Bals

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Bals (also rendered as Balthus)
Alias(es)	“Iron Arm” Balthus
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Leyden City; Soggothos family
Occupation/Role	City Lord of Leyden City
Status	Active
First Appearance	17
Path / Rank	Gold Tier Transcendent of the Holy Grail Path 17

Appearance

Bals is a middle-aged, exceptionally robust man whose imposing build makes him stand a full head taller than Ed. His hair is streaked with white, and old claw scars mark his cheeks. 17

• His right arm is absent from the shoulder and replaced with a dark-metal prosthetic thicker than an adult’s thigh. 17
• His natural left arm is nearly as massive as the artificial one. 17
• His weight is great enough that ordinary chairs cannot support him; he uses a thick cut of raw wood as a seat. 17
• He wears formal clothing at his banquet, though its elastic fabric tightly outlines his muscular frame. 48

Personality

Bals presents himself as a genial, capable ruler: he hosts guests, speaks politely with Star Tower representatives, compensates the family of a dead guard, and openly acknowledges the burdens of governing Leyden City. 17 27 32 When serious, however, he exerts an overwhelming authority that can silence even Alice. 19

His governing philosophy is rooted in compromise rather than idealism. He regards ordinary officials such as Captain Colin as replaceable tools, tolerates hidden wrongdoing in the city, and believes that preserving Leyden City's order requires deliberately overlooking what powerful merchants and nobles would prefer unseen. 32 33

Bals craves power, but insists that he seeks only power he can control—not the unstable power offered by heretical cults. 34 His dealings with cultists, concealment of information, and willingness to exploit contracts nonetheless make Aaron and Alice distrust him. 26 37 49 50

Abilities & Skills

Holy Grail Path Transcendence

As a Gold Tier Holy Grail Path Transcendent, Bals treats transcendent aura as an energy source capable of transforming and vitalizing matter. 17

• Can manipulate metal with extreme precision, treating it as though it were clay. 30
• Personally helped produce Leyden City's seamless sewer covers, which keep sewer monsters contained and restrict civilian access. 30
• Can generate a blue-green flame from his palm and reduce a corpse to ash. 32
• His Gold Tier aura is intimidating enough to inspire involuntary reverence in Aaron. 17

Iron Arm

Bals’ metal prosthetic is both a replacement limb and a major combat weapon.

• Can move with unexpected dexterity despite its size. 17
• Contains runes and internal mechanisms that allow it to transform. 34
• Can become a heavy two-handed warhammer covered in metal spikes. 34
• Can release torrents of molten metal, producing enough heat to crack stone, boil stagnant water, and create a molten-metal cage around Tog. 35
• Can melt sewer flooring to expose concealed threats. 36
• Its power is not limited to the prosthetic itself; Bals can manipulate metal beyond the arm. 35

Political Authority

Bals governs Leyden City while balancing pressure from merchants, nobles, cult activity, and the city's limited number of Transcendents. 19 24

• Ordered a city lockdown following Tien's death despite the resulting trade disruption. 19
• Directed Captain Colin to procure ritual spices for Sart. 27
• Reprimanded Colin after the supplied spices proved flawed or contaminated. 28
• Maintains Orc attendants, apparently through connections formed during time spent in Badipila. 48

Relationships

• Alice — A member of the House of Iris whose family sent Tien to Leyden City under Bals’ care. Alice initially confronts him over Tien’s death, later fights beside him against Tog, but remains suspicious of his conduct. 18 26 34 35 49
• Aaron — Initially treated as a minor noble attached to Alice, but Bals increasingly recognizes Aaron’s perceptiveness when Aaron exposes inconsistencies in his actions and pressures him with the threat of Tower Master Julian. 18 49 50
• Sart — Star Tower Prophet assigned to investigate Tien’s death. Bals relies on Sart’s rituals while Sart remains wary of Bals’ explanations and supplied materials. 19 26 27 28
• Siosand — Silver Tier Star Tower Prophet dispatched to assist with the investigation. Bals accepts Siosand’s prediction that he will kill Colin in one possible future. 29 32
• Tog — Crawling Hand cultist with whom Bals made a contract involving the delivery of a Transcendent. Bals fulfilled the contract’s wording but turned on Tog rather than help him kill the intended sacrifice. 35 37
• Captain Colin — Leyden City's City Guard captain and Bals’ subordinate. Bals considers him replaceable, forecasts of his future death at Bals’ hands emerge through Siosand, and Bals promises an investigation into Colin’s flawed spice procurement. 27 28 32
• Degas — Alice’s uncle and an associate present at Bals’ banquet. Degas and Bals discuss Aaron before Alice and Aaron meet them. 48

Story Role / Major Arcs

Tien Investigation

Bals receives Sart, Aaron, Alice, and Ed at his mansion after Tien’s death. He raises the possibility that Tien may have already been a cultist before arriving in Leyden City, then commissions Sart and Siosand to investigate Tien’s residence and the rituals conducted there. 18 19

Bals faces political and economic pressure because Leyden City's lockdown disrupts trade through the nearby Badipila region. 19 He also appears unaware that an Earth Demon Spider was discovered in the sewers, suggesting that Colin failed to report it. 19

Suspicion and the Failed Trap

After the Crawling Hand is created at Tien’s sealed residence, Aaron deduces that the ritual’s timing implicates Bals. 24 25 Bals admits that he knew the Hand-Chopping Ritual would be completed and deliberately withheld intervention in hopes of locating the cultist without alerting them. 26

His operation fails when the cultist escapes into Leyden City's sewers. Bals then provides resources for Sart’s tracking ritual and leads the ensuing sewer expedition. 26 27 31

Battle with Tog

Tog publicly claims that Bals joined the Heretical Cult and that Bals had honored a prior promise to him. 33 34 Bals denies cult membership, admits his desire for power, and holds Tog back so the others can escape. 34

He transforms the Iron Arm into a warhammer and later floods Tog’s position with molten metal. 34 35 Tog subsequently reveals that Bals had agreed to bring him a Transcendent as a sacrifice, but Bals exploited the contract’s wording and never intended to assist in killing that person. 35 37

Banquet and Confrontation

Bals hosts a banquet celebrating Tog’s defeat and marking Sart and Siosand’s departure. 47 At the event, Aaron challenges him over why the Star Tower Prophets have not been allowed to clear the remaining heretical aura. 49

Bals admits knowledge concerning the Albert Family but refuses to disclose it. He also openly characterizes dealings with cultists in Leyden City as transactions driven by profit, arguing that such cooperation is insufficient to threaten his position. 50

Notable Quotes

“It’s true that I crave power, but what I crave is controllable power.” 34

“As long as he is ordinary enough, it means he can be replaced at any time. The City Guard of Leyden City is always a consumable, and he is merely a tool.” 32

“Cultists are also human. In the face of profit, it’s simply a matter of who offers more money.” 50

Trivia

• Bals’ meals commonly include wolf-meat stew; the dinner served to Aaron’s group was not a special banquet dish. 20
• His mansion is dimly lit during supernatural incidents to keep civilians from witnessing extraordinary phenomena. 20
• He spent time in Badipila before becoming city lord and appears to have formed ties with Orcs there. 48