Banica Conchita

"Hey there, servant. What do you taste like?"

- Banica to Arte

Banica Conchita is a duke of the Beelzenian Empire. Her search for new flavors led her to eat the most grotesque foods imaginable, while becoming more seclusive. Learning of the fate her obsessive habits would bring her, she forged a contract with the Demon of Gluttony, eventually becoming the Demon of Gluttony herself.

Early Life
Banica was born in November, EC 296, the daughter of Muzuri and Meguru Conchita. During the birthday celebration, her parents and their staff ate the baemu pig that appeared among the gifts; soon after, servants began dying and it was learned the household had contracted the Goula disease. Because of the epidemic plaguing them, Banica was forced by her mother to eat everything she was given, scolding her when she had leftovers and stuffing them down her throat. After a famine swept across the area, Banica watched as her father killed Meguru during their struggle for his sword in March of EC 306. With her mother's death, Banica fell into a depression and locked herself up in the basement's food storage. Lonely and uncomfortable in the room, she met Arte and Pollo, her new servants, at that time. Over the course of the summer, they became close friends.

Five years later, in June, she was betrothed to Carlos Marlon, the third prince of Marlon, and the two became acquainted with each other. As a result of Banica's disturbing eating habits, the Marlon Royal Family dissolved the engagement in February of the following year. Returning home from her "failure", Banica immersed herself in food. At some point, Banica was told that a Demon had caused the deaths of all their servants, save for the head chamberlain, Ron Grapple, and her mother's desperation and ultimate demise.

Pursuit of Delights
"If that's the case, then I regret nothing. I believe I have already tasted almost all the cuisine of the world."

- Banica

Because of the constant food shortages occurring throughout the Beelzenian Empire, Banica embarked on a journey abroad in January of EC 316 and traveled to numerous foreign countries, searching for the best crop-growing and food-preserving methods to solve Beelzenia's problem. Discovering many new cuisines in her studies, the Beelzenian aristocrat brought back these new foods and their recipes to the Empire, radically increasing the domestic foods in the country. During Grabia's harvest festival held in August of EC 319, Banica arrived unannounced and participated in its tomato eating competition, winning by an overwhelming majority. Because of her contributions to the ailing Empire, Empress Juno returned control of the Conchitas' territory to Banica's family and the young noble became well regarded as "Gourmet Noble Banica".

Two years later, her father died of a heart attack in August. Empress Juno, having custody over the family's territories, nominated Banica as her father's successor and she took up his title as one of the Five Dukes. Immediately afterwards, Conchita took increasing comfort in her dining hall and frequently ate there, stricken with grief by the loss of her father. At some point, she began developing a new wine dubbed "Blood Grave" with the cooperation of the local farmers for a certain someone. Sometime later, she learned that person had died.

Tasting Temptation
"Take away food from you, and what's that leave?"

- The Demon of Gluttony to Banica

In July of EC 323, Banica embarked on another journey, but swiftly returned after hearing that Ron had gone missing. The next day, Banica collapsed and was diagnosed with "visceral abnormalities" due to her self-abusive eating and confined to her bed. That evening, she reminisced fondly over the time she had spent eating when a voice rang in the room, asking what was left after taking away food from her. Physically unable to leave her bed, Banica managed to sit herself upright to see an apparition descend from the ceiling. After it introduced itself, the noble asked how it knew of her and it replied that it was a demon. Calmly asking if it was taking her to the afterlife, it responded that she would die in six months due to her eating habits. Hearing this, Banica stated she was satisfied, believing she had tasted nearly all of the world's foods. When asked about this, she explained that she only regretted not having tasted the baemu of the Tasan territories; remembering Blood Grave, she admitted dying before its completion was difficult but that she was left uncertain since the person she was making it for had died.

The demon then revealed she had only tasted half of the world's food, ignorant of the world of the "ultimate" foods. Intrigued, Banica noted how she would die in six months regardless and the demon offered her a contract to avoid her death and be able to partake in that unknown world. The Duke remarked about the simplicity of the matter and, as the demon continued to goad her, promptly refused on account how her mother and the entire staff had previously been killed by a demon. As the Demon argued that her father was her mother's actual murderer, Banica silenced it and demanded it leave her presence. The Demon complied but stated it'd leave something for her and Banica saw someone come into the now dark room and leave something by her bed. Told it was something she wanted, the Demon said that ingesting it would complete their contract and reasserted its first question to her before disappearing and she fell asleep.

Banica awoke the next day and noticed the filled wine glass by her bed. Recalling the previous night, the noble questioned the validity of the demon's words and grew curious of what was in the glass. Wondering if it was the still unfinished Blood Grave, she smelled its contents and recognized the scent of baemu blood in it. Consumed by her curiosity, the opsomaniac prepared to drink the fluid despite her protests. With the glass at her lips, Banica hesitated, reflecting on how much she dedicated her life to food, accepting the truth of the demon's words. Having waned between life and death for three days, Banica engulfed the drink and forged a contract with the Demon of Gluttony. Through the Demon's power, Banica's figure slimmed and she made a full recovery. With her newfound abilities, the revitalized gourmand began tasting the foods she had yet to have tried.

Declining Obsession
At the mansion of Duke Oruhari, a banquet was held in November of that same year, celebrating her recovery. Banica, accompanied by her twin servants, arrived to participate at the banquet, surprising everyone with her new, thin body. During the festivities, she asked her servants to bring out her dessert, and they presented her with numerous live insects and spiders. Delighted, Banica ate them despite her audience's disgust with a calm yet noisy vigor. In November of EC 324, questions about the disease that afflicted her reached the point where Conchita refused to meet with anyone, transferring the management and supervision of her territories to her two servants.

After deserting herself from the outside world, Conchita became more and more attached to her dining hall. At some point, she used the glass to reanimate her family's former servants to serve her, having her undead army guard her mansion with Arte as their commander. In EC 325, Banica entered a romance with her fifteenth chef, Joseph, and later realized he was actually her former fiance, Carlos. Sometime later, Banica became pregnant with Carlos' child. When imperial messengers began arriving with invitations, she had her servants kill them. Later learning that the Beelzenian army had begun surrounding the mansion, Banica ordered Arte and Pollo to retaliate, driving her undead horde across the region to attack the nearby towns. Later, Carlos asked if he could take a holiday and she denied him his request.

Soon after, her lover served them soup and she readily devoured it, falling ill to its poison. Although able to survive due to her contract, she cried at Carlos' treachery and ordered Arte and Pollo to cook her lover as punishment. Served his body for dinner, Banica, with tears in her eyes, ate his remains with glee and found his blue hair was especially delectable for the salad of the first course. Around August of EC 325, Banica grew curious about her servants' taste and asked Arte what it was she tasted like. Eating the maid and later Pollo, Banica was left alone in the mansion, save for her and Carlos' child, with nothing left to eat. When the demon suggested eating the baby next, Banica refused, citing that she had yet to eat herself either. Looking upon her right hand, she smiled, and stated there was more to eat. With the demon's influence weakened, Banica easily gorged on herself until there was nothing left.

Consuming the demon with her death, Banica maintained her identity as the demon of the Glass, seeking to become the "Master of the Graveyard". Confined to her vessel, the Glass of Conchita was taken from her mansion by Platonic. Although amused by the thief, she was disappointed that the remnants of Sloth prevented her from possessing the thief. She was given to AB-CIR shortly after and witnessed the mage change from a male to different female bodies over time.

Demon of Gluttony
"Even I'm not able to perfectly read a demon's mind."

- Abyss I.R.

In EC 491, the "demon" was placed in one of the Four Mirrors of Lucifenia by the mage, having changed her name to Abyss I.R., and made difficult to extract by anyone save for Prime Minister Presi. As part of their plan to possess Queen Anne's son, the mirror was buried on the shores of Lucifenia and soon after discovered by Prince Alexiel and Princess Riliane; Abyss I.R. then summoned the demon and Conchita manifested before them. Smiling, she prepared to possess the boy but hesitated when he extended his hand to her in turn. Unable to possess the innocent and kind boy, Conchita decided to possess Riliane instead, rendering them both unconscious as a result. Although recognizing the child's appearance was similar to Arte, she was disappointed to find she wasn't an actual reincarnation of Gretel.

Another day soon after, Banica heard the bell chime for their three o'clock snack time and, hungry, appeared before them again. As she greedily gazed at their meals, Riliane refused to share her snack with the demon. With a wretched look, Banica stated she could eat the entire world and still be hungry for more. Alexiel then gave the demon some of his snack, pitying her. Claiming she was grateful, she told the six year-old a secret legend about the ocean: if you wrote a wish, placed it in a bottle, and threw it in the ocean, your wish would come true. Later on, Presi borrowed Banica's power, allowing himself to be completely possessed by her, so that he could defeat Elluka Clockworker. After Presi was defeated, Elluka sealed the demon back into the mirror; she was later recalled to the Glass by Abyss I.R. and created another Goula pathogen for the sorceress.

After Ney Marlon was given the glass, Banica recognized her soul as that of Arte and slowly eroded at her sanity while the girl used her power. When Ney completely succumbed to her mental instability at Castle Hedgehog, Banica possessed her entirely and transformed Ney's attire to that of herself before the crazed Ney attacked Kyle Marlon. After Ney was subdued, Banica appeared in Kyle's vision alongside a young Ney and laughed at the girl for hoping to be reborn, saying she was instrumental in the creation of the Master of the Graveyard. She then merged Ney's soul with the glass, taking her hand and walking away from Kyle during his dream before they were swalloped up in the splashing waves of the ocean. Later, Abyss I.R. reclaimed the vessel and attempted to have Conchita possess Riliane. Ney's influence inhibited her and the demon did not respond, leading to the sorceress' defeat.

After Elluka Clockworker collected the Glass from Mikina Freesis, Conchita was sealed in her vessel. The Glass later ended up in the hands of Lemy Abelard. Recognizing his soul as that of Pollo, she eventually absorbed his soul into the Glass around EC 610. Afterwards, the Glass passed onto a variety of owners over time until it was collected by Judge Gallerian Marlon and kept within his home. While there, Banica recalled her previous owners since becoming the Demon and the unknown amount of time that passed as she awaited the time she would become the Master of the Graveyard. Banica's glass was among the vessels of sin that laughed at the Clockworker's Doll, telling her they were all the same. Sometime before EC 990, after the Glass awakened, Banica took on the form of the Master of the Graveyard.

Legacy
By the time Elluka Clockworker infiltrated the Conchita Mansion as part of the Empire's investigation into rumors of Banica's cannibalism, Conchita was discovered missing and her castle empty and in perfect order. The Empire determined Conchita had fled to one of its neighboring countries and discontinued Elluka's investigation. Her child that she also left behind eventually had offspring as well and continued for several generations, leading to Germaine Avadonia. Ma later created a film of Banica during her demonic possession, adding her commentary as she watched the film with a captured visitor to Evil's Theater.

Sanan Noi later created a fairytale based on her called "Vampiress Vanika" that became famous throughout Evillious, highlighting her legendary birth and remarkable savory. Included in the tale were the "undead soldiers" that were dug up in the cemetery and cursed to serve her forever as her reanimated servants. It was said she would wither away if she failed to drink wine made from human blood for three days. Among the folklore in literature surrounding Banica was that she was possessed by a glass vessel of "Sin", which turned her into a "Evil Food Eater". Historical records conflicted about her actual figure, some saying she was large and plump while others claimed she was beautiful and thin. Many of the dishes and recipes brought back to Beelzenia on her travels were incorporated into its culinary tradition including the Blood Grave wine she loved, which continued to exist nearly two centuries later in the Kingdom of Lucifenia.

Personality and Traits
"Of those possessed by a Deadly Sin, Banica Conchita was perhaps the more happy."

- Ma

Conchita was an opsomaniac with an intense desire to consume the most delectable cuisines in existence. Her obsessive behavior was worsened by her mother's abuse and eating everything without any leftovers became a habit for the child. As a result, food became the center of Banica's existence and she dedicated a majority of her life to satiate her endless curiosity for the tastes of every food. Becoming an insatiable food connoisseur, Banica's appetite began to evolve until she desired to travel abroad and taste foreign meals which recipes she would later take back home. However, she was initially reasonable with her tastes, eating fine cuisine and other meals considered delicious by the majority, although she was not beyond eating foods religiously considered taboo such as the baemu pig. After developing Blood Grave, the wine became Banica's favorite. Coinciding with her appetite, Banica's table manners were crude and often disturbing to those around her, relentless in stuffing food in her mouth hastily and noisily. Among her eating habits, Banica often held out her fingers to her mouth to lick them or sample any food or drink on them. Her love of food also became a coping mechanism for Banica, immersing herself deeper and deeper into her craft when confronted with a love one's death or personal failure.

However, after being introduced to the world of the "ultimate" food, Banica became enraptured in less favorable delicacies, such as insects, and even began to eat her plates. As her tastes continued to descend, she eventually indulged herself in necrophagia and cannibalism out of curiosity for how humans would taste. After thinking of the idea to devour herself, Banica believed she was the ultimate food she was desiring and took glee in eating her own being. Towards the end of her life, Conchita became a recluse, isolating herself within her castle to the point that she no longer directly governed her territory; as part of her apostasy, Banica dined more and more often without concern for the Beelzenian Empire's reaction. When not indulging her appetite, Banica took up a hobby of gardening, although doing so to grow more food for her to eat. As the Demon of Gluttony, Banica's obsession with food continued unabated, even claiming she could devour the entire world and remain unsatisfied.

Although monstrous while eating, Banica was a calm individual, acting unbothered when first meeting the Demon of Gluttony and unflinchingly conversed with it despite the peculiar situation. Similarly, she loved both her parents dearly, slipping into a depression with each of their deaths, and became defensive when the Demon of Gluttony mentioned her father's involvement in her mother's demise. She was also extremely affectionate towards Carlos, falling in love with him during their reunion and bearing his child. However, after her lover's attempted murder-suicide, she was heartbroken and driven to tears. Banica could also be cruel, fine with sending her undead army on a rampage across Grabia. Similarly, she was ruthless toward Carlos after his betrayal, considering his death to become another one of her meals an appropriate punishment for him. While acting as the demon of the wine glass, Banica enjoyed possessing others and was disappointed when both Platonic and Gallerian Marlon were beyond her influence. In contrast, she appeared to express gratitude toward Prince Alexiel for sharing his snack with her, sharing her knowledge of a legend to him in kind.

Like Carlos, Banica held a close connection to her servants, Arte and Pollo. Having met them as a child, the twins helped the young noble come out of her depression after her mother's death and they quickly became friends. As her personal servants, Banica rarely traveled anywhere without them in tow and relied on them for nearly every task the Duke desired. She also trusted in them to manage her territory and protect the estate as she became negligent in her duties as Duke. In spite of this, her growing hunger and curiosity for new tastes led to her devouring both faithful servants. However, after becoming the Demon of Gluttony, Banica began seeking to reclaim both servants, absorbing the souls of Hänsel and Gretel from their reincarnations in order to reclaim them. As part of this, the new demon wished to become the Master of the Graveyard, although unaware of it's real meaning, and planned to have both her servants with her when the time came.

Skills and Abilities
"If it weren’t for Banica Conchita, Beelzenia would have declined earlier."

- An Oruhari duke

Banica was a practiced food enthusiast, an adept strategist, and a major contributor to Beelzenian culture. Practically since the day she was born, Banica had a remarkable appetite and became unmatched in her speed and volume of food intake to the point that she easily won competitions involving the talent. A food enthusiast, Conchita developed an excellent taste in food and was well versed in the tastes and flavors of many delicacies from both within and outside of the Beelzenia Empire, earning her title as "Gourmet Noble Banica". Because of this, she, with the help of Grabia's farmers, was able to concept and create Blood Grave, a fine wine that remained a popular product for nobles across Evillious well after her death. She also developed a keen sense of smell, able to detect even faints scents of a dish's individual components.

After making her contract with the Demon of Gluttony, the feudal lord's overweight form downsized into a more slender and fit figure, with her health similarly improved to the point that she completely avoided certain death. As part of her deal with the Demon, Banica was capable of eating anything and everything, including indigestible material such as human hair or deadly toxins. When consuming the latter, she became numb but was able to survive. Therefore, her body remained healthy regardless of what she ate and was even able to completely envelop herself. Banica was also able to reanimate the dead killed by the Goula disease through the power of the Glass and used this to great effect to guard her home. In spite of the low intelligence of the undead soldiers, Banica was able to command them effectively, through Arte, to create an unstoppable army.

After devouring herself and the Demon of Gluttony, Banica took on all the former demon's powers, able to manifest in a phantom form long after her death, take possession of individuals who came in contact with her glass, create and enhance the pathogen for the Goula disease, and reanimate the dead through her own power. Despite this, she was also subject to the limitations of the Glass, able to be utilized by Irina Clockworker for her own ends, although even the sorceress admitted her cooperation was unpredictable and could easily ignore its wielder's wishes should she choose.

Character Connections
Carlos Marlon: Banica’s fiancé and later, meal. Although initially engaged to him, Banica’s feelings for Carlos up to the engagement’s cancellation are unknown; she eventually discovered he was disguised as her cook, Joseph, and fell in love with him, siring a child with the prince in the process. After Carlos attempted to poison her, Banica became distraught; her love warped into a desire to devour him instead, and so she ordered Carlos' death.

Joseph: Banica’s fifteenth chef. Banica saw Joseph as only a means to satiate her gluttonous hunger, and did not have concern for him as a human being. As time passed, however, she began to fall in love with him—it was during the course of this romance that she discovered "Joseph" had been replaced by Carlos.

Arte: Conchita's servant and later, meal. Conchita had a close friendship with Arte stemming from childhood; due to this relationship, Banica relied on Arte to attend her every need as a loyal servant, even trusting the maid to reign over her territories. While devouring her later out of curiosity, Banica continued to depend upon Arte, seeking out her reincarnations to merge with her again.

Pollo: Conchita's servant and later, meal. Conchita had a close friendship with Pollo stemming from childhood; due to this relationship, Banica relied on him to attend her every need as a loyal servant despite his evident stupidity, even trusting him to reign over her territories. While devouring him later out of curiosity, Banica continued to depend upon Pollo, seeking out his reincarnations to merge with him again.

Meguru Conchita: Banica’s mother. The strict dietary discipline and harsh punishments that Banica received from Meguru helped inspire in the noble to have an even greater fascination with eating; it is unknown if she mourned her mother's death.

Unknown Child: Banica's infant child she had with Carlos. Although about to eat the child under the demon's suggestion, Banica inevitably chose to devour herself instead, sparing the infant.

Master of the Graveyard: Banica's later incarnation. After taking the place of the Demon of Gluttony, Banica attempted to become the new Master of the Graveyard, although unaware of the title's true meaning.

Conceptualization and Origin

 * Banica's name is a torsion of the English word "cannibalism".
 * Conchita is a diminutive of the Spanish word for "conception".
 * Conchita, due to her occupation as a feudal lord who was believed to regularly drink blood and later be reimagined as a vampire centuries later, may be partially inspired by Vlad the Impaler.
 * When crafting the story for Evil Food Eater Conchita, mothy desired to make Conchita more akin to a monster rather than a human.

Curiosities

 * At the time of her birth, Banica weighed 3 kg; by the time she was 23, her weight reached over 70 kg and by the time she had collapsed, she weighed well over 100 kg.
 * She shares the same birth month (November) with her Vocaloid.
 * She, ironically, succeeds her ancestor, Sateriasis Venomania, by causing the second major incident concerning the Seven Deadly Sins and killing a descendant of Kachess Crim, Venomania's killer.
 * Due to their lineage to Duke Venomania, both Banica and her child have the potential to develop Hereditary Evil Raiser Syndrome and pass it onto future generations.

Gallery
Concept Art=