Main Characters | Belgarian Empire | Germanian Federation | High Britannia | Others
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Primary Protagonists
Altina
Marie Quatre Argentina de Belgaria
Arrow-Sparrow Princess
Her royal highness Altina, fourth child of the emperor of Belgaria. Famous for having flaming red hair and crimson eyes.
- Anguished Declaration of Love: Though she never says that she loves him, she makes explicitly clear in volume 8, chapter 2 that she does not want to separated from Regis, for any length of time, and clings to his back as she's saying it. Even going so far as to ask Regis to "sleep with" her because she's afraid to let him go. Note that she's wearing her night clothes, and by necessity is Going Commando.
- Arrow Catch: An unusual variant. She slices a crossbow bolt flying at Regis from an unseen assailant in volume 5.
- BFS: Her weapon, Grand Tonnerre Quatre is bigger than she is, and almost as heavy. Her early Embarrassing Nickname "Arrow Sparrow Princess" is derived from the fact that she looks like a bird skewered with an arrow while carrying it stuck through her belt.
- Book Dumb: Chapter 3 of volume 6 shows that Altina considers reading a horrific chore. As a result, she is completely ignorant on most naval terms, military tactics and formations, and even publicly available technological achievements.
- Brains and Brawn: The brawn to Regis' brains.
- Charles Atlas Super Power: She is insanely strong, as befits those of her bloodline.
- Clingy Jealous Girl: She really does not like other women getting close to Regis. The prank that Elanora played on Regis in Volume 3, still chafes her in volume 6, several months later.
- Curtains Match the Window: Both her hair and eyes are burning with a crimson color.
- Daughter Of A Whore: Her mother was an imperial "consort", i.e. a common-born concubine rather than a lawfully married noblewoman, which made her the target of envy and slandering at young age.
- Didn't Think This Through: In her rage for Latrielle falsely claiming Regis dead, she comes out to face Latrielle, in force, to find herself outnumbered at least 2 to 1 with no idea what to do. In fact, she rides out so quickly that she misses Regis's letter instructing her in the best strategy to deal with him. Fortunately, Regis was able to recover.
- Drama-Preserving Handicap: Her sword's hilt breaks at the beginning of volume 5, forcing her to go get it repaired, and keeping her out of the fight for the rest of the volume.
- Embarrassing Nickname: "Arrow Sparrow Princess" is the derogatory name given to her by the nobility. She doesn't understand why until Regis points out that the way she carries, Grand Tonnerre Quatre, (the only way she feasibly can) makes her look like a sparrow shot with an arrow through the midsection.
- Fiery Redhead: Although magic doesn't exist in the world setting, she fits every other aspect of this trope to a T.
- Glacier Waif: She carries and easily wields a sword as big as she is (if not bigger), and almost as heavy.
- Going Commando: In volume 7.5, it is revealed she sleeps without wearing underwear, though not by choice. Being in a border fortress, she simply doesn't have access to feminine undergarments, at least not those in her size.
- Good Is Not Dumb: Although she's not well versed in many things, aside from swords-fighting and horse riding, she's a very, very quick study, and can grasp complex concepts with frightening ease.
- Implausible Fencing Powers: She can cut arrows and bolts out of the air, at night, from an unseen assailant, just by detecting the killing intent.
- Improbable Age: Commands a literal army at the tender age of 15.
- King Incognito: She is introduced pretending to be a coach driver, so she can recruit Regis to be her strategist.
- Leeroy Jenkins: She is easy to provoke and quick to enter the fray. The effectiveness of this aspect of her personality varies wildly.
- Martial Pacifist: While she loves fighting, almost to Blood Knight levels, she hates war.
- Muscles Are Meaningless: As seen in the illustration on the cover page, she's as thin as a reed, yet she has the strength to wield a weapon that weighs over a hundred pounds.
- One-Handed Zweihänder: She can wield Quattre Tonne one handed if she has to.
- Opposites Attract: The one and only guy she'd be willing to marry is her strategist, Regis, who is her polar opposite in just about everything both physically and mentally.
- Overly Long Name: Marie Quarte Argentina de Belgaria.
- Politically-Active Princess: She means to seize the throne from her older half-brothers (her main rival being Latrielle) and change Belgaria to a more compassionate country from the top down.
- Pretty Princess Powerhouse: Despite being only 14, she's more powerful and experienced than most knights twice her age and leads the battle on the front lines.
- Rank Up: She starts as the Authority in Name Only over the Beilschmidt Border Regiment: the troops like her and consider her something like a mascot, but it takes her defeating Jerome in a duel for them to take her seriously as an actual commander. Over the next few books she adds additional troops to her forces, then is field-promoted by Latrielle during the war with Britannia to become the commander of the Fourth Army.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: Treats the captured Diethart as an invited guest as opposed to an enemy prisoner, despite not being compelled to do so. Especially as "barbarians" have no rights, and are routinely executed. Further, when dealing with commoners, she doesn't stand on title or ceremony, but takes people as they are.
- Rebellious Princess: Combined with Pretty Princess Powerhouse. Volume 7.5 shows that she would have been perfectly safe if she let herself be treated as an ornament immediately after being sent to the front lines. She views such treatment as being nothing more than a prisoner.
- Royals Who Actually Do Something: Takes to the front lines, personally. In fact, she doesn't like it when Regis tries to hold her back.
- Secret Test of Character: She gives Regis one at the start of the story by pretending to be a coach driver.
- Ship Tease: Almost constantly with Regis.
- Single Woman Seeks Good Man: She is completely head over heels for Regis because he's honest, hard working, kind, and completely loyal to her.
- Single-Target Sexuality: She's the only one that recognized Regis in disguise, even when they were both at a distance too great for either side's army to see each other clearly.
- Skilled, but Naive: She's very skilled in battle. Still, there's a great deal about the world that she doesn't fully understand. Being well aware of this, she snatches up Regis, in a hurry. This is a decision she does not regret.
- Stock Light-Novel Calamity Princess: Marie is a disgraced princess whose descent from the ancient conqueror L'Empereur Flamme gives her both tremendous power and fiery red hair, and she charges into battle wielding an enormous sword forged from legendary "faerie steel". Being a Low Fantasy setting, whether her abilities are actually "magic" is left ambiguous, but she still has monstrous strength and stamina which allow her to wreak havoc on the battlefield (and by extension, throw politics across the continent into chaos). She's bound to the male protagonist both romantically and through a formal contract, though unusually he's a Non-Action Guy hired as her strategist. She sort of has a Red Baron title in the form of "Arrow-Sparrow Princess", but it's more of an Embarrassing Nickname.note .
- Subordinate Excuse: Inverted. She will use the fact that Regis is her direct subordinate to place him in intimate situations with her at any opportunity.
- Tender Tears: She has a really hard time stopping her tears from flowing when some petty bureaucrats use official military orders to separate her and Regis in volume 8.
- That Came Out Wrong: At the very beginning of Volume 6, on the way to regroup with the First Army, she suggests "sleeping with" Regis to make sure he gets enough rest, considering the fact that she knows he neglects sleep in favor of reading books. To her credit, she realizes the implications immediately. Although going by their respective Luminescent Blush, neither of them would be opposed to the idea under better circumstances.
- Tomboy with a Girly Streak: She's so much into this trope that she can almost pull off Tomboy and Girly Girl with herself.
- Took a Level in Badass: By the end of Volume 7, she can match Mercenary King Gilbert in melee combat, and that's something not even Latrielle could do. When she got Grand Tonnerre Quatre back from the blacksmith, Enzo, she utterly destroyed Gilbert's trident and forced his surrender.
- Worf Had the Flu: When provoked into battle with Latrielle, he boasts about how vastly superior his swordsmanship is. What he doesn't realize is that she's fighting him on equal terms with a broken hand. Further, Volume 5 reveals that Grand Tonnerre Quatre wasn't even in its ideal state. The previous Emperor could not wield it and had it altered from its original form into a purely decorative sword. The fact that Altina could wield it at all speaks volumes.
Regis Aurick
Regis d'Aurick
The Wizard
A young boy with almost no martial prowess who loves to read books. He has almost no sense of self-worth and if sent to the front lines, he would likely trip over them. Still, he has encyclopedic knowledge of numerous tactics, strategies, and the various active factions of the world setting.
- The Ace: Though he isn't really willing to believe it, he was the top strategist in the military academy. He only lost a strategic debate once with a rival academy, and that defeat was rather suspicious, as the one judging the match was firmly indentured to the victor. As is revealed in Volume 7.5 even academy instructors could not match him.
- Almighty Janitor: Even after his field promotion at the beginning of Volume 6, his rank and title don't come anywhere near close enough to match his talent and accomplishments. In fact, when he had to be the acting admiral of the Belgarian fleet, due to the actual admiral being sidelined by a war injury, the sailors under his command did not hesitate to say he's the best admiral they've ever had. By the time of Volume 10, Latrielle thinks he should be a full-blown general, and anything less is beneath him.
- Badass Bookworm: He can't swing a sword without nearly cutting off his own legs, and has to be held while riding a horse, but his encyclopedic knowledge of tactics and strategies both real and fictional, for the world setting, from the books he's read, have led him and Altina to victory, repeatedly, against overwhelming odds.
- Batman Gambit: He tears the Leonbalt army appart in volume 10, by predicting his each and every move, five steps in advance. The king of Leonbalt had an epic Villainous Breakdown in response.
- Beleaguered Bureaucrat: He was this for most of Volume one, and a significant part of Volume 2. The reason, he was forced to maintain the finances, quarter mastering, and account keeping for the entirety of Altina's fortress base, alone, because all the other accountants, book keepers, and quartermasters were caught red-handed stealing from the military, and any incoming replacements were found to be just as wanting, if not worse. He had to literally collapse from overwork before anyone competent could be found.
- Berserk Button: Suggesting censorship or banning books is one of the few things that will piss him off.
- Beware the Nice Ones: Meek, gentle, almost shy with little to no confidence in himself, make him an enemy, however, and woe be onto you.
- Big Damn Heroes: He manages to come to Clarisse's aid in Volume 2 and save her from an Attempted Rape.
- Brains and Brawn: The brains to Altina's Brawn.
- Break Them by Talking: Is an absolute expert in this. In volume 1, he earns the respect of the barbarian chief, Diethart, by being completely fearless in negotiations. In volume 2, he manages to terrify a corrupt army inspector armed with a gun and a sword, and willing to use them, simply by talking to him, and shortly after that, gathering the intel on the Varden Duchy Fort Volk from a captured patrol simply by questioning the captured patrol, without using torture of any kind, trounced an entire Decadent Court in volume 3, and in volume 5, utterly humiliated a rude messenger that had insulted his army unit. We find out from his sister in Volume 5, that he's been good at this since age 10.
- But Now I Must Go: To the chagrin of both Altina and himself at the end of Volume 8, he, sadly, heads to the Belgaria capital to pass the tests required to claim the Chevalier title Latrielle gave him in volume 6. He briefly considers resigning his military career so he could stay at her side, but ultimately decides that his going to the capital is a quicker and more effective method of meeting Altina's goals.
- The Chains of Commanding: He takes the casualties that result from his strategies and tactics very hard. Even when those casualties result from things beyond his control, like the Suicidal Overconfidence of the troops.
- Chekhov's Gun: The very expensive book he purchases in the first volume becomes a critical plot device in volume 2. It contains an original blueprint to Fort Volk, and is instrumental in the fort's capture.
- Chick Magnet: Although Altina is the one most smitten with him, there are numerous other women showing quite a bit of interest. He's absolutely baffled by this.
- Combat Medic: His penchant for reading any book he comes across includes medical texts. So much so, that he can perform field surgery to save Queen Margeret Steelheart from a self-inflicted stab wound. He later proves his expertise in diagnosing Franziska's injuries when she's attacked by Becker.
- Combat Pragmatist: Isn't above turning to some dubious methods to secure military victory.
- Crazy-Prepared: After the end of the naval battles in Volume 6, he reveals that he had strategy on top of strategy on top of strategy prepared for the battle. Fortunately, the first strategy of the second battle was more than sufficient.
- Creepy Child: His older sister tells Altina a story of how when Regis was no more than seven years old, he completely, and thoroughly saw through and terrified a con artist that was selling "roof repairs" for their family home. Note that the con man in the story was very skilled at Exact Words and Loophole Abuse.
- Crippling Overspecialization: He's an absolute demon when it comes to strategies and tactics, even being able to flawlessly navigate a Decadent Court, and completely helpless in just about everything else. In volume 9, he literally trips over the front lines and has to be carried on a medical stretcher to avoid being trampled to death by the infantry.
- Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: He doesn't look like much, and is often presumed to be unreliable, even by himself, but when his strategies are actually employed, woe be unto the enemy!
- Cruel Mercy: He saves Margaret's life by performing field surgery on her self-inflicted knife wound, so that she's alive to answer for starting her unprovoked war on Belgaria.
- Did Not See That Coming: His brilliant strategic mind is not infallible. He both failed to recognize Franziska and prepare for Latrielle to try killing him in the First Army warcamp in the middle of the celebration of the victory over High Britannia. He also failed to see Gilbert countering his "Fog" strategy, but that was more a lacking in the soldier's training than his shortcoming.
- Dissonant Serenity: He has a tendency to be eerily calm in battle, and many characters have not only taken note, but commented on it.
- Dragged into Drag: Franziska, Jessica, and Fanrine assemble the "perfect" disguise for Regis to infiltrate the Imperial Capital while Latrielle is looking to kill him. Put him in a dress! To his chagrin and their amusement. It's so surprisingly effecive, soldiers from the First Army try out their best pick-up lines on him.
- Embarrassing Nickname: He was once known as "The Green Turtle."
- Heroic Selfdeprecation: He considers himself completely worthless as a human being. No matter how effective his strategies are, he doesn't think himself worthy of praise, as he wasn't the one actually fighting, and although he's fully aware of how much a Chick Magnet he is, he doesn't feel deserving of their affection. It isn't until he's confronted by Clarisse, Altina's maid that we find out why. He has the perception that being "manly" means suffering from a terminal case of Testosterone Poisoning. Even his older sister was more manly than he. The true cause gets revealed in volume 5, and it's quite tragic. This is beginning to fade in later volumes as his strategic victories begin to boost his confidence.
- Hidden Depths: His encyclopedic knowledge of books is very valuable outside the battlefield as well. He had Altina and Clarisse completely enthralled by reciting a book similar to Tales of the Arabian Knights, from memory, while they were all waiting for Jerome's arrival in volume 7. Jerome goes so far as to accuse him of being a bard.
- Humble Hero: Goes with his Heroic Selfdeprecation. He feels more uncomfortable getting awards, titles, and praise than he does going into live combat, or navigating a Decadent Court.
- Ignored Expert: Had the seventh division heeded his warnings, volume five would have turned out very differently. It is not the first time either. His previous benefactor, Marquis Thénezay, also ignored his repeated warnings about an impending ambush. Regis was left helplessly watching the man turned into a Human Pincushion.
- I Lied: A heroic example in volume 2. He promised the corrupt military inspector that he, Eric, and Clarisse would happily forget all about the attempted rape, and attempted murder if he stood down. The moment Altina showed up on the scene, Regis sold him out immediately.
- It's All My Fault: Regis blames himself for the death of his former benefactor, Marquis Thénezay. Thinking that if he had somehow warned him, a third time, about an impending ambush, the man might still be alive, despite literally getting thrown out of the officer's tent, and being branded a coward for not being full of Suicidal Overconfidence.
- Misanthrope Supreme: He has a very dark and jaded view of humanity. He happens to be right.
- My Greatest Failure: In addition to the loss of his former benafactor, Marquis Thénezay, he views his failure to predict the death of Belgaria's Emperor and the ascension of Latrielle this way.
- Nerves of Steel: Heroic Selfdeprecation aside, he is not an easy man to scare. Clarisse manages to terrify him only because she's a master of Tranquil Fury and knows all his weak spots. On the battle field, it takes Altina slicing a crossbow bolt aimed at him in mid-air to startle him. Even when he's absolutely terrified, he never loses his cool, and always calmly analyzes the situation to find a solution.
- Nice Guy: He's genuinely very gentle and kind, and truly treasures his comrades.
- No Badass to His Valet: When Bastian hears of his exploits in Volume 7.5, he can't bring himself to believe it.
- Oblivious to Love: Altina is clearly falling for him, yet he's clueless due both to their differences in social status (not realizing that if Altina succeeds in becoming Empress she'll have the power to choose whomever she wants as her husband) and his extreme Self-Deprecating nature that causes him to think no woman could ever want him.
- Opposites Attract: While he's well aware of the affections, many, many women show him, although failing to comprehend why due to horrifically poor self-esteem, the only one whose hand he'd take in marriage, if he could, is princess Altina, his polar opposite in just about everything, both physically and mentally.
- Orphan's Ordeal: His parents both died from illness when he was very young, and his older sister did her best to raise him, but unsurprisingly, did not do a very good job.
- Past Experience Nightmare: He starts showing signs of PTSD in the volume 8 prologue. He awakes from a nightmare where dead Belgaria soldiers are grabbing at him and angrily accusing him of leading them to their deaths. Clarisse was there to calm him down.
- Rank Up: Initially a commoner and a fifth-rank administrative officer. In volume 6, Prince Latrielle orders him promoted to third-rank, and also knighted.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: He gives a truly cathartic one to Queen Margaret when clinically, and accurately, describing the symptoms of her narcissism. She does not take it well.
- Red Baron: He has two. To his allies in Belgaria he's known as "The Wizard," a title he unwittingly chose himself in volume 5. To his enemies, he is known as "The Demon of Belgaria" due to his highly unorthodox, morally ambiguous and highly effective tactics and strategies. He picks up a few more by volume 8 without his notice. ‘Hero who saved the nation’, ‘Wizard of the battlefield’, ‘Monster Strategist’, ‘The Princess’ Shield of Wisdom’ Titles that only appear in entertainment novels.
- Skewed Priorities: Place a book in his hands, and he will forget to eat or sleep. He equates reading with the need to breathe.
- Slasher Smile: He shows this on occasion. Most notable in volume 3 when his strategy to deal with Prince Latrielle really comes together. When Altina saw it, she was scared stiff.
- The So-Called Coward: Is openly accused of cowardice by Vincent, the strategist of the seventh division, because he advocated against clashing with the Britannia army head on in volume 5. Since Vincent is the one strategist to actually defeat Regis in mock strategic debates, Regis was not able to give a rebuttal. Regis would turn out to be proven right as Vincent's "brilliant" strategy wound up leading the seventh division into a meat grinder that all but completely annihilated them, and would have if not for Regis's quick strategic and tactical thinking. Vincent is not the first one to brand him a coward, and forcefully eject him from the officer's tent either. What's worse about Vincent is that he's convinced that cowardice is somehow contagious, like a disease, and convinces his superior officer to completely sideline Regis, Altina, and her entire unit to keep it from spreading. Many troops died needlessly because Altina could not intervene until the commander of the seventh division performed a Heroic Sacrifice.
- The Strategist: This is his role in the story, in a nutshell.
- Showy Invincible Hero: There is something just so immensely gratifying about "seeing" his strategies in action.
- Super Drowning Skills: He can't swim, and even almost drowned in a basin of water once, and not as a small child.
- Taught by Experience: By the time of Volume 10, he's begun crafting his own strategies, as opposed to copying what he's learned in books, due to evertyhing he's experienced, both good and bad over the course of his life. These strategies are no less effective than what he's done before.
- Tears of Joy: When he receives a hero's send-off in chapter 3 of volume 8, he's confused, chagrined, and cowed, honestly believing that he doesn't deserve it, but when Ducasse comes along and cheers him, he gets all misty-eyed, knowing full well that Ducasse means it.
- Unspoken Plan Guarantee: The vast majority of his plans make heavy use of this trope. Never expect to find out what Regis is planning, until it actually happens.
- We Can Rule Together: He makes this offer to Jessica of Renard Pendu in volume 11, and she accepts with only token hesistation.
- We Do the Impossible: Almost constantly. Only Altina has enough faith in him to believe his extremely unorthodox tactics and strategies are going to work before seeing them in action, and this is against impossible opponents that have already beaten soldiers with far more rank, training, and experience than himself. Her faith is well justified.
- What Does She See in Him?: More like "what do you see in me?!" He asks Clarisse, point blank, when she comes on to him a bit too strongly. Amusingly, she actually tells him that contrary to his perceptions, women actually like men who are gentle and kind, not the over-machismo fools Regis associates with manhood.
Clarisse
Altina's hand maid, also long-time friend and companion.
- Beware the Nice Ones: She is gentle and kind, but she's a master of Tranquil Fury and easily terrifies Regis into doing what she wants.
- Childhood Friends: With Altina.
- Curtains Match the Windows: She is described as having brown hair and brown eyes.
- The Gadfly: Volume 7.5 shows that she loved to tease and torment Altina when the two were alone prior to the arrival of Regis. Once Regis came into the picture, he became her new chew toy.
- Marshmallow Hell: In the volume 8 prologue, she catches Regis having a PTSD nightmare and holds his face to her chest to calm him down, then goads Altina into doing it. Unfortunately for Regis, Altina was still wearing her armor at the time.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: In volume 14, she detects a strange odor in the water source for the Belgaria war-camp. Rather than report it, she covers the odor with some kind of perfume fragrance. Said odor turns out to be poison placed in the water by Hispania's forces.
- Rape as Drama: She gets sexually assaulted in Volume 2 by a very corrupt military inspector, and his brutish bodyguard. When she runs to Regis for aid, Regis keeps them occupied until Altina shows up, and kicks the ass of the inspector who is armed with a gun, with one arm in a sling! Eric, Regis's bodyguard and retainer (appointed by Altina) took out the inspector's bodyguard with a sword.
- Shipper on Deck: She really wants Regis and Altina to get together, but knowing the direct route is not going to work, she shamelessly teases them into it.
- The Stoic: In times when she's around people she doesn't know or particularly like, she shuts down her ability to emote, and says very little.
- The Tease: She comes on to Regis very strongly, and she can get him really worked up without even removing one stitch of clothing.
- Undying Loyalty: To Altina. Volume 7.5 reveals that she outright volunteered to follow Altina to the front lines.
- You Are Not Alone: She says this word for word to Regis to help him cope with the burden of his position.
Jerome
General Margrave Jerome Jean de Beilschmidt
- "You are trash. But you are a useful trash. And my principle is to use anyone that is useful, even if they are just a speck of dust."
Black Knight Jerome
The former commander of the Beilschmidt border regiment assigned to Altina. He does not like being under her command one bit. Still, he submits to her authority, not because of her rank or title, but because she beat him in a duel.
- Black Knight: Fits most aspects of this trope. He even paints his armor black.
- Combat Pragmatist: He will do just about anything to win on the battlefield, and actually likes Regis's more morally ambiguous strategies.
- Drill Sergeant Nasty: He plays this as straight as they come. He calls Regis "trash" constantly, but Regis is useful trash.
- A Father to His Men: If you can make it through his training regimen, he will provide and protect you. He even treated Regis kindly when the latter had a very high fever, due to collapsing from overwork. Still, he doesn't like it when people point it out.
- Insult Backfire: Receives one in Volume 3. An imperial knight accuses him of abandoning all chivalry after Jerome set his men on fire before attacking him. Said knight just moments prior lead 1000 cavalry men on horseback to attack Altina, Regis and three other people on three horses.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Comes across as brutish and brash, but there's no one else you'd want at you'd want more at your back on the battlefield. He even forfeited the duel with Altina when his sparring weapon broke, despite being easily able to defeat her.
- Knight in Sour Armor: He doesn't suffer from Honor Before Reason, but he is still an official knight of Belgaria.
- Noodle Incident: Something in his past, that he doesn't want to talk or hear about, caused his family to lose their noble status.
Eric Mickaël de Blanchard
A knight in training that gets assigned to be Regis and Altina's bodyguard. He specifically requests the position because he has admired Regis since being saved by his tactics during a losing battle.
- Big Damn Heroes: Saves Regis's life by taking down the bodyguard of a corrupt military inspector who was chasing and trying to kill Regis to stop him from testifying about an attempted rape.
- Bodyguarding a Badass: Guarding Altina certainly counts.
- Game-Breaking Injury. It is revealed in Volume 8, that the crossbow bolt he took to the shoulder caused nerve damage, making him unable to wield a sword, or any heavy weapon, again. In fact, he equates his arm-strength to that of a child.
- Heroes Prefer Swords: He wields a sword very well as his weapon of choice.
- Implausible Fencing Powers: He was able to defeat a professional, military trained bodyguard with a single sword strike without killing the latter.
- Sweet Polly Oliver: Heavily implied in volume 3. Eric questions Regis a great deal about "an acquaintance" that is worried because she's a female from a noble house with no male heirs, and also shows many hints like bathing/changing alone, and being embarrassed when Regis changes in the same room.
- Taking the Bullet: Took a crossbow bolt aimed at Regis and Altina in volume 5. Although he lives, it takes him out of the action for the rest of the book, much to his annoyance.
- That Makes Me Feel Angry: He described to Regis how he was enraged at the behavior of the military inspector and the bodyguard that were sent to audit Altina's forces, and deliver orders to capture Fort Volks in volume 2.
- Undying Loyalty: To Regis and Altina.
Secondary Protagonists
Bastian
Heinrich Trois Bastian de Belgaria
Third born child of the emperor, Bastian left the Decadent Court of Belgaria to go and become a student in Britannia's school system.
- Badass Bookworm: Surprisingly, he gets this from Regis. A flashback shows that Regis introduced him to the joys of reading. Bastian becomes inspired to be an author as a result. (Which is what he was studying in Britannia.)
- Because You Were Nice to Me: Comes to princess Elizabeth's aid when she's targeted by her government because she, as a classmate, was nice to him.
- Blade Enthusiast: His weapon of choice is a dagger, granted to him by the Emperor when he was sent to Britannia.
- Broken Tears: Upon the death of his friend, Roland.
- Bullying a Dragon: Is on the receiving end of this frequently from his classmates. It is only because he promised his maternal grandfather that he'd return home if he got violent that he doesn't retaliate.
- Charles Atlas Superpower: Just like his sister, Altina, he's got enormous strength. Enough that he can stop a charging bull, bare-handed.
- Genre Blind: He's almost completely ignorant of the movers and shakers in the world setting and fails to recognize the primary antagonists namely Renard Pendu.
- Hotblooded: Like his sister, he's quick to anger. He's been in numerous fist fights prior to coming to Britannia.
- Improbable Aiming Skills: When he gets his hands on a gun in volume 4, his aim is so acute that he can hit anything he shoots at regardless of distance, cover or movement. In fact, he saves Eliabeth's life by shooting an assailant from a roof top into a nearly shut window, in a tower, across a courtyard several meters wide, and he's using single shot rifles, not a modern sniper rifle with laser sighting.
- King Incognito: Shown twice in Volume 4. The first, he's shown as a student in Britannia, with nobody knowing about his royal lineage, and the second, he met Regis while "playing hooky" from his royal duties while Regis was in the library engrossed an a book, also playing hooky from the military academy's physical regimen (at which he sucks). Bastian was so amenable that Regis never realized he was talking to royalty.
- Large Ham: He loves to make big, dramatic entrances. Even in the heat of battle he makes some really loud and wild gesticulations.
- Bastian:"Don't shoot your own princess, you foolish soldier!" (Punches the soldier through a brick wall.)
- Morality Pet: To Franziska. He's the only one she considers a friend outside Renard Pendu, and the friendship is genuine though it doesn't start out that way.
- My Greatest Failure: He sees Roland's death as this because he only crippled, not killed, the "Loyal Soldier" thug that swore to kill Belgarian civilian refugees, and the thug pulled out a gun, aiming it at Elizabeth as Bastian was walking away.
- One-Man Army: It takes an entire Britannia army regiment, armed with the latest guns and cannons to match him in combat, and he still wins.
- The Promise: Makes one with Elizabeth so that she reads his adventure book, that he is currently writing, after it gets published.
- Pyrrhic Victory: Sure, Bastian manages to save Princess Elizabeth, and keep his own life, but they never make it to Britannia's capital, Margaret takes the throne, and immediately launches war on Belgaria without cause or provocation purely for her own amusement.
- Sham Marriage: Pretends to be engaged to Elizabeth as they're running the countryside, trying to get to Britannia's capital.
- Skewed Priorities: While rescuing Princess Elizabeth, using a Bridal Carry, he suddenly realizes that a similar scene in his adventure book features the main character doing the same thing, and fighting enemy soldiers, by swinging his sword, at the same time. He then fixates on the fact that if he, with super-strength, can't do it, then how is his character supposed to, almost ignoring the life or death struggle he's currently in, much to Elizabeth's chagrin.
- Unskilled, but Strong: He has little official military training, yet he can mow down an entire army purely by using his enormous strength. This tactic fails him in the battle with Margret's bodyguard. See Worf Had the Flu.
- Worf Had the Flu: He gets defeated easily by Margaret's bodyguard just to show how ridiculously strong that guy is. Still, this is after he's just fought an entire Britannia army regiment, is covered in wounds, and is holding Princess Elizabeth in one hand, because if he lets go, the Britannia army would shoot and kill her. He escapes certain death by jumping off a bridge into a river, taking Elizabeth with him.
Princess Elizabeth
Elizabeth Victoria/Elise
The former crown princess of High Britannia, and fellow student of Bastian. The plot of volume 4 revolves around her trying to reach the Britannia capital city and claim the crown while the Britannia army is trying to kill her so that her relative, Margaret can take the crown instead.
- Aren't You Going to Ravish Me?: Ooh boy. She lets her feelings slip a bit when she catches Bastian with some books that have rather "racy" illustrations loaned to him by Roland.Elise: “You never did anything to me, so why are you looking at such things!?”
- Assassin Outclassin': She survives several assassination attempts before Bastian shows up to rescue her.
- Awesomeness by Analysis: She, and she alone, was able to figure out that Basitin is a prince of Belgaria purely from his own behavior and personal facts that he could not hide, like his red hair and red eyes.
- The Chains of Commanding: She really did not want to take the throne, but she chose to do so for the sake of her country, as a sacred duty. Her relative, Margaret, does not have such lofty reasons.
- Fallen Princess: Through no fault of her own, she is hunted by the entire Britannia army.
- High-Pressure Emotion: Immediately after the line in the Aren't You Going to Ravish Me? entry, she is so utterly embarrassed that her blush goes all the way to her ears, turning them beet red.
- Living MacGuffin: Almost throughout the entirety of Volume 4, Margaret had the Britannia army hunting her down, to make sure she would have an "accident" and therefore never become queen.
- Memento MacGuffin: Her royal ring is seen as this in Volume 7.5.
- Not What It Looks Like: Combined with Mood Killer. Roland walks in on her straddling Bastian as she was trying to confiscate what she considered "erotic" literature.
- The Promise: Promises to read Bastian's adventure book, and give an honest critique, should he ever get a chance to actually publish it.
- Sham Marriage: Agrees to pretend to be Bastian's fiance while running across Britannia to try and reach the capital city. They keep up the facade even when there's no longer any point in doing so at the end of Volume 4, implying that the engagement is now real.
