Arth Lucifen d'Autriche

"Such unfounded confidence is my charm..."

- King Arth

Arth Lucifen d'Autriche, known posthumously as Arth I, was the king of the Kingdom of Lucifenia and the father of Riliane and Alexiel. As a Prince, Arth embarked on a large-scale conquest to expand Lucifenia's borders and later married Anne Swee, having children with her. Throughout his many battles, the King earned the loyalty and friendship of his closest retainers, the Three Heroes.

Early Life
"The gallant prince: Arth Lucifen d'Autriche. He governed opposite of his father, the king, declaring war on our neighboring countries one after the other, and began expanding his territory. Every man praised him, longing to be him. And every woman desired to be his wife."

- Prim Marlon regarding Arth's youth

Born in the Kingdom of Lucifenia in EC 457 as a member of the Lucifenian Royal Family, Prince Arth met Prim Rogzé and her best friend, Anne Swee, during his childhood, becoming close friends with them. Sometime in the early EC 470s, Arth took control of the government from his father and began planning to expand his kingdom's dominion, eventually discarding Elphegort from his invasion plans due to the natural protection it was provided by the Forest of Bewilderment between them.

Afterward, Arth declared war upon their neighbors, Asmodean and Beelzenia, one after the other and invaded. Beginning to expand Lucifenia's territories, the courageous young Prince became famous within the kingdom. At some point, he fell in love with Anne and asked her to be his wife. She accepted and the two married with Prim's blessing. Afterward, Arth was officially coronated as the new king in place of his father.

He met with Prim shortly after and, while drinking from his wine glass, became poisoned and collapsed. Narrowly avoiding death, the teenage king refused to let anyone remotely suspicious near him. With Prim's family known to specialize in drugs and poisons, such as the new Gift poison used on Arth, the royal couple distanced themselves from her as well until she left for the Kingdom of Marlon.

Conquest for Lucifenia
"Heh, you say this to the great king who made Lucifenia a mighty nation; there's no doubt."

- Arth touting his legacy

As the years progressed, Arth and Anne continuously tried to have children together. Bearing no offspring, their relationship began to dwindle. At some point, he became acquainted with Leonhart Avadonia; in EC 477, he also became acquainted with an Asmodean defector, Mariam Futapie. In EC 480, the Lucifenian King met Beelzenia's famed Elluka Clockworker. At the Sanosun Bridge, Arth offered Elluka to join him and serve by his side. The mage agreed to his offer, pledging to serve him. After the birth of General Gaston Mouchet's daughter on Augusts 25, Arth permitted the highly acclaimed and distantly related commander to name her after the king's grandmother, Empress Riliane Roses.

Around EC 482, Prim visited the couple as the Queen of Marlon. She later secretly seduced Arth and they pursued an affair. After Prim left, Arth and Anne's relationship improved and they sired two children together on December 27 of EC 485, naming the younger twin brother Alexiel and the elder twin sister Riliane after the child's great-grandmother. As the war dragged on, Arth and his armies gained more and more territory, and he eventually spearheaded an assault on Retasan Fortress, capturing the fortress city.

Around EC 490, he posed with his wife and the "Three Heroes" for several portraits by Nikolay Tolle. Around the same time, Beelzenia became weakened by an epidemic and Arth took the chance to invade and conquer more of the territory. During the campaign, he was infected by the Gula plague. Crediting Alexiel as his chosen heir in his will, the ambitious king succumbed to his disease, dying in late EC 491.

Afterlife
Following his death, Arth was sent to the Heavenly Yard and remained there, reunited with his wife. Later on, the sun god told the family that their son "Allen" was being locked in the device Black Box for a special purpose and wasn't allowed to meet with any family or friends. In EC 998, he and the other souls were pulled back to the Third Period as the ground world merged with the Hellish Yard.

Afterward, Arth and Anne returned to the royal palace with their daughter and allowed Riliane to throw a dinner party for everyone from their era. Later during the festivities, the royal couple passed by Riliane's room in the halls when they saw the princess flee into it. Shortly after, they spotted Allen running after her and Arth stood in front of his wife to greet the boy. Patting his head, he asked if Alexiel wanted to see his twin in her room.

The boy confirmed he did and Arth mused that he wouldn't be in this world for much longer, remarking that he'd become a more significant existence since the days he'd been in Black Box. As Allen admitted his failure to understand it all, Arth agreed that they didn't understand it either, citing only God could. He then added that he confidently believed the world wasn't finished yet, regardless.

Allen questioned if he was sure and the king boasted that he was speaking to the man who had made Lucifenia a great country and therefore no doubt about it. When his son noted his confidence, Arth countered that it was his charm before reluctantly admitting it had disadvantages such as Riliane inheriting the trait. Alexiel laughed and then told Arth and Anne that being able to see them again made him happy, even as only spirits.

Arth assured him that it made them happy as well, and Riliane would also be happy to see him; he then cautioned Allen to remember that even if he reunited with Riliane he had other things to worry about in the world. When Allen assured him he matured into an adult, Arth stated the boy was definitely their son with his reliability. The former king then proudly declared that he would entrust both the world and Riliane to him.

Shortly after, Arth inhaled some of the Eighth Gift in the air and began feeling sleepy, wondering why aloud. Laughing weakly, he questioned if it was because he was seeing his son after so long before discounting the notion, wobbling as Anne tried to support his body. Groaning, Arth finally collapsed to the ground and closed his eyes, falling into a deep slumber.

Legacy
In the years following his demise, Arth was remembered as a strong ruler and powerful leader for the Kingdom of Lucifenia. Not long after his death, a political struggle broke out between ministers over the right of succession after Minister Presi forged a will claiming Princess Riliane was Arth's true successor. In the wake of the incident, the King's heir, Prince Alexiel, was entrusted to Leonhart as his adopted child while the prince was publicly declared dead.

While the fighting between Lucifenia and its neighbors continued, Arth's conquests left Lucifenia the largest and most powerful nation in history. Although stabilized for years by his wife's rule for nearly a decade, the tyranny caused by Princess Riliane following her mother's death led to the Kingdom's swift decline, with starvation and crime becoming rampant. The Lucifenian Revolution in EC 500 ended the Lucifen dynasty and led to a Marlon occupation by Prim's son, King Kyle.

The child he unknowingly sired with Prim, Ney Marlon, became a tool used by her mother and her close compatriot, Abyss I.R., and eventually served as a spy in the royal palace to help undermine Riliane's rule. She later led Marlon's invasion of Beelzenia in EC 505 but failed in her conquest, later dying in Marlon after the Battle of Castle Hedgehog.

In history, Arth was famed in legend as the great king that spearheaded Lucifenia's conquests along with the Three Heroes. After the death of Shaw Freezis over a century later, Elluka recalled also losing Anne and Arth while mourning his death. When Elluka later confronted Fourth Shadow, the criminal mocked her resolve to stop Third Sleep Princess' Gift plague, pointing out Elluka's previous failure to save her dear friends from the Gula they had suffered from.

Personality and Traits
As King of Lucifenia, Arth was an ambitious ruler with a great deal of charisma. While considered childish, Arth still won the affection and respect of practically everyone he met. As a youth, he held a deep love for his country and desired to greatly expand it, hoping to make Lucifenia a powerful kingdom in Evillious.

Despite the scope of his conquests, he was inspirational to his subjects and supported throughout the bloody conflict by loyal followers. However, because of his ambition, Arth was also reckless, charging into a plague-ridden territory despite the risks, which ultimately led to his death. Regardless, he did show some restraint, such as his choice to not invade Elphegort for the tactical disadvantages.

Arth held a close bond to the Three Heroes and developed a lasting friendship with them, trusting them throughout their wartime efforts. He similarly held a close bond with his wife, although their marriage became strained due to their failure to produce children. While under the influence of the Venom Sword, Arth did enter a small affair with their old friend, Prim, and unknowingly had a child with her as a result. However, after Prim's departure, Arth remained faithful to Anne and later had children with her.

Skills and Abilities
"I've... always thought it. By that the character people're born with are like their capacity. I think it'd be amazing if you can unify Evillious. But, there're probably only a few people who can do it."

- General George Ausdin

Arth had a powerful presence, believed to even be capable of uniting all of Evillious under his banner. As a military commander, Arth dealt largely in all-out offensives, directing his soldiers to overwhelm his opponents. Despite this, he recognized geography's role in protecting his enemies and discarded Elphegort from his attack plans because of the forest protecting it. During his lifetime, Arth also learned the art of swordplay and became proficient with using a blade, earning fame on the battlefield as a result.

Character Connections
Anne Lucifen d'Autriche: Arth's wife. Arth grew to love Anne over the course of their friendship and eventually married her. The two held a close relationship, with Anne eventually birthing Arth's children; despite this, Arth's marriage with Anne was not always a happy one, with Arth growing distant at times over the course of the war and cheating on her under the influence of the Venom Sword.

Prim Marlon: A childhood friend of Arth's. The two were friends over the course of Arth's youth, however their relationship became distant after Prim was suspected of poisoning Arth's wine glass. Due to the influence of the Venom Sword, Arth's feelings for Prim became passionately romantic, prompting their affair. Despite their complex relationship, Arth was in favor of uniting their houses with Riliane's marriage to Kyle.

Elluka Clockworker: One of Arth's subordinates. Arth found Elluka's magical abilities useful in battle and the two formed a close friendship, with Elluka defecting to aid the former. This bond continued until Arth's death during the war.

Mariam Futapie: One of Arth's subordinates. Arth was impressed by Mariam's skills in espionage and assassination at such a young age and formed a close friendship with her after the latter defected. This bond continued until Arth's death during the war.

Leonhart Avadonia: One of Arth's subordinates. Arth relied on Leonhart's skill as a swordsman in battle and the two formed a close friendship over the course of the war; this bond continued until Arth's death during his invasion of Beelzenia.

Alexiel Lucifen d'Autriche: Arth's son. Arth was proud of his son and confident in his ability to rule, making him the heir to the throne in his will.

Conceptualization and Origin

 * His surnames, Lucifen and d'Autriche, are a reference to Lucifer, the patron demon of Pride, and Marie Antoinette, respectively.
 * Arth's appearance is based on an adult version of Kagamine Len as imagined by Ichika.

Curiosities

 * Interestingly, Arth named his daughter after his grandmother, Empress Riliane Roses.
 * Like his son Alexiel, Arth tied his hair in a ponytail.

Gallery
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