Keel Freezis

"To seize the world's information is the secret to success."

- Keel's mantra

Keel Freesis is an immigrant from the Kingdom of Marlon who founded and headed the Freesis Firm. After the Green Hunting, he returned to Marlon with his family and later guided his son, Shaw, as the business' successor.

Early Life
Born in the Kingdom of Marlon in EC 473, Keel met and became longtime friends with Mikina Sfarz. At some point, Keel became an apprentice, eventually earning a reputation for doing anything if he was paid for it. In EC 489,  Keel received the investigation files from Prince Kyle for art tutor's poisoning and he became friends witht he royal, always interested in Kyle's paintings. Around this time, Keel began a business in Marlon. After Kyle burned his paintings in EC 490, Keel bought the only one the King kept, telling his friend he could buy it back when he felt better, though the price would be doubled. At some point, Keel and Mikina became romantically involved and she became pregnant.

In EC 491, the romantic engagement was revealed and word had spread that Keel owned an unfair business. Hunted, the two fled to the Kingdom of Elphegort. Living in the capital city of Aceid, Mikina married, gave birth to their daughter Yukina, and set up a shop. Because they were foreigners, the shop began to fail and the couple suffered severe discrimination. Around that time, Mikina became pregnant again in EC 492 and soon after, they were visited by a man in rags. Welcoming him into their home and giving him their hospitality, the couple was surprised to discover he was actually King Sohni Elphen. Impressed, the king distinguished them throughout the country and his sponsorship made their failing business very successful. The following year, their first son was born and the couple named him Shaw.

Growing Success
"Mr. Keel has become the first big businessman in Elphegort or even in Evillious as a whole."

- an Elphegortean innkeeper and friend of Keel

Due to the popular success of their local business, Keel expanded it into the Freesis Firm, spreading the merchant guild across Evillious into Lucifenia, Levianta, and even his homeland in Marlon. Becoming extremely wealthy, Keel purchased a title of nobility in Aceid and the Freesis family moved into a mansion in the Northern District and the merchant began to collect things for home decoration and set up a hideout in a well at the Millennium Tree Forest. Around this time, Keel funded for a convent to built along the western coast of Lucifenia, dedicated to the dragon god, Held. From there, Keel began holding monthly banquets, inviting nobles and other members of the Firm. Through the parties, Keel created an information network across the region and used it to help the international business dominate the region.

In EC 495, Keel and Mikina had their third child, Aile, and were well known among the higher echelons of society. At some point, Keel saw Yukina's talent of writing and would send a servant to purchase Rollam bird feathers from a foreigner-owned inn for her pens. Sometime afterward, Keel acquired a sword from his wife for his collection and stored it in his warehouse. Despite his fascination with the weapon, he saw little value in it and tried selling it to potential buyers. A travelling businessman who visited told Keel it was called the "Venom Sword". In EC 499, Keel planned to visit the inn with a servant to buy more bird feathers since several of their servants resigned and they were under-staffed. However, he was forced to help clean up a few things and Mikina had to do go there instead. When his wife returned, she brought back two more potential servants, Clarith and Michaela.

After three months, the family accepted the pair as maids. Clarith in particular was assigned to take care of Yukina, due to her literacy and unique features attracting the child. In December of EC 499, Keel attended the party of Lucifenia's princess, Riliane Lucifen d'Autriche, with his wife and their butler, Bruno. At the party, Keel learned of the Kingdom's growing financial situation, poverty, and starvation due to their poor harvest. When presenting the princess' cake, Keel was surprised by how massive it was.

Returning the day after the celebration, Keel arrived to learn Earl Felix had visited the mansion and entered the living room, sending out Michaela and Clarith before discussing the current state of Lucifenia. As the two began to leave the room, Keel finished his report from the celebration and the earl thanked him for his advice. Yukina suddenly ran into her father, glad to see he was home. Smiling, he apologized for not coming to see her first when he got back and offered to read a book to her as compensation. The earl laughed, musing how Keel uncharacteristically acted towards his daughter. Keel replied that he would rather have her than The Daughter of Evil, Riliane.

That night, Keel heard a beautiful singing voice from his room and went out to the garden to see Michaela singing for Clarith. Amazed by the performance, he clapped as she finished. The impressed merchant congratulated Michaela for her unknown talent and brushed off Micahela's apology for singing so loud. Keel asked if Michaela liked to sing and decided to hire a tutor to help improve her talent. When the servant asked why, Keel said she would see and said it was getting cold, sending them all back to their rooms.

Two weeks later, during the next banquet, Michaela was set up as the main event and the merchant clapped his hands to gather everyone's attention. Confident, Keel presented his maid upon the stage and her performance wowed his attendees. After the show, Keel and Michaela socialized with the various guests. King Kyle walked up and noted how successful Keel was and the merchant asked if Kyle was satisfied by the performance. Seeing Kyle's bright smile towards Michaela, Keel introduced his friend to the girl, jokingly calling him a playboy. Keel laughed as Kyle became increasingly embarassed once Michaela played along with the joke.

Lucifenia's Troubles
"As for the impending marriage with King Kyle, the Princess seems to feel very good." "The marriage... I hope it doesn't get messed up."

- Allen Avadonia and Keel

In the weeks following the party, Keel was pleased by Michaela's popularity, even glad that several nobles and businessmen asked to marry her. Later on, a messenger from King Sohni regularly came after dinner asking for Keel's assistance with the poor harvest in Elphegort and the merchant would help with the procedures. At some point, Keel told Michaela about Kyle and Riliane's betrothal. One day, Kyle, Keel, and a messenger for Sohni all met at the merchant's mansion to determine their plans for aid as well as the current issues plaguing Lucifenia. Desiring to avoid war due to the country's starvation, Keel agreed to help Kyle relieve the starvation and financial constraints in Lucifenia.

After the meeting ended and the king left, Keel decided to tidy up the warehouse and show Kyle his collection. Taking out the Venom Sword, describing to Kyle how it was supposed to be a magic sword. After handing it to Kyle so he could examine it, the merchant asked if he would like to buy it. Kyle refused and said goodbye to his friend. While marveling at the sword in his private room, he saw Michaela enter frantically and asked if something was wrong. Brushing it off, she said the messenger had left and the businessman explained how it ended early. Seeing her stare at the sword, he asked if she was interested and she said she was just curious by its odd shape. Keel elaborated how it was his favorite and that even his wife had noted its odd shape to him but that it wasn't worth much, recalling the name the businessman gave the weapon.

Weeks later, Keel learned that Kyle rejected Riliane's engagement and suspected Michaela was the "lover" described by the blue-haired king. Four days later, a servant from Lucifenia was sent in response to Keel's aid after he rejected any minister or Mariam Futapie from coming. While awaiting the messenger, Keel was visited by the mercenary Gast Venom, interested in buying the Venom Sword because it was a family heirloom. Purposefully, Keel offered an exorbitant price for the sword and the mercenary gave up and left. After Gast left the room, Keel saw him speak with the messenger, Allen Avadonia, and later greeted the boy as he admired his collection.

The servant immediately expressed Princess Riliane's appreciation and bestowed rare gifts: fine parchment paper and a quill pen. Keel noted that the pen was made from Rollam bird feathers and thanked Allen for the gifts. Allen was glad he liked them, saying they heard Keel was fond of such things. The merchant explained how his children were more fond of them than he was, explaining Yukina's fascination for reading and writing. Changing the topic, Keel queried if he had spoken with Gast and Allen asked if he knew the mercenary. Keel responded that it was their first meeting and showed him the Venom Sword, explaining why Gast desired it and had not purchased it.

Describing that not underestimating what a client could pay upfront was the common knowledge of a merchant, Keel explained to Allen his economical and personal reasons for helping the Kingdom of Lucifenia, explaining how it was logical to help his friend Kyle help Riliane since the two would be married soon. Brushing the topic aside, Keel noted how important it was to know and manipulate information to be successful and said that he wanted to hear the truth from a non-politically involved servant. After Allen explained the full severity of Princess Riliane's tyranny, Keel expressed his disbelief at how bad it had become. As Allen explained how the food aid and impending marriage with Kyle lessened the severity of the situation, Keel muttered that he hoped the wedding wouldn't be messed up.

Suddenly, a knock came at the door and Keel permitted Michaela to enter with tea. Seeing that tea accompanied by brioche, he said he would have a try and tasted the snack. Pleased, he asked if she made it and Michaela told him it was Clarith. Noting her exceptional cooking, the merchant offered Allen the treat and watched as he and Michaela conversed. Staring, he noted how the two met on Allen's way here and inquired if he had a crush on her. Before Allen could form a response, Keel joked at the boy's young love and apologized that she had so many suitors. After explaining her popularity and expressing both his pity and respect for her denial to marry any of them, he realized how long their meeting had dragged on and thanked Allen for his visit.

When the servant asked if he was any help to the merchant, Keel responded that he had done him a big favor. The next day, Keel was visited by two messengers, one being Ney Futapie, and learned that Riliane learned of Kyle's actions and was desperately searching for his sweetheart in Elphegort. After Keel discussed Michaela with her before they left, Keel summoned Michaela, Clarith, Gerda, Bruno, and the family together for a meeting. Declaring things were not well, Keel had Bruno explain the situation. The annoyed merchant, calling his friend a fool, angrily ranted at his childish actions without considering the repercussions and slammed his fists on the table.

Once he calmed down, Keel explained that the messenger was a spy trained by Mariam Futapie of the Three Heroes and gave them intelligence to plan their countermeasures. Saying he feared the worst if Riliane learned of Michaela, he decided to give her refuge and described his hideout in the Millennium Tree Forest. When Clarith requested to speak, the Freesis couple encouraged her to protect Michaela and be with her at all times. Along with everyone else, Keel agreed to Mikina's desire to uphold the Freesis motto to show equal love to their servants and their families. At some point, the merchant sent a letter to Kyle detailing where he planned to hide Michaela. Later on, the blue-haired king wrote back, saying he could arrive in about a week from when the letter got there and smuggle Michaela safely out of the country.

Green Hunting
"Allen, I trust you, so I’ll tell you Michaela’s hiding place. It’s your decision on what to do about it. Whatever the outcome is, I’ll accept it... I’m sorry for letting someone a young as you have such a heavy burden on your back."

- Keel while imprisoned

At the start of the Green Hunting, Keel, his family, and the servants all gathered in preparation to flee and decided to leave in fewer numbers to avoid discovery. Recommending Michaela also flee from Aceid, Keel urged the reluctant girl to escape or else the others might get hurt. Seeing Clarith didn't understand the plan, Keel indifferently asked if she wanted to give up Michaela and said he didn't care if she joined her or not. When thanked for taking care of the two, Keel boastfully asked who they thought he was, confident he would survive. The merchant showed the servants their escape routes and later joined his wife's side as she tearfully said goodbye to Clarith and Michaela. Later, the Lucifenian army found Keel and his family, arresting and imprisoning them at the Lucifenian Royal Palace for allowing a green-haired servant flee.

Once Allen arrived at his cell, Keel confidently cited how he should have known Riliane would burn the forest sooner. When the servant asked if Michaela was Kyle's lover, the merchant's attitude changed and he whispered to the boy, asking if anyone else knew. Confirming Allen was the only one, he explained how it was only a one-sided love and not a huge defeat for the lovestruck chamberlain. Keel, hearing Allen's concern for where Michaela was, hesitantly described his moral conflict over the issue and asked if the servant felt the same about someone. Trusting in Allen's judgement, the merchant told the child about Michaela's hiding place and that he would accept what the servant would do, regardless of the outcome. After apologizing for giving him the onus decision, he elaborated upon Kyle's projected arrival and plan to rescue the Freesis maid.

The business magnate used the Firm's connections through Koopa and managed to pay off the heavy fines charged against him and his family months later. Following their release, the family were placed under house arrest at Koopa's mansion in Lucifenia. At some point, Keel learned of Michaela's death. Soon after, Keel came in contact with Chartette Langley who set up a meeting between him and the Lucifenian Resistance days later. Learning that Clarith had been captured and interrogated by the Lucifenian military, Keel persuaded Koopa to pay for her bail so that the merchant could speak with her again.

Supporting the Rebellion
"Keel Freesis has given us a lot of things. All of the members of the revolutionary army have been given a weapon."

- Sekka of the Resistance

Keel met with the Resistance's leader, Germaine Avadonia, who offered to secure his confiscated property from the Palace in exchange for his support for their revolution. During the meeting, Keel heard Clarith at the door and permitted her to enter. Glad to see the white-haired girl, he expressed his worry for her. When Clarith apologized for failing to follow his orders, he said he should apologize, avoiding eye contact with her before brushing it off. Germaine interrupted and Keel allowed her to continue. As Germaine stopped Clarith from leaving, Keel strongly disagreed with her hope to drag Clarith into the Resistance. Seeing Germaine threaten Clarith as she hesitated to decide, Keel assured her that she would not betray them. Pried by Germaine again, Keel evaded the topic, saying he wasn't good at it but that he would consider her offer.

After Germaine and York left, Clarith noted how frightening they were and the merchant said it was just bravado. After urging Clarith to get some rest, Keel struggled with his guilt over telling Allen Michaela's location and her ensuing death. Advised by his wife to support the Resistance, he thoroughly investigated the rebellion's situation, without sleep, and saw the advantage they had. Keel decided to support the Resistance and use the chance to return to Marlon, learning that a mansion in Marlon had become vacant.

A few days since the meeting, he entered Clarith's room and explained his decision, asking if she planned to join them. Once she expressed her disinterest, he agreed with her decision and said he would be glad to have her as his maid again in Marlon. As she tearfully said she couldn't, he noted it was because of Michaela's death and moved towards the window. While looking at a Levin cathedral, the merchant asked if she believed in God and said she could work at the monastery he helped create. Clarith questioned if he wanted her to be a nun and he rejected the notion, saying they were understaffed and very suitable for the Netsuma girl to clear her head.

Conflicted, Keel bluntly told her that she needed to accept Michaela's death and she needed to move on. Clarith finally accepted his offer and the merchant said she was still part of their family and would keep in touch with the white-haired girl, shaking hands. The following day, Keel had Clarith relay his decision to Germaine and began providing supplies to the Resistance. On the day of Clarith's deparature, Keel and Yukina said their goodbyes before she left.

Lucifenian Revolution
"It’s terrible! A Rollam merchant also participated in the revolutionary army." "What did you say... This cannot be… Keel Freesis is the leader! Immediately locate and arrest Keel Freesis! This will never be forgiven! Once he is arrested, he will immediately be put to death!"

- A Lucifenian minister and Prime Minister Minis

During the Lucifenian Revolution, Keel used the Freesis Firm to help support the revolutionary army at Rollam, supplying them with weapons to help combat the military might of the Lucifenian army. The Freesis family fled after the Resistance liberated the area and sought refuge at the Freesis mansion in Marlon. While there, Keel was visited by Elluka Clockworker and her apprentice, Gumillia. The two women revealed they managed to recover Keel's property from his burned-down mansion and, after some negotiation, returned them to him. Grateful, the merchant abided Elluka's request to hide them from Lucifenia and give her the Venom Sword.

Gumillia also revealed that Michaela was once a Forest Spirit and her "partner" and used a ritual to show that her spirit incarnated as tree saplings. Amazed, Keel advised they give Michaela to Clarith, saying she would want to see her friend first when she became a tree. After Lucifenian was captured by the Resistance and The Daughter of Evil imprisoned, Keel attended the peace meeting. Seeing Germaine, he congratulated her and praised her determination, brushing off his contributions in comparison. Like the others, Keel was surprised when the masked Kachess revealed himself to be King Kyle.

When the matter regarding the Three Heroes came up, Keel expressed disbelief that she would cause any trouble, curbing the council's attention to Mariam Futapie instead. Soon after, Kyle announced Marlon's temporary occupation of Lucifenia and control over its government. He, along with the rest present at the meeting, agreed to the proposal and did not object as Kyle announced The Daughter of Evil's execution. On December 27th, EC 500, Keel attended the execution in Millennial Square and witnessed The Daughter of Evil come on the stage; during the event, he recognized the princess was actually Allen in disguise. At some point, Elluka and Gumillia left Keel's protection, telling him they planned to meet Clarith before heading to the Eastern region.

Return Home
"Perhaps, you were entrusted by my father to find me and observe the situation... is it not?" "Ho ho ho. This proves you really are Miss Yukina. Still filled with interesting ideas." "So what? Am I right or wrong?" "You can think of it as both."

- Yukina and Bruno

Some time later, Keel enjoyed his morning sipping tea and reading the newspaper when he noticed Yukina writing something on paper and asked what it was. She told him it was a story about snakes and frogs. The businessman then read over four letters he recieved. The first concerned Kyle handing control over to his mother, Prim, and settled in Lucifenia; the letter also mentioned his Witch Hunt order for Germaine. Thinking how alike both businessmen and Royal Familes were in involving entire countries in their personal desires, he laughed.

After reading his letters from Elluka and Clarith, Keel read the letter from Germaine, thanking him for his assistance and reporting the situations of her friends. Knowing the risks the intelligence he had brought, Keel threw the letters in his fireplace and decided to keep the information memorized. Yukina then asked him to read her recently finished story and was impressed by its quality for her age. After she told him she planned to write about The Daughter of Evil, Keel thought it was too soon for her to write about such events.

As Kyle's policies in Lucifenia became more aggressive, Keel was convinced by Mikina to support their friend and not oppose his actions. In EC 502, Bruno retired from Keel's employ and left to live in Beelzenia with his family. At some point, Keel suggested that Kyle block Marlon's trade within Elphegort to promote its domestic market and the King complied. When Yukina expressed her renewed desire to study The Daughter of Evil, Keel opposed her going abroad for research. After she snuck away from her family, Keel grew depressed over the event and used all his resources available to track her.

At some point, he contacted Bruno and asked the retired butler to help find Yukina and monitor the situation for him in the country. Sometime after, Keel received word of her activity at Retasan Fortress from him. Around the same time, Keel began investigating the recent events and discovered Ney Futapie was the girl depicted in Kyle's last surviving painting and that she was the king's half-sister; he also discovered the machinations by Queen Dowager Prim and her court mage, Abyss I.R., to expand Marlon's territory. He then asked Admiral Dylan to sail Yukina and Kyle back to Marlon and the navyman agreed to help. Keel then sent Shaw as a messenger on the Royal Victory and awaited their return.

Praefacio of Blue
Around the same time, Keel began investigating the recent events and discovered Ney Futapie was the girl depicted in Kyle's last surviving painting and that she was the king's half-sister; he also discovered the machinations by Queen Dowager Prim and her court mage, Abyss I.R., to expand Marlon's territory. After Yukina arrived back in Marlon with Germaine, Gumillia, and Kyle, the Freesis family welcomed her return, the merchant joyfully crying. Keel, happy to see her safe, was disappointed that Kyle had gone off without them and invited Gumillia and Germaine to have dinner with them at the mansion.

During their dinner, Keel told his eldest daughter nothing was wrong and she didn't need to worry for running away from home. Like everyone else, Keel was displeased by Germaine's drunken rant about the danger Yukina faced while abroad. As Yukina described her adventures, her father revealed his own findings about Prim and her court mage. The merchant later met up with Kyle and explained his suspicions that the king's mother had been manipulating all the events that transpired through the vessels of sin. Kyle, refusing to believe these suspicions, stated that Abyss I.R. had died sometime ago.

Keel then showed him Kyle's last surviving painting and revealed its connection to Ney. Shaken at these revelations, Kyle declared he would confront his mother and end her reign. Having overheard them, Yukina ran up and begged to go with the blue-haired king. Keel watched as the two shared a tender moment and suspected Kyle had become enamored with the child. Once Yukina left, Keel swiftly hit the Marlon royal and promptly beat him up, warning him about falling in love with his daughter. After Ney was captured, Keel watched over her when Abyss I.R., using Mikina as a medium, knocked out Keel and killed Ney before escaping with the vessels of sin.

Later Life
As a result of his injury, Keel's condition became worse and he soon after retired, cared for by Mikina. Although he ceded control of the Freesis Firm over to Shaw, he assisted in the majority of his work and helped procure the young boy's business acumen until he became a mature and business savvy adult. Later in life, he witnessed his son reorganize the business as the Freesis Foundation and died sometime after.

Legacy
Keel's accomplishments as a merchant carried on his son Shaw and the Freesis Foundation stemming from his corporate conglomerate had a major impact in politics and business in the century following his death. By the seventh century EC, the Foundation was entrusted to investigate the Toragay Serial Killings and their connection to Père Noël.

Personality and Traits
"It’s embarrassing, really... Someone who has been, til now, driven by the interests of merchants, will hesitate for even a mere servant... But isn’t it the right thing to do? Regardless of common sense and ethics, everyone... has something to protect. And for me... that’s family."

- Keel reflecting on his values

Keel was an economical yet loving individual, balancing his life between work and family. As a businessman, Keel weighed his decisions based on what provided the most gains or the least losses and was always conscious about that fact. Through his intuition and experience, Keel believed that information was the key to success and held the knowledge and intelligence he acquired in high regard. Despite this, Keel valued family highly, and was extremely patient, loving, and wholeheartedly caring to his wife and children. He similarly extended these values to his household staff who served and spend time with him each day, refusing to ignore their or their families' suffering, even in times of peril. Because of this, Keel became emotionally torn during the Green Hunting, conflicted with his moral beliefs as many died while he protected Michaela. However, Keel became angry when a friend or acquaintance acted childish and was angered when his loved ones' well-beings are at risk. In spite of this, he often composed himself quickly and thought of the situation as either the businessman, husband, or father, that he is. As a hobby, Keel had a typical Marlon habit to collect things, particularly interesting items or ones that have a high monetary value.

Skills and Abilities
Keel was a natural businessman, perceptive and conscious of opportunities and willing to take short-term risks for long-term gains. Among Keel's primary concerns in the acquiring and manipulation of information, allowing him to influence trends for his benefit. Similarly, he deeply rooted himself in the political scene, hoping to turn political situations to his economical advantage. Keel was also capable with people, easily evading topics he wished to avoid while hiding his true motives behind benevolent gestures or acts of kindness.

Character Connections
Mikina Freesis: Keel's wife. Keel loved Mikina deeply, with the two running away together and supporting each other in their mutual hardships. He treated her as a partner in running the household, the latter having a strong influence over him to the point of it looking like he was under her thumb.

Yukina Freesis: Keel's eldest daughter. Keel was proud of Yukina's skill in writing stories and had a close relationship with her, often spending time with her and giving her gifts. Initially he wanted to keep her from discovering the truth to keep her from harm, but he grew to appreciate her quest and gave her aid. Keel was very protective of Yukina, to the point of attacking any perceived threat to her.

Kyle Marlon: A good friend of Keel's. Keel was vexed with Kyle's foolishness in regards to Michaela, which sparked the Green Hunting, but had been and remained a close friend of the Marlon king. He would often aid him using his connections as a merchant and enjoyed having him over as a guest; despite this, he did not approve of any interest Kyle may have had in his daughter Yukina.

Michaela: One of Keel's maids. Keel was impressed by Michaela's singing voice, and her hard work as one of his servants; over the course of her employment he began to consider her a member of the family. He was greatly saddened by her death, feeling he'd failed her.

Clarith: One of Keel's maids. Keel grew to care about Clarith as a member of the family after she worked for him, appreciating her excellent cooking and the care she showed for Yukina. After the Green Hunting he became concerned for her future plans and hoped to help her move on from Michaela's death.

Allen Avadonia: Keel was interested in Allen's viewpoints as one of the common people of Lucifenia, finding him to be of an honest character. During the Green Hunting, Keel trusted Allen enough to tell him Michaela's location, recognizing that he also prioritized protecting his loved ones. He felt regret, however, for placing such a burden on him.

Shaw Freesis: Keel's only son. Keel loved Shaw and often doted on him; eventually he trusted the boy to take over the Freesis Foundation after his premature retirement, becoming a mentor figure to his son during its beginning years.

Aile Freesis: Keel's youngest daughter. Keel loved Aile as his daughter and prioritized her safety as he did for all his family.

Conceptualization and Origin

 * Keel shares his name with that of the central beam in the hull of a boat, supporting the ship as well as helping to keep it afloat.
 * His name is partially inspired by the name of his representative Vocaloid, Kiyoteru, with Keel's romanization containing "Ki" in it.

Curiosities

 * Among the items in Keel's collection are clockworker dolls, likely referencing Kiril Clockworker.

Gallery
Concept Art=