Character Introduction – 3rd Round
Wilhelmott von Univance
Current King of the Univance Kingdom, age 52.
He’s trying very hard to play the part of a dashing, dandy gentleman by growing out a mustache, but the streaks of white in his beard make the whole effort look just a tiny bit comical. Medium build, medium height, his facial features aren’t bad at all, honestly quite handsome in a mature way.
Sandwiched between the two superpowers of the Empire and the Republic, yet the kingdom has never once lost even a scrap of territory. That’s almost entirely thanks to this king. Think of him as the Cao Cao type from Romance of the Three Kingdoms, equally capable in politics and military affairs, a true all-rounder.
However… these days he’s mostly stepped back from the spotlight to prepare for handing the throne to his son Schnitt.
Instead, he spends his time cheerfully hitting on maids, whisking them off to his chambers, and generally acting like a full-blown dirty old man in full flower.
Deep down, he seems to think it’s better for a fading ruler to be disliked rather than pitied.
The one miscalculation in his grand plan? His retainers have completely seen through his act and now watch over him with warm, indulgent smiles, like doting parents with a mischievous grandpa.
He’s a staunch “people first” king who refuses to raise taxes unreasonably… which means the kingdom’s finances are currently on fire. Military expenses keep climbing, and in all honesty, Noie’s dragon-slaying paycheck is literally keeping the country afloat right now.
He has a younger brother and a late younger sister; those stories will come up properly in the main plot later.
Oh, and by the way, the queen consort whose name hasn’t even been mentioned yet? She absolutely exists. She’s actually a fairly important key character, so when she finally appears in the main story, she’s going to do some seriously big work.
Just thinking about writing that part already makes me nervous about whether I’ll manage to pull it off…
Ah, almost forgot.
He has quite a few children overall, but only two are from the legal wife: Schnitt and Halfren.
Arg is the only one from a concubine.
The rest come from various maids / lovers / casual flings, and they’re all treated as illegitimate with no succession rights.
All the children born outside the main line are quietly taken in and raised in a certain designated place.
Maybe he’s not so much “mysterious” as “I introduced him way too early.”
-0-
Schnitt von Univance
The handsome prime minister / eldest son, age 24.
The next king is basically already decided, it’s him.
Whenever he shows up, he’s usually just silently grinding through paperwork.
That’s not an act; that’s literally his default mode. Workaholic to the core.
Every now and then he’ll sneak off on an unscheduled regional inspection tour, then drop hammer after hammer of righteous punishment on corrupt officials and arrogant nobles like a wandering Mito Kōmon with zero chill.
They call him iron-faced because his expression barely twitches no matter what decision he’s making… yet surprisingly, he’s actually quite family-oriented.
Whenever he can make it home, he properly spends time listening to his wives talk.
And when Arg screws up spectacularly (which happens often), Schnitt quietly pulls strings from the shadows to put out the fires before they spread.
Truly the ultimate “reliable big brother who carries everything on his back.”
Combat ability? Nothing special.
He can handle a sword better than Arg, but that’s about it.
Military knowledge is textbook-level only, he’s not much use on an actual battlefield.
Classic “leave it to the specialists” philosophy among the siblings, so military stuff gets yeeted straight to Halfren.
Next king in line, tall, handsome, basically a walking bundle of “popular guy” traits… and yet not a single romantic rumor has ever stuck to him.
His legal wife and any concubines were all chosen by King Wilhelmott.
He’s allowed to take lovers freely if he wants, but he hasn’t taken even one.
So behind closed doors people whisper “impotent”…
According to Halfren, though:
「Father could order him to sleep with a man and he’d do it without blinking. Aniki is missing something fundamentally human.」
He has completely discarded personal desires in favor of absolute devotion to the nation.
His legal wife, Camille, will appear properly in the main story later, so look forward to that!
-0-
Krea von Crostpurge
A 14-year-old little sister who is, unfortunately, hopelessly “oneechan-love”. The eighth daughter of the Crostpurge family.
She has the classic Univance look, golden blonde hair and bright blue eyes.
As for her chest… she’s still in the middle of her growth spurt. Probably. Definitely. (Please let it be so.)
In other words: mini-Frea.
Just like Mische, she comes pre-installed with that signature “regrettable aura”. It’s basically a family feature at this point.
Like Frea, Krea is a child of the legal wife, the same mother.
From mother’s perspective: Frea came first, then Krea popped out right after.
She was born with zero magic power, so the path of a mage was cruelly closed off forever.
But she refused to just sit around feeling sorry for herself, so she threw herself into studying instead, and somehow ended up as Arg’s subordinate.
Fun fact: it was Schnitt who personally recommended her.
He probably saw right through her feelings and quietly arranged for her to stay close to her beloved (disappointing) oneechan. Sweet move, oniisan.
She normally lives at the Crostpurge family’s residence in the capital, but she’s constantly making excuses to visit Frea’s lodging.
Delivering homemade snacks, letters from the other siblings, little care packages, anything to stay connected.
She’s fully aware of Frea’s… unfortunate tendencies now, and she’s been thoroughly disillusioned.
And yet.
She still loves her oneechan with all her tiny, dramatic heart.
Classic tragic little-sis energy.
Will Krea ever manage to find a boyfriend of her own someday…?
…Huh.
Never even crossed my mind until just now.
Oops.
-0-
Inel von Huegram
Arg’s adorable little brother-figure. A 14-year-old self-proclaimed “boku” boy who is secretly the eldest son of his family (with younger siblings waiting at home).
His family backstory is planned to come up properly later, but here’s the short version:
Way back when, their great-great-(etc.)-grandfather pulled off an insane display of loyalty to rein in a wildly debauched previous-previous king (Wilhelmott’s grandpa).
As a reward, the Huegram house was granted a special privilege: they remain upper nobility until the bloodline itself dies out.
Unfortunately, their territory is tiny, right on the edge of the capital, and the income is… basically pocket lint.
Now that he’s finally old enough to work (14 is the standard working age in Univance, though Noie is a walking exception), he begged his parents to find him a job, and somehow landed straight in Arg’s squad.
Lucky? Cursed? Who can say.
He’s a smart kid, so most days he’s buried under endless paperwork.
When Arg gets snack cravings (which is always), Inel turns into the official sweets errand boy.
He carefully notes down prices every time, then sends treats back home to his family with his allowance.
Truly a good, family-loving boy.
The kind who makes you want to pat his head and feed him cookies (which he would probably politely decline because “I already bought some for my little sisters”).
He’s flying completely under the radar right now…
But someday the spotlight might finally find him.
…Maybe?
Leave a Reply