Minis Stoup

"Minis... Make sure the Green Country... Elphegort is destroyed."

- Princess Riliane

Minis Stoup was the prime minister of the Kingdom of Lucifenia. Taking the position after the assassination of Prime Minister Genesia, Minis served under Queen Anne and later her successor, Princess Riliane. Unable to oppose Riliane's stubborn and whimsical personality, Minis struggled to maintain the government during her reign.

Early Life
Born into a noble family of the Kingdom of Lucifenia, Minis became part of the ministry and served under King Arth I until his demise in late EC 491. In December of that year, when Minister Presi claimed Prime Minister Genesia and Queen Anne fabricated King Arth's will stating Alexiel was the successor, Minis laughed along with the other ministers. However, after Presi presented another will, claiming Riliane was the true successor, rumors began sprouting that Genesia and Anne had done something immoral.

Following Genesia's assassination and Presi's resulting death, Minis was selected as the new Prime Minister. Around this time, he became aware that Prince Alexiel, declared dead after an assassination attempt, had survived and was adopted by Leonhart Avadonia with the name of "Allen". Serving for a time under Queen Anne, Minis maintained his position as the kingdom prospered.

Fateful Day
"We should also convey our discussion to Lord Minis and include him on the matter."

- Mariam regarding Allen's return

After Anne's death in January, EC 499, Minis attended a meeting in the Hall of Sounds with the princess. Afterward, he witnessed the Princess proclaim her birthright to rule the nation before the assembly of ministers and did not oppose her claim. Later that day, Mariam Futapie told Minis that the Three Heroes had decided to have Prince Alexiel return as a servant at the royal palace to help reunite the broken family.

The next day, Minis saw Elluka Clockworker in the Hall of Mirrors and asked if she was planning to go out. Once she expressed her plans to visit Elphegort to find an apprentice, the astonished Prime Minister offered to prepare her an escort for crossing the border. Elluka declined, saying she'd only stand out more with numbers. She then noted they had the new servant, "Allen", and asked if the minister still preferred young boys. Insulted, Minis stated he'd never touch Arth's child. As he reminded her to keep Allen's identity confidential, Elluka agreed and left before he could finish their conversation. Later on, he passed on what he learned to Mariam.

Reign of Evil
"Despite the food shortage, there are still reserves in the palace. It might be enough to feed the people. But neither Princess Riliane nor Lord Minis agree with me on the matter."

- Leonhart

As the year progressed, Minis served Princess Riliane's selfish desires, never opposing the tyrant. On December 26, Minis stood by the seated Riliane in her throne during her meeting with Leonhart Avadonia in the Hall of Sounds. As the captain of the royal guard argued for them to share the palace's food reserves with the people to compensate for the recent famine, Minis supported the Princess' decision to keep the storehouse's food for themselves.

The next day, Minis learned that Riliane ordered a massive cake to be made for her fourteenth birthday and prepared a skit to have it show off the kingdom's power to the guests. During the birthday celebration that night, Minis mingled with the various guests in the Hall of Mirrors. Once Riliane's enormous cake was being prepared, Minis moved by the seated Riliane and addressed the crowd.

He thanked them for their attendance and encouraging everyone to enjoy themselves with their bounty of food, drinks, and lively conversation. The pleased minister then declared that the Princess had prepared something special for their entertainment. The servants brought in the cake immediately after and Minis gladly listed off the sweet components used for each portion of the massive cake castle.

Sometime after the event, Minis was at the assembly as Riliane called for the execution of a politician in EC 500. Soon after their meeting concluded, Riliane returned to the Hall of Sounds, yelling for the minister and he quickly ran over to her. Riliane asked the Minister if he found her food to be poor quality and the minister hesitantly affirmed the notion. Faced with Riliane's ire over lacking one of her five knives, Minis apologized and stated he'd inform Mariam of the situation. When Asan suddenly assailed them, Minis stood there trembling in fear while Allen dispatched the murderous servant.

After the Kingdoms of Elphegort and Marlon sent aid to relieve the citizens' starvation, Minis was selected to act as their envoy and prepared gifts to present to each contributor but was promptly rejected by Elphegort's representative, Keel Freesis. Once the ministers decided upon Allen visiting the nation instead, Minis passed his gifts along to the boy and instructed him to be courteous and invite the maids of the Freesis estate to work at the palace. Traveling to the Marlon island, Minis presented himself to King Kyle and Queen Dowager Prim and offered them Lucifenia's gifts.

Pleased with the honoraria, Prim asked the Prime Minister to give Elluka a gift in turn, bestowing a baby ziz tiama in a glass container. The Queen elaborated on its origins and the fact that no one wished to eat it, assuring Minis that Elluka would be pleased with it. Afterwards, when the matter of Riliane's impending marriage to Kyle was brought up, the blue-haired king gave the minister a letter for the Princess, revealing he was rejecting her in favor of a green-haired maiden he met in Elphegort.

After Prim expressed her respect for Kyle's wishes, their meeting eventually concluded and Minis made the return trip to Lucifenia. Having both returned to the relatively late in the day, Minis and Allen's report was scheduled for the next day. Following Allen's statements on his trip to Elphegort, the fearful Minis kneeled to the Princess and reported what occurred at Marlon regarding the gifts, presenting the baby octopus before the assembly.

When Riliane questioned if it was a hoax, Minis denied it and mentioned it was for Elluka. Afterwards, Riliane asked about Kyle's words regarding their wedding and Minis gave her the letter, remarking that he never expected Kyle to cancel the marriage. In the wake of Riliane's fury regarding who Kyle's lover was, Minis described what the King told him; the minister than explained Prim's position on the matter in response to Elluka's doubt that she'd agree with her son.

War and Revolution
"I find this to be hardly a problem. It's not really a big deal. The revolutionary army is composed of peasants; the middle and upper classes are something we should be worried about... But the number of soldiers on our side gives us an overwhelming advantage!"

- Minis to his constituents

Less than a week later, Minis heard the Princess scream and rushed to her room, asking what was wrong. The Princess then ordered him to destroy Elphegort and he, like the others, stared in shocked silence as Riliane demanded the minister send the armies to slaughter its green-haired female population. Unable to respond, Minis collected his thoughts and then reasoned that the Forest of Bewilderment dividing them made a proper invasion impossible but Riliane retorted to burn it down then.

After witnessing Elluka and the Princess argue before ordering the mage's execution, Minis was ordered to stay behind while Allen was sent after Elluka, trembling as he and the Princess were left alone. Soon after his conversation with Riliane, the minister left and directed the army to burn down the forest and invade Elphegort as the Princess commanded. After the Green Hunting was successful in killing Riliane's target, the assembly of ministers agreed to use the opportunity the war presented them and conquer Elphegort.

During a ball one night, Minis was severely injured in an assassination attempt and collapsed, laying in a pool of his own blood. Although able to survive, he was unable to attend to his duties while he recovered. When riots broke out in the Kingdom, Minis began heading to the war meeting and discovered Allen eavesdropping on the chaos in the Hall of Sounds. Admonishing the servant for his snooping, he remarked he'd have dragged him to the guillotine if he wasn't royalty.

Although the servant apologized and asked if he was feeling well, the Prime Minister ignored the question and burst into the Hall, telling the ministers not to panic. Noting that the revolutionaries were a peasant army, he reminded them that they have the overwhelming advantage in numbers. He then stated their mercenaries would handle Rolled while the soldiers handled the outbreak in Rollam, pointing out that the troops in Elphegort were on their way back and that the problem would be solved once they arrived. Glancing at the door, Minis spied Allen staring at him and huffed, ignoring him again.

During the war meeting the following week, Minis questioned why the troops in Elphegort hadn't returned yet and was informed the locals were slowing their trip back. In disbelief that such harassment wasn't dispelled yet, he was then told that the merchants in Rollam were supporting the army. Realizing Keel Freesis had to have been behind it, he ordered the businessman be located, arrested, and put to death for his infringement.

Alerted that Rolled was also facing problems, he criticized how the heftily-paid mercenaries couldn't fully suppress the rebels. Once Minis was told they were outnumbered, the nervous prime minister ordered for an emergency recall from Retasan and the Babul Desert and to request Marlon to aid them. Riliane then assured him that Kyle would not abandon her and would assist them.

A week later, Minis listened as word of heavy defeats and their reinforcements getting cut off circulated through the room. Asking about Marlon's reply, a minister alerted him that they rejected to send troops and Minis wailed, barely able to stand. In the week after that, they received word of the mercenaries' defeat at Rolled and the revolutionary army's approach toward the palace.

Ordering for them to gather the remaining soldiers and formulate a plan to stop the impending assault, word came that many ministers were attempting to flee as well as soldiers surrendering to the rebels. At his breaking point, Minis wailed, unable to properly respond. Asking his father what to do, one minister reminded him that his father was dead and Minis shouted that he was aware before devolving into laughter. During the revolutionaries' invasion of the royal palace, Minis was found by the revolutionary leader, Karchess, and resisted arrest before being killed.

Personality and Traits
"Minis! Minis, where the hell are you?" "I'm here! Does her Royal Highness want anything?"

- Princess Riliane and Minis

Minis was an arrogant but weak-willed minister. Known best for his pleasing nature, the Prime Minister always attempted to assist or satisfy Princess Riliane when called upon and rarely disagreed with the monarch, largely out of fear of suffering her wrath. However, when Riliane's will extended to destroying an entire country for her petty envy, the normally spineless minister attempted to reason with her, although ultimately complying to her demands.

Similarly, Minis treated Allen as a simple servant, despite being of royal blood, and was not afraid to threaten or lecture the servant if the cause was needed. When presented with an emergency, the Prime Minister was able to act stern and direct to his fellow politicos and held a certain degree of hubris in the power of the royal government he presided over, confident the revolts breaking out during the Lucifenian Revolution were an insignificant concern and ignoring Allen as a bothersome menial.

Regardless, if faced with a severe threat, the minister buckled under pressure and revealed his own cowardice. Fearing Riliane, Minis trembled as the Princess' temperament declined and was reduced from his normal articulateness to hesitant stutters. Similarly, as Asan attempted to assassinate The Daughter of Evil, Minis stood there cowering and took no action to protect the Princess while Allen dispatched of the threat.

In regular conversation, the minister addressed most nobles, members of the royal family, and the Three Heroes with a great amount of respect. Also, although considered incompetent by Allen, he was considered reliable enough to handle diplomatic affairs and be aware of Allen's princely identity. When shocked or apprehensive, the already pale man became even more noticeably pallid. Minis also looked up to his father and began looking to his deceased patriarch for answers after cracking under the pressure of their successive losses against the revolutionary army.

Skills and Abilities
"That's right. When a problem occurs, everyone will follow her. Besides us, the only one who knows of Allen's true identity is the incompetent Minis." "Even so, Lord Minis is the most familiar with politics."

- Elluka and Mariam

Minis was a capable politician and an eloquent speaker, able to articulate speeches to others with ease, suitable for addressing large crowds. However, he usually stuttered under pressure. As Prime Minister, Minis was decent in managing the affairs of the state, though completely ineffective when confronted with Princess Riliane's will. As a profound pleaser, Minis was astute in diplomatic relations and was able to find and acquire rare gifts for specific foreign parties with ease, tailoring them to the receiver's personal interests.

Because of his time under King Arth's rule, Minis was experienced with warfare, maintaining a calm nature at the start of the revolution and able to quickly form a strategy of combating the growing rebellion. However, because the minister's experience extended only to offense, his strategies were susceptible to sabotage, with Minis being disorganized in dealing with counter-offensives.

Character Connections
Riliane Lucifen d'Autriche: Minis' employer. As the Prime Minister, Minis was obliged to attend to all of Riliane's orders; terrified of being executed by the petulant princess and often bullied by her, Minis served Riliane through the entirety of her reign and tried his best to keep her mollified. Despite this, he too was shocked by the severity of her cruelty, such as in ordering the Green Hunting.

Allen Avadonia: A fellow servant of Riliane. While regarding Allen as a nuisance at times, Minis tolerated him as any other servant. In addition, he held back from punishing the boy due to knowing his royal lineage, not even daring to actually touch the Prince.

Elluka Clockworker: A fellow employee of Riliane. While always treating Elluka with great respect due to her status as one of the Three Heroes, Minis would sometimes become annoyed by the mage's careless attitude, making sure to lecture her about confidential information.

Conceptualization and Origin

 * Minis' name is likely derived from the English word "minister", reflecting his career.
 * His surname is possibly derived from the English word "stoop", characteristic of his trembling and sycophant attitude towards Princess Riliane.

Curiosities

 * Minis' manner of approaching Riliane to appease her demands reminded Allen of Germaine's pet dog, Chubby.
 * After submitting the Twiright Prank narrative, Akuno-P realized he had forgotten to write Minis into the plot, much to his disappointment.
 * When asked in an interview if Minis was homosexual, mothy confirmed he wasn't.

Gallery
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