Count

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Count Anduin 78
Alias(es)	“The King” — the arena host’s designation when he enters the match 102
Gender	Male
Affiliation	County of Anduin; Gaudy City 78 106
Occupation/Role	Ruler of the county; commander of its forces 102 137
Status	Active 150
First Appearance	Chapter 78

Appearance

During his arena appearance, the Count wears a fiery red helmet trimmed in gold. Its crown-like outer rim serves as the visual signal that a great noble has entered the contest. 102

• Fiery red arena helmet
• Gold trim and crown-like rim 102

Personality

The Count is sensitive, meticulous, and inclined to test uncertain situations rather than accept convenient explanations. The sudden return of four noble girls from North Province and David’s rapid troop-training results lead him to consider extraordinary transport, disguises, or teleportation before assigning David a carefully chosen trial. 106

He combines public encouragement with private scrutiny. While praising David’s training, he sends knights to investigate the Silver Hand claim and later intensifies his questioning of David’s trainees. 119 134

During the county’s war preparations, he permits his soldiers to voice their fear, excitement, and longing openly instead of suppressing them, showing an interest in their emotional state. 135

Abilities & Resources

Political Authority

The Count can distribute fiefs, alter appointments, mobilize troops, and determine the terms under which military merit can lead to noble titles and land.

• Grants David a small village as a fief and formally names him Sir Davis Tervalin after the arena incident. 104
• Assigns David to train the Wind Horse Knights as a test of his reported abilities. 106
• Issues a joint wartime decree with the High Priest, promising titles and territories for military merit against Sweden. 137

Military Command

The Count commands a large and technologically equipped force centered on elite Holy Light Knights.

• His army includes Holy Light Knights, court knights, city soldiers, sharpshooters, heavy infantry, skirmishers, clergy, and priests. 78
• His forces employ siege crossbows, matchlock guns, silver-plated bolts, and silver-armored cavalry against blood kin. 79
• He entrusts Ergons with leading his own trained troops during the mobilization against Sweden. 137

Intelligence and Investigation

The Count actively investigates David/Ergons’ unusual capabilities and the alleged Silver Hand organization.

• Questions how the four rescued girls could have traveled from North Province in a single night. 106
• Recognizes that rapid improvement among former peasants cannot remain hidden from a liege lord overseeing a baron’s armed forces. 106
• Dispatches investigators after Ergons boasts of the Silver Hand, though they find no evidence. 119
• Uses testimony from an informant connected to Viscount Predal’s estate to reconstruct much of Ergons’ activities. 134

Equipment

• Gold-trimmed red arena helmet — ceremonial arena headgear marking the Count’s entrance. 102

Relationships

• Ergons Tervalin / “Hothead David” — Initially impressed by David’s arena performance, the Count grants him a fief and new identity; he later tests, employs, and investigates him because of his troop training and alleged Silver Hand connections. 104 106 119 134
• Baron Tervain — The Baron is the Count’s subordinate; the Count’s oversight of the Baron’s forces contributes to his awareness of the Northern Legion’s rapid improvement. 106
• Count’s Chancellor — Senior aide who reacts immediately after Ergons knocks the Count unconscious, ordering the guards to kill Ergons. 103
• Bishop Anduin / High Priest — Collaborates with the Count in assessing Ergons’ potential and issuing the decree that turns military merit into a route to titles and territory. 119 137

Story Role / Major Arcs

Border Operations and the Arena

The Count’s army gathers at the border during the blood-kin operation, where its silver-armored Holy Light Knights visibly demonstrate the county’s military power. 78

He later enters a large arena free-for-all as the final remaining noble combatant. Ergons, disguised as Sir Davis, defeats the other knights and knocks the Count unconscious with one sword strike, shocking the spectators and provoking an immediate security response. 102 103

Despite the incident, the Count grants David a village fief, formally dubs him Sir Davis Tervalin, and leaves him with the public nickname “Hothead.” 104

Testing the “Hothead”

Suspicious of David’s unexplained feats, the Count assigns him the elite but undisciplined Wind Horse Knights. He values not only David’s combat ability but also his capacity to identify weaknesses, reform habits, and improve an army’s wartime efficiency. 106 108 109

Silver Hand Investigation

As David’s reputation rises, the Count investigates the Silver Hand story while continuing to give him recruits to train. He ultimately receives a deliberately incomplete, fabricated account of the organization from Ergons, who uses the Count and Bishop’s own research to make the narrative more credible. 119 134

War Against Sweden

After more than forty noblemen are massacred near Baron Tervain’s border, the Count and High Priest issue a county-wide decree sanctioning Sweden. Their policy makes military achievement—not inheritance alone—the basis for gaining titles and fiefs. 137

Notable Quotes

“You are still too young. Fortunately, you told me this. Otherwise, in your organization, you wouldn't even know how you died.” 150