Gawain

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Gawain (高文)
Gender	Male
Age	In his teens 9
Affiliation	Kingdom of Orkney 8
Occupation/Role	Crown prince; battlefield commander 8 9
Family	Eldest son of King Lot; son of Queen Morgan 8 11
Status	Alive and unharmed after his duel with Sovell 14
First Appearance	Chapter 8, “White Robe and Gawain” 8

Background / History

Childhood and Holy Sword

As a young child, Gawain was baptized by a miracle-working saint also named Gawain. The saint gave him his name and a blessing that triples his strength during designated daylight hours. A few days before the attack on Orkney, Morgan gave him the solar holy sword Carnwennan, referring to herself as Vivian when discussing the gift 8.

Defense of Orkney

When magical beasts advanced on Orkney’s southern gate, Gawain requested permission to lead the defense. King Lot placed every soldier except the city garrison under his command. Riding Gringolet and wielding Carnwennan, Gawain fought at the front from morning into evening, switching to combat on foot at noon because swinging his sword from horseback proved awkward 8.

The beasts’ apparent retreat was a trap arranged by a giant bear King Beast. Recognizing the ambush, Gawain rallied the surrounded army into a shield formation, then ordered Sir Andrew to lead a northward breakthrough. He remained behind with his three hundred personal guards to delay the bear. The infantry and cavalry’s reported losses, excluding Gawain and his guards, were 854 dead and 2,146 wounded survivors 9.

During his own retreat, a Demon Rat intercepted Gringolet and hurled horse and rider back toward the bear. Too exhausted to move, Gawain was saved by Sovell, who supplied enough magical energy for him to mount and return to the city. Morgan treated him afterward, and he had fully recovered by the evening banquet 10 11.

Duel and Wager with Sovell

Gawain thanked his rescuer, who introduced himself as Stam Ambrosius, and invited him to a match the following morning. Having only recently obtained Carnwennan, Gawain wanted to test his full strength against another opponent. King Lot subsequently explained that their guest was likely seeking connections for Britain’s future ruler 11 12.

Before their duel, Sovell proposed that Gawain serve Artoria alongside him if he eventually acknowledged her as a worthy king. If Gawain refused and later fell to Sovell in battle, Sovell promised to request that his life be spared and Orkney’s lands returned. Sovell also agreed to grant one unconditional request if he lost the wager 12 13.

They fought around nine in the morning, when Gawain’s threefold-strength blessing was active. Their clash culminated in Excalibur Galatine against Rhongomyniad. Both emerged unharmed, although Gawain’s chest armor was deformed and his cloak destroyed. They sealed their wager with matching oaths and crossed sword tips. Sovell revealed his real name, asked Gawain to keep it secret, and departed after giving him dried King Beast meat 13 14.

Appearance

• Hair: Light brown 8.
• Face: Handsome and well formed; his attractiveness is described as open and upright, contrasting with Merlin’s uncanny beauty and Kay’s roguish charm 14 31.
• Battle attire: Plate armor and a cloak; his armor is a product of magecraft rather than contemporary metalworking technology 14 48.

Personality

Gawain places his soldiers’ survival above his own safety. Despite Sir Andrew’s objections that the crown prince should escape first, he insists on holding the rear himself. Sovell regards his perseverance and willingness to sacrifice himself for others as qualities that could make him one of Britain’s finest knights 9 10.

He is grateful toward his rescuer and eager to improve through competition. He offers Sovell any assistance within his power, sincerely requests a sparring match, and acknowledges his opponent’s superior swordsmanship during their duel 11 13.

Gawain is not immediately willing to follow an unknown ruler merely because Sovell supports her. He questions whether Britain’s future king will truly deserve loyalty and accepts a wager based on his own eventual judgment 12.

Abilities & Skills

Blessing Under the Sun

A saint’s blessing increases Gawain’s strength to three times its normal level during two daily periods 8.

Active period	Effect
9 a.m. to noon	Threefold strength 8
3 p.m. to sunset	Threefold strength 8

• Enables him to sustain strenuous frontline combat for much of the day 8.
• Does not prevent exhaustion: after fighting into the night, he becomes too depleted to resist the bear’s finishing blow 9 10.
• Allows him to pressure Sovell with exceptionally heavy strikes, even after Sovell reinforces his body 13.

Solar Holy Sword

Through Carnwennan’s hilt, Gawain draws on a sealed artificial sun to release solar flames. The sword excels at purifying corruption and evil 8 13.

• Area attack: Burns every magical beast within fifty meters ahead of him to ashes during his initial charge 8.
• Battlefield illumination: Lights the surrounding darkness and draws soldiers’ attention to his commands 9.
• Defense: Uses the sword and its flames to intercept Wind King’s Hammer, though the gale still throws him backward 13.
• Excalibur Galatine: Fully unfolds the Imitation Sun, creating the appearance of a second sun overhead before unleashing his ultimate attack 13.
• Limit: Ordinary solar flames only scorch the giant bear King Beast’s fur; Gawain considers forcing the flames inside its body to overcome its hide 9.

Swordsmanship and Command

• Quickly recovers his guard to block Sovell’s counterattack during their opening exchange 13.
• Recognizes that Sovell’s swordsmanship exceeds his own and compensates by committing more strength to each strike 13.
• Detects the King Beast’s retreat-and-encirclement strategy and orders an immediate withdrawal 9.
• Reorganizes more than two thousand soldiers from a wedge into a shield formation in under two minutes 9.
• Personally holds the rear while delegating the breakout to Sir Andrew 9.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Carnwennan / Galatine — Silver greatsword given to him by Morgan as Vivian. Its hilt contains an artificial sun; Sovell confirms it as a genuine Star Holy Sword after their duel 8 14.
• Magecraft-made plate armor — Survives the ultimate-attack clash with deformation to the chest but leaves Gawain unharmed 14 48.
• Cloak — Lost during the duel’s final collision, apparently burned away by the heat 14.

Relationships

• King Lot — Father and sovereign; authorizes Gawain’s command and helps him understand Sovell’s political intentions 8 11 12.
• Morgan — Mother and Queen of Orkney; gives him Carnwennan, supports his request to fight, and treats him after his rescue 8 11.
• Sovell — Rescuer, friend, and dueling opponent. Gawain calls him “Brother Stam” and swears to remember their wager concerning Artoria 11 12 14.
• Gringolet — Beloved dark-brown fairy horse. Returns when called, tramples beasts threatening Gawain from behind, and carries him during his retreat 8 9.
• Sir Andrew — Subordinate who offers to hold the rear in Gawain’s place, then obeys his order to lead the survivors to safety 9.
• Aaron — Captain of Gawain’s personal guard; sounds the retreat horn on his command 9.
• Artoria — Prospective sovereign whose worth Gawain agrees to judge for himself; the documented wager does not yet establish his allegiance to her 12 14.

Notable Quotes

“I have Carnwennan, and Gringolet is here too. I won't die. Get to the northern end of the formation and lead everyone out. Hurry!” 9

“I, Gawain, swear as the eldest son of the King of Orkney that I shall remember this wager.” 14