Characters / Crimson Spell

WARNING: Because of the nature of the page, here there be spoilers.

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Main Characters

Valdrigr Alsvieth

Voiced by: Takashi Kondo (Drama CD)

"If it is my fate, I will not flee from it, even if I am wandering in darkness right now."

The proud, honorable first prince of the kingdom of Alsvieth, Vald leaves his homeland in search of a way to break the ancestral curse he bears as a result of wielding Yug Verund, the crimson sword. While he finds that the curse has its uses, he struggles to reconcile his chaotic, lustful behavior under the demonic influence with his genteel self-image.

Tropes applying to both

• Affectionate Nickname: “Vald” to his close friends and family, and “little beast” to Havi.
• Alternate Identity Amnesia: Cuts both ways. Vald in human form remembers nothing of his rampages, typically coming back to himself covered in blood and trying to piece together what he’s done while blacked out. When Brainwashed and Crazy Havi whispers that he wants Vald, the demon asks, “Who is Vald?”. After he begins to use the power of the curse more often and accepts his feelings for Havi in both forms, this fades.
• Anti Anti Christ: Despite his immense destructive potential, demon Vald is uninterested in helping his creator, and human Vald actively opposes him.
• Apocalypse Maiden: Astador sabotaged the ritual that created Yug Verund in hopes of finding a host for the demonic power who would be strong enough to allow it to manifest fully and help him bring about The End of the World as We Know It.
• The Baby of the Bunch: As Mars points out, he’s the youngest of the party, so the others are not only extra protective of him, but also more willing to forgive his occasional outbursts or lapses in judgment.
• Berserk Button: Don’t hurt Havi, or he’ll turn into a demon and gut you.
• Claimed by the Supernatural: Havi’s protection spell also functions as this in the eyes of other wizards who recognize it for what it is. Rimris outright calls the spell Havi’s way of marking Vald as his property.
• Combo Platter Powers: Has a Healing Factor, supernatural strength and endurance, heightened senses, the ability to neutralize powerful enchantments, Not Quite Flight (which becomes standard flight when he’s particularly angry), limited offensive magic, and, at least once, the ability to shatter a dimensional barrier with a scream of rage.
• Cool Sword: Wields Yug Verund, the Ancestral Weapon of the Alsvieth royal family. It has an elaborately sculpted hilt with a batlike design and a vivid crimson blade. It's not quite a BFS, but it's large enough that he wears it strapped to his back instead of in a sheath at his hip.
• Cuddle Bug: He becomes this when upset, snuggling up to almost every member of the group for comfort at one point or another.
• Determinator: Vald can take a serious amount of punishment, and both sides of him have a tendency to throw themselves at problems head-on until something gives. He occasionally loses steam in moments of fear but he never, ever gives up.
• Devoted to You: As mentioned below in Even the Guys Want Him, Vald inspires not only near-universal lust, but also a powerful devotion. Within days of meeting him, Ruruka considers Vald his new master and wants to protect and serve him always. Havi falls hard and fast for him, enough to be willing to make a Heroic Sacrifice to save his life only a couple months after meeting him. After just one night in his company, Mars remembers Vald with fondness, is overjoyed for an opportunity to travel with him, and willingly fights a badass Evil Sorcerer one on one so Halrein can resurrect Havi and spare Vald pain. Even Halrein, who's initially horrified by Vald's demonic aura, is quickly charmed.
• The Dragonslayer: Though it doesn’t earn him any points - least of all from the other dragons. The party’s attempt to summon a ride over the magical barrier separating Alsvieth and Zenedora goes off the rails because the dragon can smell the death of one of its fellows on him, and when his demon form curb-stomps another dragon, it does nothing but scare his friends.
• Even the Guys Want Him: Havi, Ruruka, and Rimris all have confirmed or near confirmed feelings of love towards Vald, Mars has a soft spot towards Vald because he reminds him of his prince who died, and Halrein has been shown to get flustered around Vald whenever he compliments him or gets really close to him, as well as letting slip that he may have "peeked" on Vald and Havi together on the pretext of confirming their relationship.
• Extreme Libido: So much so that he can even outstrip Havi. When Havi becomes determined to end demon and Prince Vald's arguing by having a threesome, we see the trio dozing happily in the afterglow, with Havi wearing a self-satisfied smirk. Then both Valds sit up and demand to know when he'll be ready to go another round, and Havi starts to sweat. By the time they return to the human world, the twin Valds are carrying Havi.
  Halrein: (shaking him by the collar) Halvir? What happened? Were you defeated by the enemy?!
  Havi: There's nothing left....Not even one drop....
• Fiery Redhead: In most official art, he's depicted with deep, almost purplish auburn hair. Whether he's in human or demon form, it's very fitting.
• Good Wings, Evil Wings: When particularly enraged or aroused, demon Vald sprouts long, batlike wings. However, as he and Havi grow closer, Vald's mid-sex transformations are increasingly interrupted by the appearance of luminous, feathery wings.
• Heroic RRoD: He continually pushes himself to this point, much to Havi’s distress. He would have died after his rampage in Serasudel if not for Halrein putting him in stasis, and passes out for three days after his Angst Nuke and battle with Ruruka. Then he almost immediately does it again to get the berries to heal Ruruka, leading Havi to give him a tundra-level cold shoulder for a while.
• Identical Grandson: To King Fleivangr. His demon form is a near twin, and flashbacks of Fleivangr as a human show him looking very similar to an older Vald with longer, curlier hair.
• Important Haircut: He cuts his hair short when he leaves his kingdom to search for a means of breaking his curse and leaves the tail with his family as a memento. In addition to showing him committing to his quest, the change of style helps him keep his identity a secret in unfriendly areas.
• Luminescent Blush: Practically his default expression. Human Vald blushes deeply when Havi ruffles his hair or embarrasses him, and if demon Vald isn’t blushing from arousal, he’s probably flushed from rage.
• MacGuffin Super-Person: Both enemies and allies can sense his power immediately, and few can resist the urge to get a taste. Havi first becomes fascinated with him because of it and clashes with other wizards who want to use Vald's energy themselves.
• Magic Knight: Both are capable of using magic, but demon!Vald is far more likely to just tear things apart with brute force and Vald in human form prefers straightforward swordplay over his unpredictable powers.
• Magnetic Hero: He keeps acquiring followers. Lampshaded by Rimris, who says it's because he inspires an urge to protect him.
• The Nose Knows: As part of his Little Bit Beastly package, demon!Vald has heightened senses. He's so attuned to Havi's scent that he can track him all the way to Gile's castle just by catching a whiff on the wind. Even in human form, Vald's senses are so acute that when Gile cuts Astador's disguised form, Vald can tell from across the room that it's real human blood.
• Power Gives You Wings: Vald sprouts little bat-wings when the demon's hold over him grows stronger, though they don't reappear in subsequent, less severe transformations. Later on, he temporarily manifests feathery white angel wings during a transformation brought on by his feelings for Havi. He has these wings permanently in his spectral form.
• Power Makes Your Hair Grow: Another side effect of Vald's more advanced transformation (along with the bat-wings mentioned above) is that his hair grows out. Afterwards he has to re-do his Important Haircut because of it.
• Protectorate: All of his companions are determined to protect him, but Havi and Ruruka most of all. Both essentially swear fealty to him early on and spend much of the manga throwing themselves into danger to help him.
• Pretty Boy: He’s so pretty that even common robbers comment on it. Even in his “monstrous” form, a lot of focus is given to his slender frame and delicate features.
• Psychoactive Powers: His demonic powers seem to be at least partially linked to his emotional state, making him more vulnerable to losing control when he's experiencing feelings that resonate strongly with the demon, such as pain, anger, or lust.
• So Beautiful, It's a Curse: Well, so beautiful, magically powerful, and (in the case of Vald in human form) temptingly pure of heart, it’s a curse. Unfortunately for him, Havi is pretty much the only person interested in showing him a good time instead of just taking the power by force.
• Superpowered Evil Side: Vald's curse makes him the vessel for a demon god, which affects his behavior increasingly as he gives in and uses the power to defend himself and others. His horror at the careless, bloodthirsty nature of his blackouts is the main drive for much of the early plot.
• Tender Tears: He doesn't burst out sobbing much, but if something's upsetting him, Vald usually sports classic Puppy-Dog Eyes brimming with tears. Human Vald is most prone to it, but he displays it in demon form as well, particularly following the divining ritual at the time altar and while Astador is convincing him Havi doesn’t love him.
• Violently Protective Boyfriend: It's most blatant in his demon form, but both versions of Vald are capable of getting threatening with anybody who hurts Havi.
• Uke: He initially plays hard to get (more so in human form), and has always been the "catcher" in his sexual encounters. The associated traits and dynamics are somewhat soft-pedaled, though. He's shorter and slighter than Havi, but not by much; he's pretty enough to easily pass as a woman but is more masculine than Havi in other ways, being the full-contact melee fighter to Havi's Powers Do the Fighting approach; and when he loses it after Havi's coma early in the manga, as well as in the "Havi Knows Everything" extra, it's hinted that he has fantasies of playing the Seme.

Tropes applying to Vald in human form

• Agent Peacock: He’s sensitive, effeminate, and a world-class Pretty Boy. He’s also a skilled swordsman and a headstrong, charismatic leader being groomed for the throne of a prosperous country.
• Attractive Bent-Gender: So it turns out that he’s an expert crossdresser...
• Big Brother Instinct: His very first act on-page is cutting down a demon headed for his little brother, Henri.
• Bishie Sparkle: Halrein comments that when he discusses his duty to his friends and family, he literally glows with beauty and goodness. He also exhibits a more traditional sparkle when Disguised in Drag and fluttering his eyelashes at Lord Kavanel’s bouncer.
• Chronic Hero Syndrome: He can't leave a problem alone, to the point that Halvir, Rimris, and a dragon have all gotten on his case about it.
• Covert Pervert: Implied to be the case. Much is made of his virtuous nature, and he insists that the emotion, not the sex, if the most important thing between him and Havi. But when push comes to shove, he's as insatiable as the demon.
• Ermine Cape Effect: Downplayed. He doesn’t wear full Requisite Royal Regalia, but Vald doesn’t seem to believe in dressing down even for travel. It varies from his Simple, yet Opulent drop earrings and tailored frock coats to lace-trimmed shirts and richly patterned vests. Amped up in flashbacks, where his outfits are as sumptuous as you’d expect of a prince.
• Empowered Badass Normal: Thanks to his training as a knight, he was a capable fighter before taking up Yug Verund, enough that he’s able to stand with his personal guard when the palace comes under attack. Post-curse, he slaughters most of a demonic force in Oyozo’s village before he even begins to transform and cuts down a dragon in a single strike without even trying.
• Evil Me Scares Me: He spends the first couple of volumes terrified of the curse, and not for no reason. After his Heroic BSoD in the second chapter, he explains to Havi that he hurt civilians during his first transformation and can't stand the thought of it happening again. In Serasudel, he assumes he must have killed the people around his cage while escaping and thinks to himself that he doesn't deserve to live if he did. Once he meets demon!Vald face to face a couple times, though, he shifts towards Other Me Annoys Me.
• Heroes Prefer Swords: In contrast to his demon form, who's just as comfortable using his teeth and claws or magical strikes as he is using a weapon, Vald in human form almost exclusively fights with Yug Verund.
• I Am a Monster: Said nearly word-for-word after Havi witnesses demon Vald's full destructive power for the first time.
  Vald: I apologize....for my behavior earlier. You don't know, but...I'm an atrocious monster.
• Incorruptible Pure Pureness: Several characters remark on the sheer resilience of Vald's innocent conviction and compassion. Despite his high birth, he doesn't care about power or money, and he refuses to even listen to propositions from the villains.
• The Ingenue: He’s sweet, innocent, either Obliviously Beautiful or simply doesn’t care about his phenomenal looks, and inspires protectiveness in almost everybody he meets. He’s not unfamiliar with violence, but he keeps to a strict ethical code and is genuinely shocked when others behave differently. While he ditches the “virginal” aspect pretty quickly, he’s so sexually naive that when kissing Havi to administer the antidote in the third installment arouses him, he barely seems to recognize what he’s feeling. It’s to the point that when they get into a Cock Fight over Havi, demon!Vald calls him “sickening”.
• King Incognito: While traveling through Zenedora, he can’t reveal his identity without risking being attacked or captured for being royalty of an opposing nation.
• Knight in Shining Armor: Credits his time in the knighthood with much of his idealism and strives to keep to the code of honor he learned as a trainee.
• The Leader: A mix of the headstrong and charismatic subtypes. It’s Vald’s quest the party follows, him who directs them to leave it to rescue Havi when Gile kidnaps him, and while they talk things over as a group frequently, it’s Vald who the rest look to for the ultimate decision when there’s a question of what to do.
• Martial Pacifist: He’s more than willing to strike enemies down if necessary, but he finds needless violence disgusting and aims to “never waste a life”.
• Master of the Mixed Message: He means well, but in trying to reconcile his desire for Havi, his desire to remain proper and dutiful, and his worry that their tumultuous relationship will put his friends in danger, he ends up making Havi feel toyed with.
  Havi: But you said you didn’t want to do it ever again.
  Vald: Yes! I did, okay? But if you're going to leave me, that changes everything. I won’t let you do that.
  Havi: How long are you planning to play the selfish prince tonight? Are you going to want me and then refuse me solely on your whims?
• The Nicknamer: Gives Ruruka his nickname because he reminds Vald of Henri’s pet bunny and starts calling Halrein “Rein” and Rimris “Rim” after they warm up to each other. And then there’s his first meeting with Havi:
  Havi: As of today, I will call you Vald. You, on the other hand, will call me Lord Halvir, understood?
  Vald: Sounds good, Havi.
• Prince Charming: Tries his best to be this. He’s kind, charismatic, and has a strong sense of noblesse oblige. Even while incognito and insisting his companions ignore his being royalty, his fine manners draw attention.
• Pro-Human Transhuman: Havi notes that his Chronic Hero Syndrome is driven partially by a desire to remain connected to humanity, even if he isn’t fully human anymore. He doesn’t deny it, but keeps striving to protect everyone he can anyway.
• Spoiled Sweet: Played with. On the whole, Vald is humble and friendly, often making a point to insist that his companions don’t treat him any differently because of his status. However, as Havi points out, he does have moments of brattiness as a result of growing up with people deferring to him.
• Stylish Protection Gear: Wears a variety of gloves, from a thick black pair for sparring to a more delicate white pair for riding, but always matched to his wardrobe.
• Turn the Other Cheek: He’s very forgiving, to the point of taking Rimris’ hand gently and offering to bring him back to Alsvieth like he wanted if he regains his sanity. Which he does moments after freeing himself from the magical restraints Rimris tied him down with during his Attempted Rape.
• Warrior Prince: Like a lot of real-life royalty, martial training was a big part of his education, and he takes his duty to protect others very seriously.
• Wholesome Crossdresser: Spent much of his childhood crossdressing to hide his identity, as is tradition for the heir in times of war (and returns to it like a duck takes to water when he needs to disguise himself in present day). He’s probably the most wholesome person in the entire setting.
• The Wise Prince: Evolves into this as the events of the manga begin to weigh on him. While his future as a ruler isn’t a major focus of his character, it’s implied that he harbors some anxiety about his ability to manage an entire country after seeing how difficult it is to protect and lead the few people he travels with.
  Rimris: If you were lost, wouldn’t your whole kingdom grieve? Have you given up on going on to them?
  Vald: No. But if I can’t protect my friends when they’re right next to me, how am I supposed to protect an entire kingdom of people?

Tropes applying to Vald in demon form

• The Berserker: Part of why he’s such a juggernaut. The curse binds him to “eternal pain” and anger, driving him into a terrifying frenzy from the moment of transformation. And that’s during his normal blackouts. When he thinks Havi’s dead, he unleashes a Howl of Sorrow that levels a building as his opening move. It only gets more brutal from there.
• Cute Little Fangs: At least, Havi certainly thinks they’re cute (until they’re making his tongue bleed).
• Dark Is Not Evil: His vicious appearance and dark aura unsettle most people upon first meeting, but he’s more chaotic than malicious and, once tamed, becomes almost sweet at times.
• Femme Fatalons: His long, shiny black claws, which he puts to great use during his sex scenes as well as fighting with them.
• Hellish Pupils: Vald has slit pupils when in demon form. Along with the markings on his skin, his eyes are usually the first thing to change when the demon starts to take over.
• Horned Humanoid: When fully manifested, he grows a pair of spiraling black horns.
• Hot as Hell: Demons in the Crimson Spell ‘verse vary widely in appearance, but Vald, of course, is a lithe, elfin Cute Monster Guy who spends most of his on-page time naked.
• Love Hungry: Havi is “[his] whole world”, and he’s not about to let him get away, no matter what. Seen most strongly in “The Black and White Labyrinth”. Once he has Havi in his clutches, he threatens to destroy the world if he leaves.
• Marked Change: One of the first signs that Vald is transforming into his demon form is the appearance of black markings on his skin.
• Other Me Annoys Me: He can’t stand Prince Vald, seeing him as a prissy, capricious idiot who does nothing but hurt his beautiful wizard.
• Painful Transformation: Not only the initial shift but also just existing in his demon form is painful. Havi describes the effect of the immense demonic power in a human host as “eating away at [Vald’s] body”.
• Pure Is Not Good: Astador describes him as “a demon of perfect purity” because of his destructive strength.
• Red Is Violent: Associated with deep, bloody shades of red and, as a result of the curse’s magical cattle-prodding, he’s more than a little prone to lashing out.
• Super Mode: He himself is something of a Super Mode to human Vald, but there's also the form he fights in after he thinks Havi has died. He gains bat wings, crackling magical attacks, and Glowing Eyes of Doom, as well as giving off so much spare energy that even a partial drain is enough to allow Halrein to bring Havi Back from the Dead. Using it puts Vald into temporary Shapeshifter Mode Lock.
• Supernatural Gold Eyes: In contrast to Vald's human form, which is typically depicted with warm brown or Innocent Blue Eyes, his demon form has catlike golden eyes.
• Undying Loyalty: Later on in the manga, his intense love for Havi becomes even more defining than his Unstoppable Rage. When he’s kidnapped for the second time, he ignores all of Astador’s offers and insists that Havi is the only one he’ll obey even as saying it in Astador’s presence makes him cough up blood.
• The Voiceless: Has nothing but snarling, panting, and howling to offer for his first few appearances. As Vald yields to the power of the curse more, he begins to speak inconsistently, but still either can’t or won’t at times.
• Walking Shirtless Scene: Naturally; he’s either taking immense Clothing Damage or having sex in most of his appearances. It’s also possibly just his preference. When he and human Vald return from Havi’s Pocket Dimension, human Vald is fully dressed despite having gone in naked, having apparently borrowed or magicked up some clothes. Demon Vald puts on pants and one of Havi’s cloaks, but no shirt.

Halvir Hroptr

Voiced by: Shin-ichiro Miki (Drama CD)

"I am not your underling."

A reclusive, acquisitive wizard who Vald hires to look into breaking his curse. While initially only with the prince for a chance to get his hands on Yug Verund, his cold, aloof exterior cracks quickly and he becomes Vald’s most trusted ally as well as his lover.

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• Affectionate Nickname: Goes by “Halvir” (or even “Master Halvir”) to most people, but Vald almost exclusively calls him “Havi”.
• Alliterative Name: With both his full name and his nickname.
• Back from the Dead: After his Thanatos Gambit to free himself from Gile’s mind control, he uses a "call back" spell to keep his soul in his body long enough for Halrein to revive him.
• Badass Boast: He’s never shy about expressing anger, but his reaction to sensing someone violate his protection spell on Vald stands out.
  I shall hunt down anyone who has laid hands on my Vald and make a bloodbath of him.
• Badass Bookworm: As a wizard, at least some of his power comes from study. He’s often seen reading when not otherwise occupied, and the brief panels we see of his cabin show a large amount of the already-limited floor space is devoted to stacks of thick tomes. As for the "badass" part of the equation, he has the skill, strength, and nerve to face down demon hordes alongside Vald, not to mention fighting Vald himself the night they first met.
• Badass Long Robe: Wears billowing, dramatic dark robes similar to those worn by Halceles to let everybody around know exactly what they’re dealing with.
• Bait-and-Switch Character Intro: Has one displaying his role in the Genre Mashup. He’s reserved and businesslike in his first appearance, bordering on The Comically Serious in contrast to Vald’s enthusiasm. Then he meets demon!Vald and it becomes clear that he’s anything but the traditional dignified Wizard Classic ally.
• Berserk Button: If you touch Vald in front of him, bad things are going to happen in your vicinity. Most likely along the lines of fire and magical strangulation. God help you if he thinks Vald’s dead...
• Bigger Is Better in Bed: In "Ruruka's Claim", Havi's finishing argument for why Vald picked him is that he's more...satisfying. Whether he's actually bigger than Ruruka isn't shown, but he's not lying about his own size being impressive.
• Blush Stickers: Sports them very occasionally when talking about things that touch him deeply, like his feelings for Vald. Or rare books and curios.
• Burning with Anger: When someone threatens (or flirts with) Vald in front of him, he gets Fireball Eyeballs and forces them to reconsider with anything from a handful of flame to a full-on firestorm.
• Characterization Marches On: A minor case. In the first installment, he calls Vald’s demon form “ugly” (but says that he has no complaints about having sex with him because the prince was so good-looking). In the very next installment, he says that he’s seen monsters before, but none this beautiful. For the rest of the series, he’s just as into the wild, bestial demon as he is the human pretty boy.
• Child Prodigy: Flashbacks to his days at Celeasdile show him generating a fully-grown tree during a transmutation lesson where the rest of the class is trying to sprout a shoot.
• Closet Key: For Vald, who says that nobody, male or female, has made him feel the way Havi does.
• Collector of the Strange: He and Vald first begin traveling together because helping him expand his collection is the price he requests in exchange for figuring out how to break the curse.
• Conveniently an Orphan: His parents died at some point before his adolescence. Halceles allowed him to live at Celeasdile while he studied there, but after his exile, he lived alone until the start of the story, making him independent and distrustful.
• Curtains Match the Windows: Most official art depicts him with Icy Grey Eyes to go with his Mystical White Hair.
• Cynicism Catalyst: His exile from Serasudel is a downplayed version. In flashbacks, he's already withdrawn and abrasive, but shows deference to Halceles, values his place at Celeasdile, and is at least willing to coexist with the other students even if he's not very friendly, unlike his adult self.
  Council Elder: What purpose do you have upon returning to Serasudel? It is not to atone for your sin that you committed in the past, I presume?
  Havi: A bunch of old men who threw out a weak child without even bothering to hear his reasons? Are you talking about that sin?
• Defrosting Ice King: He’s very distant when he and Vald first meet, even admitting he doesn’t much care if Vald dies so long as he gets the sword off his body. After spending more time traveling with the prince and soothing the demon, he softens up, taking care of Vald and eventually being the first of the two to give a Love Confession.
• Evil Costume Switch: While mind-controlled, he wears much a more form-fitting outfit, is lacking his usual jewelry, and has an Ominous Opera Cape that does double duty, also evoking a Slave Collar with its thick clasp.
• Evil Laugh: Prone to a sinister snicker when he’s feeling particularly sly or superior.
• The Exile: From Serasudel originally, but lives in a cabin in the woods near Alsvieth because of a summoning gone wrong when he was younger. The inhabitants appear willing to have him back after he releases Celeasdile from the time insect, but he’s not interested after eavesdropping on the council debating if they should have Halceles execute Vald.
• The Friend Nobody Likes: Except for Vald, none of the party really like him, varying from bemused indifference to outright disgust. Turnabout is fair play; Havi doesn’t like any of them either.
• Goth Girls Know Magic: A Rare Male Example. He’s a talented mage and a sardonic loner, dresses mostly in intimidating black robes (complete with shiny leather boots), and if the way he talks about Vald's demon form is any indication, he has an appreciation for the darker side of things.
• Hates Everyone Equally: It’s not for nothing that he lived in a cabin in the woods for the decade between his exile and the start of the manga. He’s such a misanthrope that when Lord Kavanel throws a party to welcome him to Zenedora, he’d rather send a double in and watch from the balcony than deal with hundreds of people fawning over him.
• Heroic BSoD: Suffers a subtle one after Vald rejects him in Oyozo’s village. He spends the next few installments dazed and off his game, enough that it allows Gile to abduct him.
• Insufferable Genius: He's a magical prodigy and very aware of it, to the point where the only person who can actually stand him is Vald. Everyone else merely tolerates him for Vald's sake.
• Jerkass: His affection for and loyalty to Vald is basically his only redeeming quality.
• Long-Haired Pretty Boy: He's frequently described as “beautiful” by his admirers, with special mention given to his lustrous, flowing locks. And doesn’t he know it….
• Magic Staff: He has an elaborate, gem-topped wizard’s staff he uses for more complex magic.
• Meaningful Name: "Hroptr" is another name for Odin (god of magic and strongly associated with possession and frenzy states), and can also be translated as "the hidden one" or "the maligned one". Appropriate for a powerful, reclusive mage who was banished from his hometown.
• Minored In Ass Kicking: As seen in his first meeting with Demon Vald, Havi may not prefer a hands-on approach (well, not a violent one, at least), but a Squishy Wizard he is not.
• Morality Pet: He's this for the demon Vald. He may be an amoral force of rage and chaos, but his primary concern is the beautiful wizard who "embraced" him and made him briefly happy.
• My Greatest Failure: He stubbornly refuses blame for unleashing the dimension bug on Celeasdile, but he avoids going back until Vald’s quest makes it necessary. More tellingly, he doesn’t even try another summoning for ten years, demonstrating that - if nothing else - he feels deep personal guilt over the summoned Head Pet that died protecting him.
• Mystical White Hair: He has floor-length silvery-white hair, as befits an aloof and incredibly powerful wizard.
• Nominal Hero: He fights to keep Astador’s Evil Plan from coming to fruition not out of any sense of ethical obligation or desire to help people, but because Astador means to hurt Vald and Havi just doesn’t like him.
• Perpetual Frowner: After having not seen him for a decade, Halceles is able to recognize Havi by two factors: his distinctive silver hair and his sour expression. He begins smiling on occasion after falling for Vald, though it’s typically more of a smirk.
• Playing with Fire: His weapon of choice is a blast of flame from his staff or palm.
• Power Floats: Levitates to catch up to Vald after he dives off a bridge in Zenedora, as well as crossing a bridge of hovering stones with little effort.
• Power is Sexy: His magical prowess garners him a lot of attention while he’s impersonating the city sorcerer in Zenedora. “Waiting list in the triple digits to even talk to him” kind of attention.
• Psychosomatic Superpower Outage: While his power isn't as psychoactive as Vald's, his icy focus is still important. When Gile forces him to fight Vald while under mind control, he taunts Vald that he would never have been able to take a mind as strong as Havi’s if he hadn’t been distracted by their argument.
• Self-Made Man: In the ten years between his expulsion from Celeasdile and the beginning of the manga, he goes from a homeless exile to a curse-breaker renowned enough that neighboring royalty has heard of him. Unusually for this trope, he's not interested in social climbing (or any kind of social acceptance, really), even after he starts seriously pursuing Vald.
• Seme: He's dominant, jealous, comparatively stoic, and almost always the pursuer in his relationship with Vald. He's also always on top (metaphorically if not literally) during their sexual encounters, though he's happy to let Vald take the initiative.
• Sex God: Downplayed. While he’s not unstoppable as a lover, he’s quite literally magical in bed, using a variety of enchantments to press his advantage. He also just has incredible stamina; he spends three months pleasing Vald seemingly day and night with no issue in “The Black and White Labyrinth”. It takes the combined power of both versions of Vald actively trying to exhaust him before he’ll admit defeat, and he still lasts several rounds before tapping out.
• Solitary Sorceress: A somewhat unusual case, being a main character and not just one stop on the hero's quest. And, you know, a sexy young man and not an older woman. But his introduction fits the bill perfectly: a secluded, slightly eerie cabin in the woods, a powerful, mysterious practitioner of magic, and aid given....for a price.
• Sticky Fingers: Despite his insulting Mars for being a thief, he can’t resist the lure of exotic objects and nicks a variety of prizes. He impersonates the city sorcerer for Zenedora’s gateway city partially to get Vald past the checkpoint and partially because he wants a chance to get near Lord Kavanel’s extensive collection of rarities.
  Havi: I’ll sneak out at the appropriate time.
  Ruruka: When talking like that, you’re just aiming at the lord’s treasure, aren’t you?
  Havi: Rude! I’m different from some unshaven geezer. I’m not a sneak-thief. But of course I intend to get the reward for the time I’ve worked…
  Halrein: If you just leave without saying goodbye, it’s the same as sneak-thief.
• Sugar-and-Ice Personality: Heavy on the ice. He's distant and hostile to almost everybody he bothers speaking to. Vald is the only person who gets any kind of sweetness from him.
• Violently Protective Boyfriend: He greets a shrine guardian with a fist to the throat in revenge for Vald almost getting hurt fighting a dragon, blasts Halceles with fire the moment he sees the other wizard trying to finish demon!Vald, and watching Gile's servant hurting Vald lets him rally from his Psychosomatic Superpower Outage long enough to waste the demon. It's his protectiveness that tips Halrein off to the fact that he's more than a companion to Vald, and Havi's own rage when he thinks Halrein killed Vald for his rampage in Serasudel triggers his Love Epiphany.
• White Hair, Black Heart: Of the Jerkass Anti-Hero type. True to tradition, the uncanny combination of his pale eyes, hair, and skin can make him look both eerie and attractive, and while he’s not evil, he’s unpleasant, prone to Disproportionate Retribution, and self-centered in the extreme.

Vald’s Party

Ruruka

Voiced by: Kōki Miyata (Drama CD)

"He is literally surrounded by enemies and the only one who is protecting him with true intentions is me, Ruruka!"

Ruruka, also known as Lizregbel or Liethregveel, is the former servant of Haldaim and sacred guardian of the shrine the wizard kept. After being freed from the defunct shrine, Ruruka chooses Vald as his new master.

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• Cute Bruiser: In both his primary forms. He’s either a small, furry, bunny-like creature or a slender, wide-eyed young man wearing a soft, fur-trimmed robe, but any opponent who underestimates him regrets it quickly.
• A Day in the Limelight: The side story “Ruruka’s Claim” shows some early scenes of the manga from his perspective, depicting his first meeting with Vald as a fairytale Rescue Romance, complete with True Love's Kiss, and subsequent events as the actions of a wicked sorcerer seeking to keep the virtuous prince from his One True Love.
• The Gadfly: Loves needling and trolling his companions, whether that’s telling Halrein he has no idea how Havi controlled the demon or insisting to Havi that Vald likes him best.
• Immortal Immaturity: He may be hundreds of years old, but that doesn’t stop him from doing things like peeping on his friends having sex or getting into a literal dick-measuring contest with Havi.
• Killer Rabbit: A near-literal example. He's the "sacred beast" guarding an ancient shrine, goes toe to toe with a demon god easily, and seems to be pretty close to immortal. His default form is an adorable glowing animal that reminds Vald of his little brother's pet bunny.
• Light Is Good: He’s a guardian whose default form is a glowing Ridiculously Cute Critter, wears bright colors when humanoid, uses “light sorcery”, and is firmly on the side of good.
• Morphic Resonance: He retains the same white and pink color scheme regardless of form. He also always has thick braids decorated with rosy beads and a curlicue on his forehead.
• Only Known By His Nickname: He tries to get his proper name (Ruruka) across, but he never stood a chance around Vald.
• The Peeping Tom: He gets an eyeful shortly after meeting Havi and Vald. Despite being the sacred guardian of a shrine, he’s delighted for the entertainment and takes the opportunity to watch a return performance whenever he can.
• Phrase Catcher: For Havi’s “rabbit stew”.
• Physical God: He’s close to this. Everyone else just doesn’t realize it until he unleashes his true form and tries to fight Vald without killing him. Still doesn’t stop Halvir from trying to kill him when he gets too close to Vald.
• The Power of Love: Says he might lose his abilities if Vald dies, implying that he’s at least partially empowered by his love and loyalty to his chosen master.
• Rose-Haired Sweetie: In his human form. He has fluffy pink hair and a sweet, if mischevious, disposition.
• Snarky Non-Human Sidekick: He mostly saves his snark for Havi, but otherwise fits. In “Ruruka’s Claim”, he notes with irritation that some fans see him as just the furry little mascot and spends the rest of the extra lecturing about why that’s false.
• Super Mode: His third, rarely-seen form, which he taps into to fight Vald on his Roaring Rampage of Revenge when he thinks Havi’s dead. The bunny-like head and braids stay, but atop a massive leonine form with claws, arcane symbols etched into its feet, and six pairs of wings.
• Swallowed Whole: He spent an unspecified amount of time in the belly of the starved dragon near Haldaim’s shrine before Vald slew it and unwittingly freed Ruruka in the process.
• Sweet Tooth: As a nigh-Physical God, Ruruka probably doesn’t need to eat, but he’ll make an exception for magical berries and centuries-old preserves.
• Undying Loyalty: Wants to “always be beside” Vald and is willing to face down demons, evil sorcerers, and even Vald himself in order to keep him happy and safe.

Halrein

"I’m always like this... always helpless at the most critical time."

Head of security in Serasudel’s village center, as well as one of Havi's former classmates. He joins Vald’s party while looking for spellbooks Havi stole and becomes attached to the prince, accompanying him on a variety of adventures.

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• Badass Longcoat: Sometimes wears a long uniform-style coat, signifying both his rule-abiding nature and his military-caliber strength.
• Crush Blush: Frequently sports a light blush around Vald, particularly when the prince compliments him.
• Expository Hairstyles: Unlike most of the other wizards, Halrein has his hair cropped short to fit with his practical, no-nonsense approach to life.
• Military Mage: Previously fought either on the front lines or as an assassin, describing his service only as being ordered to “snatch many lives from the enemy side”. In the present day, he commands the security force that protects Serasudel and guards the area's important magical items.
• My Greatest Failure: His was failing to save his lord from a severe wound because of his lack of aptitude for healing magic. Like Halvir, it makes him reluctant to try the same channeling again.
• Only Sane Man: Compared to Vald, Havi, Ruruka, and Mars, he’s by far the most level-headed of the party.
• Overshadowed by Awesome: He’s a capable wizard in his own right, but next to Havi, he has trouble impressing anyone.
• Power Floats: He’s not as showy with it as Havi is, but he’s also able to cross the hovering bridge into Zenedora that drops anybody who can’t fly.
• Sympathetic Inspector Antagonist: At first. He only joins up with Vald because he wants to find Havi and get back the stolen spellbooks. By the time he's forced Havi to make up for it, Vald has gotten to him, so he sticks around anyway.
• Weak, but Skilled: In comparison to Havi, Halceles, and Astador. He doesn't have the brute power they do, but he knows how to work his skill set well enough to save both Havi's and Vald's lives.

Mars Bolman

"There are people here? In a place like this? I'm sorry, but do you have any food?"

An upbeat thief and vagabond who joins Vald’s party after helping guide him to Gile’s castle.

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• The Anti-Nihilist: His Armor-Piercing Response to Gile and Fran expresses a deep respect for death as a natural force as well as the value of a simple human life. He knows his existence is a short thing compared to some of the beings around him, but he’s content with it anyway.
• Badass Normal: Mentions having been a soldier in the past, and it shows. His abilities might not be as flashy as those of the sorcerers and magically-charged warriors he travels with, but Mars has no trouble defending himself.
• Big Eater: Food is one of his biggest priorities. Semi-justified; he’s been living a nomadic lifestyle for long enough to need to worry about food.
• Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: He claims to be a simple swordsman and can come off as ditzy due to his carefree demeanor and one-track mind. But he takes on Gile, the sorcerer who brainwashed Havi and abducted Vald, off-panel while everyone else is dealing with demon!Vald’s rampage. He wins handily, unscathed.
• The Ditz: His fixation on food reaches this point at times. He’s so single-minded and oblivious that when he accompanies Ruruka and Halrein to Lord Kavanel’s party and finds Vald dozing and dishevelled in Havi’s arms, he thinks Vald snuck into the party because he wanted to try the appetizers. He’s also cheerfully disconnected from the sheer danger he’s in on a regular basis, remaining mellow while fighting demons, facing down a dragon, and even while being menaced by a jealous Havi.
• Gentleman Thief: Has shades of this. He’s courteous, well-spoken, and claims to have offered counsel to nobility in the past. He leaves Vald’s things untouched when he steals from Havi as a signal of respect for his status and kindness. Doesn’t stop him from landing in jail, though.
• Hidden Depths: In addition to the Hidden Badass mentioned above, he displays surprising emotional intelligence. He accurately gauges Vald’s position in the party, offers a mostly-helpful alternate perspective on both his strategic and emotional problems, and tries to reason with Astador’s henchmen instead of jumping into a fight.
• Lovable Rogue: He's an unapologetic thief, but he's not malicious and has a good heart.
• Perma-Stubble: Always looks "unshaven", as Havi puts it, as part of his rough-and-tumble vibe.
• Warrior Therapist: When confronted with Emperor Fran and Gile late in the manga, he calmly tries to talk them out of helping Astador and succeeds in making Fran doubt his consul.
• Who Wants to Live Forever?: He’s unimpressed when Osaru calls humans weak and worthless because of their brief lives.
  The important thing is to live and share your limited life with the ones you love. Even though the end will come, the next generation will carry on those feelings of delight and sorrow. That’s how humans live on. Though death is sorrowful, it is also eternal peace. What would you do if a life without end, without peace, causes you to suffer?

Antagonists

Gile

A sorcerer in service to Astador, Gile is the first recurring villain in the series. He kidnaps first Havi and then Vald in an attempt to get them to Astador.

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• The Dragon: Astador’s most loyal and active servant. It’s not until he fails in his abduction that Astador decides to take things into his own hands.
• Evil Counterpart: To Havi. They’re both mysterious, asocial wizards; they’re both light-haired and wear similar dramatic black robes, and both live in the woods. Both flaunt their power over Vald with aphrodisiacs and point out how his pride and propriety weaken him in certain situations. But while Havi’s moral compass doesn’t exactly point north, he appears to have a spare few lines he won’t cross and despite his chilly exterior, he cares deeply for Vald. Gile has no such compunctions and is gleefully cruel to Vald, to the point of nearly driving him over a Despair Event Horizon.
• Evil Is Petty: His justification for making Vald fight brainwashed!Havi? It annoys him to see people being friendly.
• Evil Sorcerer: He's a skilled mage and his empathy and mercy are missing in action. He plays it to the hilt, down to keeping a snake familiar and living in a crumbling castle in an area called “The Forest of No Return”.
• Faux Affably Evil: He treats Vald in a casual, familiar way, even sympathizing when Vald is hurt. Of course, seeing as he’s standing right there and controlling the person torturing Vald, the effect is less than comforting.
• Femme Fatalons: Has his natural nails sharpened to points, which he uses to slice open his tongue for Blood Magic.
• Hope Crusher: He relishes the opportunity to try to break Vald’s will and seems almost offended when he realizes that his mind control hasn’t made Havi give up completely.
• Mad Eye: Under the mask, one of his eyes is distinctly smaller than the other. It’s implied to be an aftereffect of the demonic treatments Astador used that altered his personality.
• Malevolent Masked Man: Has a Phantom of the Opera-style mask over half his face, giving his otherwise average looks a sinister quality.
• Security Blanket: He loses his smug composure when Mars shatters the mask during their battle. After he’s gotten it replaced, he claims that he’ll die without it. Emperor Fran destroys it a second time just to prove he’s wrong.
• Snakes Are Sinister: In contrast to Vald and Havi's Horseback Heroism, Gile's chosen animal is a massive snake he wears coiled over his shoulders. Its bites help him exert control over Havi, and it "plays with" Vald at his command when regular torture just isn't enough.
• That Man Is Dead: Shouts, “Who is that?” and insists that his name is Gile when Fran calls him “Abel”.
• Used to Be a Sweet Kid: His childhood is shown in a few flashbacks; the mind-rapist Evil Sorcerer started out as a sweet, bubbly, creative child. When Mars discovers that Gile used to be his liege, Prince Abel, he doesn’t think it possible that Abel could have grown up to be this.
• Villainous Crush: While he has Havi captive, Gile spends much of his time gushing over Havi’s beauty, complimenting his magical prowess, and indulging some the good old villainous groping.

Astador

"The one who reigns in human society is the one standing on human corpses."

A powerful sorcerer and the consul of Zenedora. Also a Walking Spoiler. All spoilers below will be unmarked.

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• Being Tortured Makes You Evil: Or, in his case, being tortured strengthens your nastier impulses and lets them walk free, taking most of your power with them.
• Big Bad: His thirst for power drove him to sabotage the ritual that created Yug Verund so he could find a suitable host for the demonic power. He’s responsible for starting the entire cycle off, as well as having a hand in most of the difficulties Vald encounters on the road.
• Enemy Without: He came into being when Rimris was captured, tortured, and used for dark magic rituals by an enemy nation. His magic was corrupted and, combined with the emotional damage, Astador was the result.
• Evil Sorcerer: Equal to Halceles in ability and shameless in his pursuit of even more power.
• Identical Twin Mistake: While they aren’t relatives, he exploits this in order to impersonate Rimris, gain access to King Fleivangr, and destroy Rimris’ reputation in Alsvieth.
• Master of Illusion: One of his favorite tactics. In his first appearance, he disguises himself as Henri in an attempt to guilt Vald into a Sadistic Choice between killing brainwashed!Havi and letting his little brother die. Later, when he abducts demon!Vald a second time, he manages to convince the demon that Havi hates him with a series of illusory versions of Havi and Vald in human form.
• The Unfettered: Unlike Rimris, he feels no shame about the horrific things he’s done in service of his ultimate goal, and he’ll stop at nothing to see his plans through.
• Visionary Villain: How he presents himself to Fran and his henchmen. He frames his plan to use the power of the curse to summon enough demons to remake the world as their playground as a way of eliminating illness and death.
• Walking Spoiler: Not only his involvement in the ritual that created Yug Verund but the exact nature of his existence makes him hard to discuss without spoilers.
• Would Hurt a Child: His relationship with Fran initially appears to be a case of Even Evil Has Loved Ones. Then he starts thinking that Vald is a lost cause and just as he’s realizing it, Fran presents himself....

Other Recurring Characters

Halceles

"Don’t tell me that the nightmare will repeat itself..."

Halvir and Halrein’s former mentor and current badass-in-residence at Celeasdile.

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• The Archmage: Other wizards from Serasudel either defer to him entirely or reference him as a major figure of magical experience and power. Minutes after being released from a decade-long stasis, he wipes the floor with Vald in demon form without breaking a sweat. He’s so respected that even Havi calls him “Master”.
• Badass Teacher: An instructor at Celeasdile and quite possibly the most powerful magic user in the setting. It's not known if he's a Squishy Wizard, either—no opponent has ever been seen landing a blow on him.
• Court Mage: Formerly a well-regarded attendant in the court of Alsvieth, using his magical prowess to protect and serve the king.
• Foil: To Halvir. Most prominently, they're each devoted to a member of the Alsvieth royal family, but their approaches are complete opposites. Halceles frames his love for the king as service-oriented and conscious of Fleivangr's status, leaving it ambiguous if he ever acted on the implied attraction. Halvir is initially using Vald for sex as much as he is trying to treat the curse and only later falls in love with him, but pursues him aggressively once he does. Additionally, both keep intense emotions close to the chest (Halceles through a calm, dignified manner and Halvir through a somewhat callous detachment), and both are immensely powerful, enough to have defied the laws of life and death (Halceles is immortal and Halvir laid the groundwork for his own resurrection), but while Halceles is highly respected and prefers to be at the center of a community, Halvir is an exile and uses his power for his own gain.
• Friendly Rival: With Rimris. He describes their relationship when they were court mages as a healthy competition that pushed both of them to new heights. They may have also been love rivals, depending upon how you interpret Halceles’ devotion to the king and if you think Fleivangr returned Rimris’ apparent interest, but Halceles is unfailingly polite, even when greeting Rimris as he comes out of the king’s bedchamber.
• Gentleman Snarker: Never misses a chance to get one off at the expense of his often-foolish ex-proteges, yet retains a dignified, genteel manner that would make Vald jealous.
• The Good Chancellor: To King Fleivangr in his backstory. He was the king’s right-hand man and helped advise him on magical tactics regarding the war with Zenedora.
• I Let Gwen Stacy Die: When the ritual that created Yug Verund went wrong and King Fleivangr slaughtered the other sorcerers involved, Halceles saw the pain he was in and the danger he posed to others. Either unaware or disbelieving that there would be a way to control the curse, he killed the king “with [his] own hands”. At least a century down the line, he’s still in mourning and it’s pretty clearly a factor in his decision to help Havi save Vald.
• Not So Stoic: He’s so reserved that he can speak calmly to demon Vald as they battle, but loses his cool when pushed too far regarding his role in King Fleivangr’s downfall.
• Raven Hair, Ivory Skin: He’s very elegant and striking, so much so that it’s implied he attracted the attention of royalty, and has dark, shining hair and fair skin.
• Really 700 Years Old: He was around when Vald's sword was forged. That puts him at over a century at the bare minimum, even excluding the decade or so he spent trapped by the dimension bug. He does not look it.
• Reasonable Authority Figure: One of the most senior sorcerers in Serasudel and very much willing to do what needs to be done, but remains kind, thoughtful, and sympathetic. When they first meet, he’s ready to “relieve” Vald, but offers his aid once he realizes that Havi was able to establish a degree of control over the curse.
• Retired Badass: Left his position in the court of Alsvieth for a more laid-back life teaching at Celeasdile after the death of his beloved king, but his fight with demon!Vald shows that he’s definitely still got it.
• Vague Age: Due to his functional immortality, it's not clear how long he's been around. He’s over a century at least.
• Voice with an Internet Connection: His beetle-tracking provides a Heroic Fantasy variant. He can speak to Halrein via a beetle planted in his coat and provides the party with advice from afar after the Serasudel storyline.

Rimris Ertoule

"It feels like I have finally woken up. And it was Valdrigr who took my hand and led me from the shadows back into the light."

A former advisor to King Fleivangr and ambassador of Alsvieth. Vald frees him from a magical prison near Gile’s castle.

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• Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Initially comes off as polite, friendly, and helpful, expressing a desire to protect Vald and keep him out of trouble. His Attempted Rape of Vald raises questions about what exactly he considers safe.
• Court Mage: Served alongside Halceles during King Fleivangr's reign before being captured on an ambassadorial trip.
• Dirty Coward: In Halceles’ view. He doesn’t take kindly to Rimris trying to run away and leave Vald in trouble out of shame and fear of the prince’s reaction to seeing him again.
• Driven to Madness: He’s not all there after his captivity in Zenedora. In addition to having lost most of his power to Astador, he has memory issues and often slips into a depressive state.
• Mad Oracle: Divining is one of his specialties. Unfortunately, he was forced to use it in terrifying demonic rituals, and it’s clear that whatever he saw, it stuck with him in the worst way.
• Rape as Backstory: He mentions his powers being used against his will during his captivity, and given what we know about how he gets some of his predictions....
• Rescue Romance: What he thinks is happening between him and Vald. He expected King Fleivangr to come save him from his captivity and was brokenhearted when Fleivangr (being dead and all, unbeknownst to Rimris) failed to arrive. When Vald frees him, he's not only grateful but believes it to be the first overture in a romance like the connection he had with the king.
• Scary Shiny Glasses: Gets these when he's having an unbalanced moment, starting with when he first recognizes the sword Vald wields.
• Sixth Ranger Traitor: He’s the last of Vald’s major allies to join him, and the first to lose his trust.
• Squishy Wizard: Unlike Havi and Halrein, he’s never shown engaging in physical combat. When he and Havi go head to head over Vald, he chooses to immobilize Havi instead of fighting him, implying that he doesn’t have much in the way of offensive magic, either.

Fran

The child emperor of Zenedora and Astador’s charge.

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• A Child Shall Lead Them: The emperor of Zenedora and not even in his teens yet.
• Green-Eyed Monster: He bucks Astador’s influence in part because he’s angry that his consul is more concerned with “that foreign prince” than with him.
• Troubling Unchildlike Behavior: He seems to understand most of what Astador intends for Vald and is upset not because he’s worried about the potential danger to his people or thinks it’s wrong but because Astador told him that he was The Chosen One.
• Tyke Bomb: A so far unexploded one. Astador spent much of his tenure in Zenedora grooming him as a potential host to advance his plans.
• Uncanny Family Resemblance: He’s so identical to his older brother, Abel, that Mars thinks he’s a ghost when they first meet.

Fleivangr Alsvieth

Former king of Alsvieth and the original bearer of the curse, as well as a close friend of Halceles.

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• The Good King: Halceles describes him as “noble, wise, incorruptible, flowing with wit” and comments that nobody could have been better suited to rule. When discussing his time in Alsvieth, Rimris similarly has nothing but praise for the king.
• Incorruptible Pure Pureness: According to Halceles, although his involvement in a somewhat sketchy demonic ritual to gain power suggests that Halceles’ affection for the king might make him biased.
• The Lost Lenore: For Halceles and Rimris. Both parties consider his death to be a low point in their lives and are defined by the loss a century down the line.
• Posthumous Character: He’s long since dead by the time the series starts but still has a distinct presence.

Henri Alsvieth

The second prince of Alsvieth and Vald’s younger brother.

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• Big Brother Worship: He adores Vald. While impersonating him, Astador’s first instinct is to say that Henri was so worried for Vald’s safety and missed him so much that he left the palace to look for him. Vald is Genre Savvy enough to see through the trick, but offers no protest to the idea that his brother would go to great lengths to see him again.
• Cheerful Child: He’s not very cheerful when we see him on-page due to being first caught up in the attack of a clan of monsters and then losing his only brother, but Vald describes him as happy and mischievous.
• Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: Has cherubic blonde curls in contrast to his fiery older brother’s darker hair and is by all accounts a sweet, innocent kid.
• Practically Different Generations: He looks to be at least ten years younger than Vald.
• Puppy-Dog Eyes: Has huge, adorable eyes that are brimming with tears in almost every appearance, but most notably when he begs Vald not to leave the palace.