artifacts given the tragic nature of their creation and their ability to save lives, which says a lot about how highly Veruhn must view Arthur. After using one of the pearls to save Chul's life, Mordain is impressed by Arthur's desire to save the life of someone he had barely gotten to know (on top of having sent off Chul with Arthur to get to know him better in the first place) and deems him worthy of earning the third keystone]].

* GiverOfLameNames: Prone to delivering some rather humorous if not outright embarrassing names as part of his personality. Some of these names include "Princess"[[note]]Arthur[[/note]], "The Orb of Long-Ranged Stalking"[[note]]The relic that allows Arthur to observe distant events[[/note]], and "The Horny Trio"[[note]]The PowerTrio formed between himself, Arthur, and Caera, which he comes up with after seeing the horns on Arthur's djinn armor[[/note]].

** Arthur [[spoiler:hated the Alacryans and Vritra for everything that happened to him and his homeland. When Caera first met Arthur as he was playing dead in the Relictombs, she took pity on him and spared him when her guards wanted to kill him. When they met again, Arthur saved her life from mana beasts and they teamed up. Later on during his time in Alacrya, Arthur got to pose as a professor at Central Academy and wound up influencing the scions of several Alacryan noble families. These interactions played a major role in causing Arthur's hatred toward the Alacryans to subside as he grew to see them as much victims of the Vritra as his own people. In fact, when Arthur properly introduces himself to Seris's rebellion, he explicitly cites his students as ''the'' main reason for changing his perceptions on the Alacryans]].

** His final confrontation with Lucas during the attack on Xyrus Academy. After paralyzing Lucas into submission with his KillingIntent, Arthur proceeds to unleash the full display of his powers now that Lucas has crossed the line. He burns off his left arm, then freezes and shatters his right arm, followed by him using gravity magic to crush both of his legs and ending it off with a FinishingStomp to crush his pelvic region.

* DerivativeDifferentiation: Originally, Arthur started out as a carbon copy of [[Literature/MushokuTensei Rudeus Greyrat]], with [[VirtuousCharacterCopy the only major differences]] between them at first being their past lives (Arthur was a WarriorKing while Rudeus was a {{Hikikomori}}) and more importantly their attitude towards sexuality (Arthur is a CelibateHero who spurns most girls due to the mental age gap in sharp contrast to the perverted {{Manchild}} that is Rudeus prior to his CharacterDevelopment). However, Arthur diverges considerably from Rudeus as the story progresses in several respects.

** While Rudeus does suffer his fair share of tragic moments such as [[spoiler:his father Paul's death and learning of the BadFuture from his future self]], Arthur tends to be put through far more suffering than his inspiration given how he ends up fighting a war against [[spoiler:the JerkassGods who have lorded over the setting, and despite being one of the strongest mortal mages alive gets pitted against enemies who are just as strong as him]].

* EnemyMine: In spite of knowing the true extent of [[spoiler:Kezess's atrocities, Arthur begrudgingly resumes their alliance against Agrona when Kezess summons him back to Epheotus to negotiate with him following his reconquest of Dicathen]].

*** To elaborate on the similarities, both are adult men who died only to ReincarnateInAnotherWorld to a family that consists of a loving healer mother, martial father [[spoiler:who dies later on]], and LittleSisterHeroine, first demonstrated their magical prowess at a young age by destroying part of their house, were separated from their families at due to a tragic accident only to later reunite with them, became an extremely talented mage and adventurer and later attend a MagicalAcademy, own a supernatural CanineCompanion, have a suit of PoweredArmor, are brought into contact with enigmatic deities who [[spoiler:later turn out to be their enemies]], encounter [[spoiler:people from their past lives]], attract the attention of several different LoveInterests including a {{Childhood Friend|Romance}} RescueRomance with a silver-haired elf, and discover [[spoiler:their reincarnations have made them a ParadoxPerson]].

* GeniusBruiser: Arthur is not only a powerful MagicKnight, but is rather intelligent and strategic given him being WiseBeyondTheirYears thanks to his reincarnation. His genius leads to him becoming a quadra-elemental mage whose power surpasses that of most mages. This works in his favor when he is fighting much more powerful opponents. Not only that, when he becomes a military leader during the WarArc, he not only serves as a general but also provides support on the technological side of affairs. He frequently checks on Gideon and Emily regarding new innovations, and [[spoiler:later on brings Wren back from the Hearth to work alongside them]]. It becomes even more pronounced after he acquires [[spoiler:King's Gambit, which grants him a form of SuperIntelligence by allowing his mind to temporarily host multiple thought processes at once]].

** During his time in Xyrus Academy, Arthur begrudgingly tolerates Lucas in spite of their past history and Lucas continually trying to torment him out of jealousy without knowing his true identity. Lucas's jealousy of Arthur causes him to fall in with the Radicals and lead their attack on the academy. In the ensuing carnage, Lucas massacres several students and faculty on top of threatening to desecrate the incapacitated body of the StudentCouncilPresident and Arthur's LoveInterest Tessia. For that transgression, Arthur takes the opportunity to make it the last mistake Lucas will ever make in his life in a rather graphic fashion.

* HidingYourHeritage: During his time in [[spoiler:both the Relictombs and Alacrya, Arthur hides the fact that he is a Dicathian from his Alacryan compatriots. He goes by his past name of Grey during this period. Only Seris, who recognizes his description when Caera describes him, is aware of who he really is as they had encountered each other during the war and she keeps it secret from her protégé. Caera and the others only put two and two together when reports of a man similar to Grey's description leading the Dicathians in retaking their homeland start circulating among Alacryan troops suddenly returning from Dicathen in defeat. Eventually, when Arthur returns to assist Seris's rebellion, she properly introduces his true identity as a Dicathian to her assembled supporters]].

** After [[spoiler:finding himself stranded far from home following the end of the war and Sylvie's HeroicSacrifice, Arthur's main goal is to find a way back to Dicathen in order to liberate it from the Vritra Clan and their Alacryan servants. Achieving this is a lot more complicated than it sounds, for not only was Arthur BroughtDownToNormal at the end of the war, but he ends up living among the Alacryans themselves and comes to the realization that they are just as much victims of the DivineConflict as his own people. Eventually, after [[CameBackStrong Coming Back Strong]] as an aether-powered demigod and humiliating the Vritra at the Victoriad, Arthur is finally able to return home after about a year since his apparent demise and leads his remaining allies in retaking their homeland]].

** In order to [[spoiler:acquire the final keystone, Arthur's mind will be trapped in the keystone until he attains the insight needed to pass it, which will leave his body RemoteYetVulnerable. Knowing how Agrona has eyes everywhere, he uses King's Gambit to formulate a complex plan involving fortifying key locations across Dicathen to bait Agrona into attacking where he is not. To make sure the plan goes off without a hitch, he keeps practically all of his allies LockedOutOfTheLoop (especially his Alacryan ones as mentioned above) regarding the true nature of his plan. He does not like having to lie to people he trusts on top of putting them in the line of fire (which itself is against his desire to protect them in the first place), but he has no other choice if he wants to gain the insight needed to end the DivineConflict]].

* RedeemingReplacement: Combined with KlingonPromotion. [[spoiler:When he arrives to retake Etisin, Lyra not only surrenders for the remaining Alacryan forces on the continent, but pronounces him as the new regent. This example is {{Downplayed}} as he was already serving as the acting leader of the Dicathians at that point and would have continued to do so after retaking the continent regardless of whether or not Lyra had relinquished her title to him]].

*** This ends up going both ways. When [[spoiler:Seris launches her rebellion, Arthur's students were able to convince their families to either withdraw their support of the Vritra or join up with the rebellion out of respect for him and what he had taught them. In addition, during his reconquest of Dicathen, Arthur showing mercy to the surrendered Alacryans ends up causing some to turn against the Vritra and thus side with him]].

** King Grey had white-blonde hair and wore a black suit of armor with white cloth draped around it. In his current state, [[spoiler:Arthur has MysticalWhiteHair and wears a black suit of armor and a white cloak. He even briefly reassumed the name Grey during his time in the Relictombs and Alacrya]].

* ChildProdigy: Aside from awakening his mana core at the age of three, at the age of eight he has become a quadra-elemental mage able to bend not just the four elements but the deviant forms of two of them and the ElementNumberFive. He manages to impress Cynthia Goodsky, the Director of Xyrus Academy, during a demonstration so much with his unprecedented power that she would have gladly admitted him on the spot, though he tells her that he intends to wait until he is older so he can attend the academy with his age group.

*** His execution of Lucas ends up earning him the enmity of Lucas's older brother Bairon, who views it as a grave offense to his family's honor. This enmity lasts a very long time until [[spoiler:Arthur returns from Alacrya, as by then both he and Bairon have been put through hell during the war and its aftermath, on top of Bairon having undergone a HeelRealization after finally turning against his corrupt family]].
** Uto, the Retainer responsible for killing Alea Triscan, the Lance whom Arthur found dying at the bottom of Widow's Crypt. The memory of her CruelAndUnusualDeath makes Arthur swear to bring her killer to justice, especially since he had become her replacement as a Lance.

* TheJailbaitWait: By the time Arthur reunites with Tessia as teenagers in Xyrus Academy, he knows that even though she is physically a year older than him that it would be outright immoral for him to reciprocate her affections towards him given how he is mentally much older than her. However, given his own growing attraction towards her, in order to resolve the issue he tells her that while he cannot be in a relationship with her at the moment, he would like for them to resume their courtship when they are older. Tessia relents and decides to be a PatientChildhoodLoveInterest towards him as a result.

* KillingIntent: There are several instances throughout the novel where Arthur's intent is able to overpower everyone around him.

** Due to his rescue of Princess Tessia and subsequently living with House Eralith for three years, Arthur ends up becoming an honorary member of the elven royal family, with Virion in particular viewing him as his honorary grandson.

[[folder:# to F]]

* BrainyBaby:

** After [[spoiler:his audience with Kezess following Oludari's capture, the former asks him to attend the funeral of Avhilasha, the dragon who died during the operation. While Arthur does express his condolences to Avhilasha's clan, he takes the time to privately pay his respects to Sylvia by leaving her empty core at the shrine, especially since she might not have gotten the same ceremony due to Kezess knowing she betrayed him]].

[[/folder]]

[[folder:G to L]]

* TheJailBaitWait: By the time he reunites with Tessia when they are teenagers in Xyrus Academy, he knows that even though she is physically a year older than him that it would be outright immoral for him to reciprocate her affections towards him given how he is mentally much older than her. However, given his own growing attraction towards her, in order to resolve the issue he tells her that while he cannot be in a relationship with her at the moment, he would like for them to resume their courtship when they are older. Tessia relents and decides to be a PatientChildhoodLoveInterest towards him as a result.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:M to R]]

* PastLifeMemories:

[[/folder]]

[[folder:S to Z]]

* VitriolicBestBuds: Has this dynamic with Elijah. [[spoiler:Which is tellingly the same from when they were Grey and Nico]].

* ChildProdigy: He was able to awaken his mana core at the age of three when normally most children would awaken around the age of ten. On top of that, at the age of eight he has become a quadra-elemental mage able to bend not just the four elements but the deviant forms of two of them and the ElementNumberFive.

* {{Retirony}}: The day he resigned from his position as king, Grey went to sleep and never woke up again, with him finding himself being reincarnated as the newborn Arthur. Then it is revealed that [[spoiler:Agrona had been the one who caused his reincarnation in the first place, meaning that his resignation might have been caused by Agrona slowly weakening his soul before taking it]].

** Volume 8. In the aftermath, [[spoiler:Arthur ended up in the Relictombs, a dimension completely alien to him with no apparent way out. He finds out thanks to the second message Sylvia left for him the truth about the war - that Kezess and the Indrath Clan had committed genocide on the djinn which led to Agrona and the Vritra Clan's StartOfDarkness and thus the war itself. He also finds out that his mana core was damaged beyond recovery and he is forced to go incognito among a group of Alacryans. Finally, he witnesses Tessia having been turned into the vessel for the Legacy followed by Aldir completely annihilating Elenoir using the World Eater technique]].

* GroundhogDayLoop: [[spoiler:The trial to acquire the fourth keystone sees Arthur being forced to relive his reincarnation over and over again until he attains the insight needed to pass it]].

** Agrona himself. Arthur's conflict with him becomes ''extremely'' personal when he learns [[spoiler:Agrona had reincarnated not only him but also his childhood friends Nico and Cecilia and had the two of them ReforgedIntoAMinion, and in the case of the latter had ordered his LoveInterest Tessia be captured for use as her vessel. Coupled with his schemes leading to the conquest of Arthur's homeland of Dicathen and the deaths of many of his loved ones, and Arthur has every reason to bring Agrona to justice]].

** Similarly, when [[spoiler:the acting regent Lyra surrenders to him on behalf of the remaining Alacryan forces on Dicathen, she declares him as the new regent. This is a title that the dragons do not recognize, seeing as it was a title created by the Vritra and passed onto him by a traitor to them]].

* ComicallyMissingThePoint: After Tessia kisses him, he isn't shocked by that but the belief he is now a criminal for kissing an underage girl. This is despite her being biologically a year older than him and the fact that she was the one to initiate it.

** At its full power, [[spoiler:the Destruction godrune can destroy a whole continent. This is not helped by the fact that overusage of it puts Arthur on a PowerHigh that compels him to unleash its full power. As such, Arthur often has to regulate his usage of it to prevent CollateralDamage, though Regis helps him out]].

* DespairEventHorizon: Crosses it momentarily [[spoiler:as he lies broken and powerless in the Relictombs, in a foreign continent, with Sylvie seemingly dead, his homeland conquered, the fate of his loved ones uncertain, the truth of the DivineConflict laid bare before him, and his mana core shattered beyond all repair]].

* GroundhogDayLoop: [[spoiler:The trial to acquire the fourth keystone sees Arthur being forced to relive his reincarnation over and over again until he attains the insight need to pass it]].

** When he uses the Scrying artifact to [[spoiler:check on his sister, he witnesses Cecilia - who has possessed Tessia's body - and Nico's fight with Windsom and Aldir, followed by Aldir using the World Eater technique to obliterate Elenoir. Due to not witnessing Cecilia's possession of Tessia, Arthur is not aware of what happened to Tessia and so is confused about why she is fighting with Nico. He only finds out the truth during his stay in Alacrya]].

** Volume 7. First [[spoiler: his father Reynolds is killed. Then the Council Castle falls and he is forced to face Cadell, Sylvia's killer. Next he learns that the beast will he had given to Tessia gave Agrona control over her life, which let him [[TheCommiesMadeMeDoIt blackmail her parents]] into letting his forces into the castle. Then Tessia tries to rescue her parents, only to discover that both they and the Glayders have been executed. In the ensuing battle Elijah returns, who reveals to Arthur that he is in fact Nico Sever, his EvilFormerFriend from his past life. Arthur and Sylvie are forced to hold back Cadell, Nico, and the Alacryan army. In the process, Arthur ends up in a HeroicRROD and only through Sylvie's HeroicSacrifice is he saved from either dying or being captured]].

* UnwantedHarem: Over the course of the story, Arthur attracts the attention of multiple female characters such as [[OurElvesAreDifferent Tessia]], [[AloofDarkHairedGirl Jasmine]][[note]]Although hers is more of a BigSisterInstinct[[/note]], [[UnluckyChildhoodFriend Lilia]], [[DefrostingIceQueen Kathyln]], [[BespectacledCutie Emily]], and [[DarkActionGirl Caera]]. He tends not to reciprocate any of their feelings due to the mental age gap.
* VillainKiller: As a soldier in both his past life and his current one, Arthur is no stranger to killing people, especially if they threaten his loved ones. His slayings of Lucas, Jagrette, [[spoiler:Cadell, Taci, and Viessa can attest to that, on top of also slaying entire squads of Wraiths. He is also willing to slaughter the soldiers of several Dicathian noble houses that had become LesCollaborateurs to the Alacryans when the Alacryan governor throws them at him to get him to give up retaking the city]].

* YearOutsideHourInside: At the start of Volume 11 when Arthur returns [[spoiler:from the aether realm with Sylvie, he learns from Chul that two months had passed since he entered the aether realm to resurrect Sylvie. Making matters worse, he learns in the meantime that Kezess had sent down his forces to occupy Dicathen under the pretext of protection against Alacrya]].

* DragonsVersusKnights: [[spoiler:His rivalries with Agrona and Kezess. Agrona and Kezess are the dragons (though the former is a basilisk), while Arthur is the knight]].

** Arthur wears a white cloak on top of [[spoiler:the djinn armor]], as seen in the cover of Volume 9.

* HadToBeSharp: Has been subjected to this trope throughout practically his ''entire'' existence, spanning both of his lives. In his past life, he lived in a war-torn CrapsackWorld defined by AsskickingLeadsToLeadership where he was constantly forced to fight just to get by in life. This drive is what turned him into an unmatched WarriorKing. In his current life, while it takes place in a world that is more peaceful at first, Arthur has been put through some rather harsh situations where he had to exhibit that same drive from his past life to make it through.
** This trope becomes ''especially'' evident from Volume 8 onward after Arthur [[spoiler:learns the truth about how the DivineConflict started and who his true enemies ultimately are. As he is going up against the {{God and Satan|AreBothJerks}} analogues of the setting, who have at their disposal warriors that can effortlessly defeat the strongest mortal mages with ease, Arthur ''has'' to become as powerful as them just to give him and his loved ones a chance to stand against them let alone survive the conflict. Not only that, but he has to step up as ''the'' BigGood as the other potential BigGood[=s=] (Virion[[note]]Who has been broken by all the suffering he and his people have undergone during the war and can only serve as a SupportingLeader at most[[/note]], Seris[[note]]Who he cannot easily work with due to the prejudices of the occupying asuras and eventually gets forced back into Agrona's service by way of his blood allowing him to control her and her followers[[/note]], and Mordain[[note]]Who has been keeping his people in seclusion for millennia to avoid the wrath of both Agrona and Kezess and refuses to become NeutralNoLonger[[/note]]) can only act in a supporting capacity, especially since Arthur's unique abilities and experiences are what allow him to act in an inspirational fashion that none of them can hope to achieve]].

* HammerHilt: During his fight with [[spoiler:Perhata, she blocks his aether sword with her upper arm. To bypass her, Arthur proceeds to reverse his blade so that the sword end comes out of the end Perhata had been blocking, impaling her in the sternum]].

** At the close of the WarArc, [[spoiler:Arthur is forced to overexert Sylvia's beast will while fighting a losing battle against the Scythes Cadell and Nico on top of the rest of the Alacryan army in order to buy time for the Dicathians to escape. In the process, his body begins tearing itself apart, and Sylvie is forced to sacrifice herself to save him, causing him to end up in the Relictombs]].

** Similarly, when [[spoiler:the regent Lyra surrenders to him on behalf of the remaining Alacryan forces on Dicathen, she declares him as the new regent. This is a title that the dragons do not recognize, seeing as it was a title created by the Vritra and passed onto him by a traitor to them]].

** When he uses the Scrying artifact to [[spoiler:check on his sister, he witnesses Cecilia having possessed Tessia's body, her and Nico's subsequent fight with Windsom and Aldir, and Aldir using the World Eater technique to obliterate Elenoir. Due to using the artifact right after Tessia had been possessed, Arthur is not aware of what happened to her and so is confused about why she is fighting with Nico, with him only finding out the truth during his stay in Alacrya]].

* MasterSwordsman: His one claim to fame as Grey. He might not have had the ki pool to match his opponents blow for blow, but he was an absolute nightmare to deal with given a hand and a sword. This translates into his second life, where he just gets better.