Paul

Biodata

Background / History

Early Life and Fatherhood

Paul ran away from home as a teenager. Geese, his former teammate from Black Wolf's Fang, remembered him as an inexperienced youth who nevertheless lectured others as though he knew everything 12.

Paul later lived with his family in Buena Village. He taught Rudeus writing and swordsmanship, but also made decisions that damaged their relationship: he had an affair with Lilia while Zenith was pregnant, and knocked Rudeus unconscious before sending him to Roa to become Eris's tutor without his consent. He eventually apologized for both actions 6 15 32.

The Teleportation Incident and Search Party

When the Teleportation Incident occurred, Paul was teaching four-year-old Norn to hold a sword in their yard. He grabbed her before they were transported to southern Asura, then carried her for two days to reach a town. After buying a sword and two horses, he hurried back to Fittoa, riding both horses to death during the nearly month-long journey 15.

He found Buena Village devastated and spent a day sitting silently in the ruins. Once he accepted that his family might still be alive, he borrowed heavily and organized a search party. Its work took him through southern Asura, the western Central Continent, and Millis, rescuing and resettling several hundred Fittoa survivors 12 15.

Paul left notices addressed to Rudeus at more than thirty Adventurers' Guilds, directing him to Milishion. Despite finding other survivors, he received no news of his own missing family for a long time and began drinking heavily. He told Geese that, if he could not find them, he would remain waiting until he died 6 12 15.

Reunion with Rudeus

Rudeus found Paul's handwritten notice in Zant Port and followed it to Milishion. Geese brought him and Eris to Paul's camp, where father and son embraced and cried after three years apart. Paul thanked Eris for bringing Rudeus back safely and welcomed her as his son's fiancée 6 12 13.

In a private conversation, Paul admitted that he feared Rudeus hated him. Rudeus rejected that fear, pointing to Paul's refusal to abandon the search as evidence that he was not a bad father. Paul then returned to planning the rescue of Zenith, whose location inside the Teleportation Labyrinth had been confirmed by Roxy's search party using Kishirika's Demon Eye 14 15.

Teleportation Labyrinth Rescue

Paul assembled a seven-person expedition, placing himself and Eris in the vanguard. Before departure, he gave Eris a spare sword he had owned for more than ten years and entrusted Rudeus's safety to her 17 18.

Inside the labyrinth, Paul helped defeat the second-floor giant spider by tearing open a wound made by Roxy's Water Blade. The party later found Lilia and two missing search-party members on the fifth level. Paul carried the injured Lilia and insisted on continuing toward Zenith on the sixth level 23 24.

Seeing Zenith imprisoned in crystal caused Paul to lose control. Eris stopped his impulsive charge toward the Hydra; afterward, he slammed Rudeus against a wall and accused him of being too calm. Eris restrained him again, and Paul apologized after recognizing his son's distress 25 26.

During the battle, Paul severed Hydra heads while the mages supported the front line and burned the neck stumps to prevent regeneration. When the Hydra aimed at Zenith's crystal, Eris used Paul's spare sword to divert its attack. Paul then shielded her from its tail, suffering the injury that cost him his left arm. He survived and caught Zenith when the crystal released her, but she remained largely unresponsive 26 27 28.

Life in Sharia

After Aisha rejoined the family in Rapan, Paul praised her courage and reassured her that she no longer had to hold herself together alone. The reunited family subsequently settled in Sharia, where Paul helped organize the household and cared for Zenith 29 30 31.

Paul struggled with one-handed chores, repeatedly injuring his remaining hand while chopping wood. He nevertheless began patiently teaching Norn swordsmanship and asked Rudeus to attempt an earth-magic prosthetic for his amputated arm. Rudeus agreed to try; no completed prosthetic for Paul is documented 32.

Paul officiated Rudeus and Eris's wedding at home. He continued teaching Norn, supported Rudeus's university enrollment, and promised Zenith that he would find a way to help her. When she briefly squeezed his hand, he cried 34 37 38 39 45.

Appearance

• Hair and eyes: Brown hair and green eyes; Rudeus explicitly notes that their eye color matches 30 32.
• Build: Formerly sturdy and broad-shouldered. At their reunion, Rudeus could feel Paul's ribs through his clothes 13.
• Expedition clothing: Light leather armor with a magic-enchanted sword at his waist 21.
• Lasting injury: Missing his left arm below the elbow; his empty sleeve remains visible during family meals 32 45.
• Right-hand scars: Develops cuts and scars between his thumb and forefinger while relearning woodcutting one-handed 32.

Personality

Paul is usually easygoing, talkative, and irreverent. He jokes about Rudeus's engagement and boasts that the younger fighters' teamwork resembles his own youthful exploits. Elinalise openly calls him conceited 13 23.

His devotion to his family coexists with serious flaws. Prolonged uncertainty drives him to heavy drinking, and anxiety over Zenith leads him to lash out physically at Rudeus. He is nevertheless capable of acknowledging wrongdoing: he apologizes for his earlier failures as a father and warns Rudeus not to repeat his immaturity in his relationship with Eris 15 20 26.

After the rescue, Paul becomes more patient and attentive at home. He brushes Zenith's hair, carefully corrects Norn's sword stance, and attempts household work despite his disability. His pride initially makes him refuse help with woodcutting, but he accepts Lilia's assistance in the kitchen and eventually asks Rudeus for a prosthetic 31 32.

Abilities & Skills

Swordsmanship

• Dual-wielding: Carries a sword in each hand when approaching the Hydra 25.
• Sword God Style instruction: Teaches Norn basic stances and swings, emphasizing speed, precision, and a direct decisive strike 38.
• Close-range combat: Serves alongside Eris in the expedition's vanguard and severs Hydra heads during the rescue 17 26.
• Limits: His sword barely penetrates the giant spider's armored joints; he exploits the opening created by Roxy instead. Roxy also explicitly identifies Eris as much faster than him 23.

Expedition Leadership

• Search organization: Raises funds, coordinates searches across several regions, and arranges for rescued Fittoa survivors to be settled 15.
• Party formation: Assigns vanguard, middle guard, rear guard, and scouting duties before entering the labyrinth 17.
• Combat coordination: Assigns front-line attackers, magical support, defense, and distraction roles against the Hydra 26.

One-Armed Adaptation

• Sword demonstrations: Can still demonstrate a forceful one-handed slash, although his balance and stance initially remain imperfect 32.
• Practical training: Builds a makeshift training ground for Norn without accepting help 38.
• Daily limitations: Woodcutting, cooking, and even tearing bread become difficult; Lilia helps steady cookware while he works 29 32.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Magic-enchanted sword: Worn at his waist before the labyrinth expedition; its specific enchantment is not described 21.
• Spare longsword: Owned for over ten years before being given to Eris. It has a dark-brown leather scabbard, a worn copper clasp, and a smooth, well-used grip. Eris uses it to redirect the Hydra's attack away from Zenith 18 27.
• Light leather armor: Worn during the rescue expedition 21.
• Leather flask: Carries alcohol; deliberately leaves it unopened at the beginning of his private conversation with Rudeus 15.
• Wooden practice weapons: Uses sticks and wooden swords when teaching Norn 32 45.

Relationships

• Rudeus Greyrat — Son. Their reunion leads to an explicit reconciliation, with Paul apologizing for past decisions and Rudeus recognizing his efforts to reunite the family 13 15.
• Zenith — Wife and mother of Rudeus and Norn. Paul leads her rescue and becomes an attentive caregiver after her release from the crystal 13 26 28 31.
• Lilia — Mother of his daughter Aisha and his former affair partner. He rescues her from the labyrinth; they later cooperate quietly in household work 15 20 24 32.
• Norn Greyrat — Daughter. Survives the Teleportation Incident with him and later studies swordsmanship under him 13 15 32 38.
• Aisha Greyrat — Daughter with Lilia. Paul praises her strength after she reaches the family independently and comforts her when she breaks down 20 29.
• Eris Boreas Greyrat — Daughter-in-law and fellow vanguard fighter. He entrusts her with his spare sword, shields her from the Hydra, and later officiates her marriage to Rudeus 17 18 27 34.
• Geese — Former Black Wolf's Fang teammate and search-party scout. Helps connect Paul with Rudeus and unsuccessfully tries to curb his heavy drinking 12 17.
• Roxy — Rescue collaborator. Her search party confirms Zenith's location; she fights alongside Paul and treats his Hydra injury 14 26 27.

Notable Quotes

“I did a lot of shitty things. … Every single one of those things was wrong. I'm sorry. I'm not a good father.” 15

“Treat Eris well. She's a good girl. Don't be like your immature old man.” 20

“Though we're missing a few things, … at least we're all here.” 31

Trivia

• Paul habitually writes the letter p backward. Rudeus recognizes this childhood memory in the missing-person notice at Zant Port 6.
• His Zant Port notice is dated spring of Armored Dragon Year 420 and appears on page thirty-seven of the guild register 6.
• According to Geese, Paul could burn a fried egg during his Black Wolf's Fang days 14.
• A furniture seller learns about Rudeus's wedding because Paul buys two chairs and tells him they are for his son's ceremony 35.