Dave

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Dave Sager 23
Alias(es)	“Hero” Dave; Temporary Holy Knight; publicly proclaimed “God-Blessed” 35 41
Gender	Male 32
Affiliation	Holy Church Coalition and Pading Knight Academy publicly; the Whisper Sect covertly 23 33 42
Occupation/Role	Captain of the Warm Sun Squad; knight-academy student; cult operative 10 23 33
Status	Exposed as a heretic after the Waters of the Gods revealed evil-god power within him 42
First Appearance	Mentioned during the Warm Sun Squad’s Crimson Ridge Beast attack 10

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Temporary Holy Knight	35	Receives the title through the Holy Church Coalition, allowing him to wield conspicuous holy power while hunting the Crimson Ridge Beasts. 33 35
“God-Blessed” manifestation	41	During his baptism, he displays a crimson-and-white divine aura, a sword-and-scales emblem, and rapid healing; the phenomenon is later exposed as a deception linked to an evil god. 41 42

Background

Dave was born in an unnamed town near Pato City to ordinary merchant parents. At age seven, he became the sole survivor when a plague killed the town’s other 295 residents in less than two days. He was found hiding in a haystack and taken into the care of the Holy Church Union. 25

He was eventually transferred to the Holy Church Union’s Pato City branch, where he grew up and was baptized as a believer of Heimall, God of Justice and Courage, at fourteen. Though initially considered unexceptional, he later displayed martial talent far beyond that of his peers and worked toward becoming a Holy Knight. 25 26

Before his crimes were revealed, he was a second-year Pading Knight Academy student and captain of the Warm Sun Squad. Pato City regarded him as a diligent, kind, devout young knight. 23 40

Appearance

Dave presents himself as an ordinary, trustworthy young knight, but his private appearance exposes the physical effects of his cult power. 32 33

• Pale complexion, a square face, thick eyebrows, and large eyes that initially give a favorable impression. 32
• Often wears plain long coats in private and bright silver knight armor in public. 32 35
• Publicly conceals himself beneath blood-stained bandages and apparent wounds. 32 40
• Beneath the bandages, his body is uninjured, with faint black streaks flowing under otherwise healthy-looking skin. 32 33
• His eyes show flashes of malice when he believes himself unobserved. 32

Personality

Dave cultivates the image of a humble, shy, faithful survivor, invoking his dead companions and devotion to justice to gain sympathy and public trust. He is willing to stage injuries, falsify heroism, and exploit religious reverence to secure recognition as a Holy Knight. 33 40 41

In private, he is resentful, fearful of exposure, and eager for power. His treatment of the controlled Crimson Ridge Beasts reveals a sadistic streak: he tortures the helpless creatures while forcing them into a state of unnatural serenity and obedience. 33 36

He is subordinate to Lord Lange and visibly panics when confronted with failures in the cult’s plan or the prospect of contact with genuine Waters of the Gods. 33

Abilities & Skills

Whispering God’s Divine Power

Dave channels cult-derived divine power while passing it off as the blessing of Heimall. 33 41 42

• Controls Crimson Ridge Beasts through seals and pale mist-like power. 35
• Compels the beasts to remain passive and obedient even while being mutilated. 36
• Produces or conceals injuries to maintain his survivor persona. 33 36
• Uses the cult’s power to imitate holy manifestations during his baptism. 33 41
• Is exposed and severely harmed when drenched with genuine Waters of the Gods; pale, chilling evil-god aura escapes his body. 42

Knight Combat

Dave possesses notable martial talent and fights with both knightly weapons and empowered physical strength. 24 26 36

• Kills Lada Duona by piercing his heart with a lance. 23 24
• Uses a concealed black longsword to stab Ai Vanye. 24
• Wields a Holy Silver two-handed greatsword while acting as a Temporary Holy Knight. 35 36
• Demonstrates enough speed, resilience, and strength to overwhelm Mo Tan in direct combat. 36

Equipment

• Lance — used to kill Lada during the Warm Sun Squad betrayal. 23 24
• Black longsword — drawn to attack Ai after Lada’s death. 24
• Holy Silver two-handed greatsword — used during his staged hunt of the Crimson Ridge Beasts. 35 36
• Silver knight armor — worn during his public “revenge” expedition; later deliberately damaged to support his fabricated account. 35 36
• Blood-stained bandages — used to conceal his intact body and reinforce the appearance of severe injuries. 32 33

Relationships

• Lord Lange — cult superior who reprimands Dave, directs the hero-making scheme, and promises him recognition within the Whisper Sect. 33
• Mo Tan — adversary who infiltrates Dave’s house, witnesses his cruelty, tests his abilities, and engineers his public exposure. 32 36 41 42
• Cole Shulen — Warm Sun Squad member whom Dave believed dead after arranging the Crimson Ridge Beast attack. 23 33
• Ai Vanye — Warm Sun Squad cleric whom Dave stabbed and left for dead; her survival becomes crucial evidence against him. 24 42
• Lada Duona — squadmate murdered by Dave’s lance strike. 23 24
• Rona Moonwhisper — squadmate killed during the Crimson Ridge Beast attack Dave orchestrated. 10 41
• Bishop Mofu — Pato City bishop who publicly praises and baptizes Dave before his heresy is revealed. 41 42
• Heimall, God of Justice and Courage — Dave’s professed deity; Dave’s actions directly contradict Heimall’s doctrine and ultimately reveal his false devotion. 25 42

Major Arcs

Warm Sun Squad Betrayal

Dave engineers the appearance of a monster attack by directing two Crimson Ridge Beasts against his own squad. During the chaos, he murders Lada, wounds Ai, and assumes Cole will die; Rona is killed in the attack. He returns to Pato City as the squad’s apparent sole survivor. 23 24 41

The Manufactured Hero

After his “miraculous” recovery, Dave hides his uninjured body beneath bandages and follows Lange’s instructions: obtain a Temporary Holy Knight title, kill the remaining controlled beasts, and return with evidence of victory. He deliberately tortures the creatures, beheads them, and inflicts additional wounds on himself to make the battle appear genuine. 33 35 36

Baptism and Exposure

Dave’s public baptism is intended to make him a permanent religious hero and grant him a higher position within Pato City. Though he initially manifests apparent God-Blessed signs, Ai exposes his survival and douses Dave with genuine Waters of the Gods. The water reveals his evil-god power, ending his deception before the gathered city. 40 41 42

Notable Quotes

“You are peaceful! You are obedient!” — while torturing the Crimson Ridge Beasts under his control 36

“We are devout...” 36