Petelgeuse Romanée-Conti

Petelgeuse Romanee-Conti (ペテルギウス・ロマネコンティ) was a Sin Archbishop of the Witch Cult, representing Sloth. He debuted in Arc 3 as its primary antagonist and, though he met his end in the same arc, he was mentioned throughout the rest of the story, especially Arc 4.

In Arc 3, he led the Witch Cult to attack Irlam Village and Roswaal's Mansion. Overall, throughout this arc, he acted as a foil to Subaru, but is ultimately defeated. During Emilia's trial in Arc 4, it is revealed that he was once a family friend, but went insane after accidentally killing his beloved. He continues to be brought up in following arcs, primarily by the Emilia Camp and fellow Sin Archbishops.

Appearance
Petelgeuse was a thin man, slightly taller than Subaru. He was usually clad in black clerical attire specific for the Witch Cult, just like every other normal member of the Cult, with an exception of not wearing his hood. He was described as having a thin and sickly look with limbs consisting of nothing more than skin and bones. His complexion was extremely pale, reminiscing of a corpse, and his short, deep-green hair was lifeless and unkempt. Everything about him, save for the eyes, screamed "death and sickness". The madman's dark-grey eyes were perhaps the only "lively" part of him as they were brimming with insanity and were unsettling to look at, let alone being the sole object of their full attention. Strangely enough, he did have a strange and twisted sense of fashion as he could be seen sporting a pair of crimson-red teardrop-shaped earrings, similar to Regulus, with a small exception of Petelgeuse's being a tiny bit smaller.

About one hundred years ago, Petelgeuse could be seen as a much more normal member of society, sporting a rather tall and somewhat thin physique and sane and lively eyes. His hair bore perhaps a bit lighter shade of green, was much longer, and was evenly cut and tied to a small ponytail. His face wasn't as crazed and devoid of life, with his manner of speech being more calmed down and normal. He also did not self harm, meaning his fingers were not as disfigured as in the years prior to his demise. Emilia described him as very tall and skinny, but in a more lean way than frail.

It is also worth mentioning that due to his nature as a spirit and the ability to possess non-contracted spirit users, Petelgeuse often shifted between bodies. At some points, he even possessed women.

Personality
Petelgeuse was the general depiction of insanity, preferring to talk while in weird positions, such as tilting his head or bending his waist, and also liked to engage in self harming activities, such as crushing his own fingers, pulling his hair out, smashing his head onto nearby walls of the cave he was situated in, etc. Despite him being the Sin Archbishop of Sloth, he adhered to principles of living consisting of diligence and love. His love for Satella was the largest among the Sin Archbishops. He diligently followed and carried out orders from his gospel, always acting first in various situations, causing his name to be known as the most active Sin Archbishop, who was responsible for more than half of all the the Witch Cult's activities and attacks.

A hundred years earlier, Petelgeuse was a moderate, upright, and rational man. He was a close friend of Fortuna and Emilia, enough to be described as being like a family. He was also very respectful toward certain people, such as the elves of Elior Forest and the Sage Flugel. He was willing to sacrifice himself for the safety of Fortuna and Emilia, a trait which Pandora commended, and one which he would pass on to his future mad self. However, when Regulus and Pandora attacked their village, he accidentally killed Fortuna through Pandora's power, which combined with the damage he received when taking in the Witch Factors of Sloth, which he wasn't compatible with, causing him to go mad.

It is worth noting that both in his past and present, the members of the Witch Cult carried him in high regard, and carried out his orders diligently and without question.

History
Petelgeuse Romanee-Conti was the respected Cardinal of a faction of the witch cult. He lived for a long duration due to his ability to possess bodies. Petelgeuse was aquatinted with the Witch of Greed Echidna 400 years ago, and tutored her Artificial Spirit Beatrice manners. Although the nature of their relationship was unknown, it can be deduced that they were on friendly terms, as he had once joked to her that it was his duty to be disliked. At some point, he met Fortuna and befriended her, with Fortuna nicknaming him "Geuse." Through her, he learned of the Elves of Elior Forest, and the seal they guarded. Petelgeuse helped them regularly by delivering supplies such as fresh clothes for the winter. He learned of Fortuna's niece Emilia and came to care for her like his own daughter. One day, Petelgeuse encountered Emilia while visiting Elior Forest, who had escaped her room to see the seal in an act of rebellion. He brought her back to the village and witnessed her summoning multiple minor spirits, to his and Fortuna's shock. Petelgeuse then had a minor argument with Fortuna about how she could become a spiritualist until Emilia commented that the two were like her parents, much to their embarrassment. Fortuna then sent Emilia back to the Princess Room, after Emilia forced her to make a promise to let her see "Geuse" again.

Approximately a century ago, Elior Forest was visited by Regulus Corneas, the Sin Archbishop of Greed. Petelgeuse confronted him, reminding him of the promise he had made to leave Elior Forest to him, to which Regulus commented about how rude he was. It was then, Pandora revealed herself, stating that he came her on her command. It is revealed that Pandora was the one who killed Emilia's original parents, and Fortuna attacks her in rage, attempting to crush them with a massive ball of ice. Regulus easily repels the attack, and Petelgeuse tells Fortuna to run, stating that Emilia's safety was more important than getting revenge. Petelgeuse then revealed the box containing the witch genes, much to Regulus's shock. Petelgeuse asks Flugel to forgive him, and opens the box, absorbing the witch genes of sloth. Petelgeuse forces the genes to accept him, and although his insides are ravaged with blood pouring out of his eyes, he manages to attack Regulus using the Authority of Sloth, grabbing his leg with Unseen Hand, and slamming him into the ground. Pandora commends him for his use of the authority while not being compatible, and gives him the seat of the Sin Archbishop of Sloth, a statement which Petelgeuse rejects, saying that the only thing he cares about is the safety of Fortuna and her family. It is then, that Black Serpent, which had been guided to the forest by Pandora, arrives, tearing down the forest. It attempts to attack Pandora but Regulus shields her. Petelgeuse and Regulus proceed to battle, destroying the forest around them. Despite Petelgeuse's best efforts, Regulus easily nullifies all his attacks and then slices his right arm off and greatly wounds his legs by throwing dirt and pebbles at him. As Petelgeuse bleeds on the floor, Regulus walks up to him to land the finishing blow, but is then attacked by Fortuna, who left Emilia in the care of Arch and came back to save Petelgeuse. Fortuna uses Al Huma, which forms an even larger mass of ice, and drops down to crush Regulus. Regulus comes out completely unharmed, and in his rage, flings dirt at Fortuna. Fortuna ignores his seemingly childish act and prepares to assault him again, until Petelgeuse tackles her, knowing the grains were imbued with his authority, as the dirt pierces the ground. The fight is then interrupted Pandora, who states that she would not allow Regulus to kill the pair. Regulus, enraged, flings dirt at Pandora using the same attack, which blows her body into bits of gore, to Fortuna's shock. Regulus then turns to Petelgeuse and Fortuna, and prepares to attack them, until he is interrupted for the third time by a very much alive Pandora. Pandora then uses her Authority of Vainglory to rewrite reality, and send Regulus back to his mansion. Pandora restores Petelgeuse's arms and heals his insides. She states how she only wanted to talk. Fortuna and Petelgeuse prepare to attack her with all their strength, while Pandora doesn't even assume a fighting stance, and smiles. Pandora somehow managed to incapacitate the pair and made her way to the seal, and attempted to convince Emilia to open it. As Fortuna confronts them, a crazed Petelgeuse arrives, and attacks Fortuna with Unseen Hand, making a hole through her stomach. Pandora had managed to trick Petelgeuse into thinking Fortuna was "the enemy." When Emilia calls his name, Petelgeuse snaps out of his delusion and realizes what he has done, and with the combination of the shock of killing his beloved, and the Authority of Sloth raging inside him, Petelgeuse is subsequently driven mad beyond repair. When an enraged Emilia unleashes her power and freezes the whole forest, Pandora presumably escaped with Petelgeuse.

After the events of Elior Forest, Petelgeuse assumes the role of the Sin Archbishop of Sloth. Crazed, and delusional, Petelgeuse spent the next 100 years launching raids and attacks, him being the most active Sin Archbishop out of all the others, with his deeds gaining infamy throughout the Kingdom of Lugnica. He began to follow the Witch of Envy Satella, due to Pandora phrasing her beliefs of "love" and how his resolve was built on it, and was determined to revive her in any way possible.

Abilities
Authority of Sloth (怠惰の権能 Taida no Ken'nō): Petelgeuse was able to use the Authority of Sloth until his Witch Factors were taken by Natsuki Subaru following his death.


 * Unseen Hand (見えざる手 Miezaru Te)
 * Petelgeuse could cause physical interference by creating Unseen_Hands_Opening.png invisible force field in the shape of a hand. The effect area, power, and number of hands were based on the user. Normally, Petelgeuse was only able to use seven hands. However, if the Witch Factors he used to make people into his fingers returned to his body, he was able to summon up to a hundred or more of them. He could also combine hands together to increase their size.

Earth Magic: As Petelgeuse was originally a minor earth spirit, he was capable of using Earth Magic, although he did not rely on it much and only used it in emergencies.


 * Ul Dona (ウル・ドーナ): Petelgeuse was able to lift thick walls of earth around himself in a shape of a dome. Although the walls were extremely durable, they could be blown apart by strong sources of magic, such as a fire crystal.

Possession: While he differed from the norm as a Spirit, Petelgeuse could possess others' bodies, with Subaru describing it as a forcible one-way contract. Compatibility varied between people, which depended on whether the person had an affinity for Spirits, as he mentioned that Subaru's body was optimal while Ferris and Wilhelm's bodies were incompatible for various reasons. However, he was unable to possess people with an affinity for Spirits who already had a contract with one. He was usually accompanied by special followers, called the Ten Fingers, who acted as sub-commanders and spare bodies for Petelgeuse, with each one leading a group of several lower-ranking cultists. The fingers themselves had positions that corresponded with the names of fingers on the human body. To make other people into his fingers, he added Witch Factors to their body that allowed him to possess them, as he could possess people with an affinity for Spirits, but needed to make normal people into his fingers first. He used this over and over to live for 402 years until he was killed at the end of Arc 3.

Sloth (怠惰 Taida) (Web Novel exclusive)


 * Petelgeuse could let out a black wave toward his surroundings, corrupting the minds of those who have no knowledge of Spirit Magic. Those affected experienced hallucinations, auditory hallucinations, and severe pain, then exposed the whites of their eyes, foamed at the mouth, and were nearly driven mad. This ability was cut out of the Light Novel.

Trivia

 * According to the author, the basis of his actions, his relations with the witches, his past 400 years ago, and why his name is intentionally spelled as Petelgeuse are important plot points scheduled to be revealed in a future arc.
 * Red Star is the common Japanese nickname for Betelgeuse.
 * In Arc 5, Subaru noted that Betelgeuse, the star, was actually called "the hand of Orion", as it was located on the constellation Orion. This could possibly be a reference to his Unseen Hand.
 * Petelguese's last name is named after a famous wine under the same name that was originated in the French Revolution.
 * The author asked his readers on "Let's become a Novelist" about whether he should change the surname Romanee-Conti to something else in the Light Novel version. However, most readers told him to keep it as is, thus his surname was not changed.
 * According to the author Petelgeuse was the "nicest" Sin Archbishop compared to the others, but after he went mad, he lost every ounce of dignity and morals, frequently going on rampages all across the world, becoming responsible for more than half of all attacks orchestrated by the Witch Cult, being known as the most active Sin Archbishop of the aforementioned cult.
 * The author has stated that Petelgeuse used to be a lesser Earth Spirit
 * The author mentioned that Petelgeuse was unable to possess a Spirit Arts User who already had a contract with another spirit.
 * Before he lost his mind, Petelgeuse was shown to have a rather intimate and close relationship with Fortuna. Their relationship lasted for decades if not centuries.
 * According to the author, there were times where Petelgeuse was forced to use a female body. Despite that, Fortuna still loved him.

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