Berkut
Pride
a sheep cannot face a lion
I will rule Valentia in due course
Berkut is a very prideful man who places a heavy emphasis on social status and power. Because of his own status, being in relation to Emperor Rudolf, Berkut feels the need to demonstrate his power and worth at any given opportunity, coming across as haughty, bigoted and aggressive. He is not above talking down on others, especially if they are beneath him in social class. Because of this, he can appear as very rude.
Berkut has always been very mistrustful and unwilling to put his faith into others, only further exemplified after learning of Alm's true succession of the throne. He finds it incredibly difficult to trust anybody, now believing that people are willing to betray and mislead him. Because of this, he is also extremely suspicious and weary of magic and religion, especially after his run-in with Duma and his interventions.
Berkut puts a lot of emphasis into his power, believing that it is one of the only things that he has left.
Despite being bested by Alm on numerous times, he continues to grow and improve. At a young age, it was hammered into Berkut that might was right, and that he had to be strong to successfully follow in Rudolf's footsteps. Berkut has a fear of coming across as weak in the eyes of those above him, being fiercely proud with his ability in battle. It is only when faced by Alm and being defeated that he truly realises that there is more to ruling than might.
The only person who sees a different side of Berkut is Rinea, whom he loves dearly. Believing that she is the only person that he can fully trust, even in the face of his despair in the Tower of Duma, Berkut finds himself at ease when talking to her. She is the only one who can calm him down when he gets agitated and reminded of the past, much like she was the one to save him from making a mortal mistake that would cost both of their lives. Berkut believes that Rinea is truly deserving of power and glory in her life, believing that she would be a perfect candidate for an empress. He is keenly aware of her true needs and feelings, and does his best to compensate for his actions. He is unafraid of expressing his true emotions in front of her. Berkut is willing to look past her status of lower nobility due to the feelings that he holds for her. They are inseparable, and he looks to make up for his mistakes in the past, for her sake.
Following the coronation of Alm and Celica, Berkut remained upset that his claim to the throne had been invalidated, but Rinea's supportive words assisted him through his hard times, leading to him making an appearance. He is still very bitter about his life having little purpose, outside of Rinea, but he hopes to find something within Valentia that will accomodate his time and give him more to work for.
You took everything from me.
You will SUFFER for what you’ve done!
After being defeated by Alm outside of the floodgates, Berkut falls to desperation, leading to him shattering Nuibaba's mirror and causing a curse to fall over the Deliverance. Shocked and mortified by the appearance of the dark magic, Berkut felt deep regret and dishonour for trying to rely on a power that didn't come from himself, believing that his own might was all that he would need to defeat Alm. Once the curse is removed thanks to the intervention of Alm's pendant, Berkut retreats at the notice of Fernand.
As the Deliverance finishes its campaign through Rigel and arrives at the doorstep of the castle, Berkut pleads with Emperor Rudolf for one more chance to face Alm, believing that he would have the power to be able to take him on. Citing Berkut's previous two failures to defeat Alm, Rudolf denies Berkut's request and tells him that he may only watch the battle, and not involve himself. Berkut feels deep resentment, as he wished to prove himself against Alm, but relented at the order of the emperor.
After learning of Rudolf's death and the true fate of Alm's destiny, Berkut is distraught at the realisation that his claim to the throne had been invalidated. With everything that he was forced to accomplish in life being rendered null, he falls into despair, wallowing in the basement of the Tower of Duma. After being approached by Rinea, who had come to check up on him, Berkut falls further into despair, after hearing that she did not care about being empress, and only wished to spend her days with him. Being corrupted by the whisperings of doubt by Duma in his ear, he takes this as a revelation that she was aware of his true fate all along, leaving him to believe that he has nothing in life.
As Duma calls to Berkut and offers him the chance of untold power once again, Berkut is close to being driven over the edge by the revelations that had been made. Recalling to the previous time that he had used dark magic and how much it had torn him, Berkut remains insistent that he will not bow to Duma's offers, but finds himself unable to retreat. It is not until Rinea steps forward to stop him by insisting that she will stay by his side, no matter what, that Berkut starts to regain his sanity and show true resilience in the face of Duma's offerings. After the whispering stops due to this show of rejection, Berkut thanks Rinea for her involvement, albeit still considerably upset by the entire ordeal. The two reconcile.
When Alm arrives in the basement of the Tower of Duma, he finds Berkut and Rinea, embracing each other in front of the fire. After realising that Alm was present, Berkut is reminded of his past failures and challenges Alm to a final fight, to prove that he is better than him and that his might outweighs Alm's. Alm shows reluctancy at the fear of losing the only family member that he has left, but Berkut leaves him with no option, determined to prove to himself that he has what it takes to defeat Alm. The two fight
After a long-contested fight, Alm ultimately bests Berkut, defeating him for a third time. Despite Berkut attempting to use all of his strength without resorting to alternative powers, he finds himself to be defeated. Feeling dishonored and ashamed for losing, Berkut, against his better will, admits that Alm will be a good leader and ruler for the realm. However, he refuses to join the final march, believing it would be a blow against his credibility and pride that he could never recover from.
you do intrigue me
i should keep my eye on you
〘 S ♡ 〙— Rinea
Having first met at a royal gathering, the two have remained inseparable ever since. She cared for him during his times of hardships and turmoil, and also did her best to support him. Their love is eternal, and she is the only one who truly gets to see the other side of him.
〘 C 〙— Alm
After being bested by Alm numerous times throughout his adventure, Berkut felt resentment, but only for himself as he was unable to grow strong enough to beat him. Knowing that he could not hate Alm for the way that he was misled by the people who knew of Alm's origin, Berkut is very bitter around him, especially when the subject of royalty is brought up.
〘 C 〙— Celica
After making an appearance at the royal wedding, Celica was quick to thank Berkut for coming along to witness the historic moment. While he insisted that it was only for the sake of Rinea, he later blessed them with good fortune.
〘 C 〙— Fernand
Berkut's right-hand man, and perhaps the only person that he considers to be a 'friend.' They are very alike in their thoughts concerning society and status, with Berkut often leading Fernand along.
〘 C 〙— Genny
After initially shouting at her for not knowing who he was, a firm prompt from Rinea resulted in Berkut approaching Genny, apologising for his previous behaviour. After hearing of the nobility in her family, he was shocked to find that she enjoyed spending her time with 'commoners.'
I have no need for
divine favor
— Berkut enjoys showing off Rinea, often bragging about how wonderful she is. If someone would argue that their partner was better, he would not hesitate to get into a fist fight with them for implying that Rinea was anything less than the best.
— Due to his status, Berkut has quite the financial backing. Because of this, he enjoys spending large portions of money on Rinea, typically showering her in jewelry and flowers.
— Growing up in high regard, he took an interest in dancing due to attending many royal balls, hosted by the upper-class houses.
— Berkut's horse is named Mars, after the Roman God of War.
— His horse has a slight preference for Rinea, due to her secretly feeding it sugar cubes and apples all of the time. He is jealous of this, but refuses to ruin her fun of feeding it.
— He sometimes suffers from horrible nightmares, where he envisions what could've happened if he had sacrificed Rinea.
— Almost acts as a royal advisor for Alm, teaching him how to act as King, as Berkut has all of the knowledge.
— Extremely cautious of religion and magic.
— He retained his mother's ring.
— While originally wearing a simple cape, Rinea altered it to provide him with some warmth during the cold months. While he originally scoffed and claimed that he only wore it for her sake, he eventually grew to enjoy wearing it.
Die, worm