House Astrea

House Astrea is a noble house in the Kingdom of Lugnica, currently headed by patriarch Heinkel Astrea. They are the direct descendants of the First Sword Saint, contributing to the Sword Saint role and title which they have continued to pass down through generations.

Information
The House of Astrea is among the most acclaimed Houses in the Kingdom of Lugnica. Four hundred years before Natsuki Subaru's arrival, Reid Astrea, the forerunner of the Astrea bloodline, aided the Sage, his apprentice and the Divine Dragon in defeating and sealing the Witch of Envy. Ever since then, one member per generation has been chosen as the next Sword Saint; a knight who inherits the Divine Protection of the Sword Saint, which can only be inherited by a member of the Astrea family. Sword Saints are regarded as the Kingdom's greatest weapons and are only called in action when the situation is at the most desperate. Many Astreas and Sword Saints have been killed in action in service of the kingdom, in most recent memory being Theresia van Astrea, who was lost in the disastrous First Great Expedition. The current generation's Sword Saint is Reinhard van Astrea.

The House of Astrea is in possession of the strongest of the Ten Swords of Power; the Dragon Sword Reid. The Sword has been passed throughout the generations, ever since the days of the first Sword Saint Reid Astrea (the sword was even named after him). It can only be unsheathed by a Sword Saint, thought most Sword Saints never get an opportunity to use or let alone see the gleaming blade of the Dragon Sword. The weapon was said to be given to Reid Astrea by the Divine Dragon himself, with the sword's sheathe being covered in golden claw marks which were also stated to have been made by the Volcanica. Reid used it to cut down numerous dragons back in his day, though nowadays the sword rarely makes its appearance unsheathed.

The blade is abnormally sharp and is said to be unbreakable; Reinhard was able to block Regulus' Authority of Greed with its sheathe alone. Capable of destroying the world and able to cut through space and mana itself, the weapon is without a doubt the strongest Sword, if not the strongest material item in existence. All in all, the Dragon Sword Reid is the House's most prized and cherished possession, with a rich history and countless legends surrounding it, though no one knows how many of these legends actually hold true to the actual events that transpired all those years ago.

Some members of the household have heavily involved themselves in the ongoing Royal Elections. Deputy Commander of the Royal Guard Heinkel Astrea is a backer of the Priscilla Camp; Conversely, the Sword Saint Reinhard van Astrea is the primary benefactor of the Felt Camp, personally working as Felt's knight and protector. As a result of the ideological split, Reinhard and Felt live in the Astrea manor, whilst Heinkel resides in the Barielle house.

400 years ago

 * Reid Astrea received the Dragon Sword, a legendary sword passed through generations, only being able to be drawn by the Sword Saints.
 * Reid Astrea teamed up with Volcanica, Flugel and Shaula in order to stop the Witch of Envy's rampage.

Roughly 50 years ago

 * Fribal lost his Divine Protection of the Sword Saint and sensed Theresia inherited the Divine Protection. Refusing to wield a sword at first, she was indirectly responsible for the deaths of both her brothers and Fribal. Two years before the end of the Demi-Human War, Theresia was forced to overcome her disgust of fighting and killing and participated in the battle that took place in the area that was governed by the Trias family; in her first battle, she accumulated 1000 confirmed kills. Throughout the following years, the Sword Saint Theresia van Astrea single-handedly turned the tide of the war which eventually concluded in the Kingdom's victory.
 * Two years after Theresia's debut in the army, Wilhelm fought and defeated her on her own celebration hosted by the King himself. She gave up the title of the Sword Saint.

19 years ago

 * Reinhard van Astrea is born to Louanna Astrea and Heinkel Astrea.
 * Roughly two years after Reinhard's birth, Louanna Astrea suddenly falls into a comatose state. She was repeatedly examined by numerous healers but to no avail. Her "disease" was referred to as the sleeping beauty state.

14 years ago

 * The King of Lugnica orders a squad of elite soldiers led by Heinkel Astrea to eliminate the Hakugei. In an unprecedented turn of events, Theresia is sent to battle instead of Heinkel.
 * Amidst the fearsome battle, Theresia suddenly lost her Divine Protection of the Sword Saint which was the main cause of her death.
 * Reinhard van Astrea becomes the next generation's Sword Saint at the age of 5.

Roughly 6 months ago

 * The King of Lugnica, Randohal Lugnica sends Reinhard to the Pleiades Watchtower in order to make contact with the Sage and ask him for the cure of the illness that had plagued the Royal Castle. Unfortunately, Reinhard was not able to break through the Sand Time and was forced to return empty-handed.
 * Reinhard, Julius Juukulius and Ferris Argyle escort Sage Council members Miklotov McMahon and Bordeaux Zellgef to the Crystal Palace, located in Rupgana, the capital of the Vollachia Empire. After an unfortunate turn of events, the three knights find themselves in a situation in which could escalate into a war between the two nations. They managed to resolve the issue and prevent a bigger conflict.
 * About a month later, Reinhard van Astrea crosses swords with Vollachia's Blue Lightning, Cecils Segmund, in possession of two of the Ten Swords of Power. The Dragon Sword, unprecedented in history, recognized Cecils as a worthy opponent and so Reinhard as able to fight Cecils with the unsheathed Dragon blade, resulting in Reinhard's victory. Both survived the battle.

Members

 * Reid Astrea
 * Fribal van Astrea
 * Veltol Astrea
 * Tishua Astrea
 * Theresia van Astrea
 * Thames Astrea
 * Carlan Astrea
 * Cassiles Astrea
 * Wilhelm van Astrea
 * Heinkel Astrea
 * Louanna Astrea
 * Reinhard van Astrea

Trivia

 * Ever since Reid Astrea, every member born into the family has had flame-red hair.
 * There have been roughly 7 or 8 Sword Saints following after the first Sword Saint's death.
 * Distinguished members of the family are given the honorary title of "van".
 * Despite Heinkel being the Vice Captain of the Royal Guard, he's very disliked for his cowardice. He never received the title of "van".
 * Reinhard is stated to be the strongest Sword Saint to ever exist; even more powerful than Reid Astrea.
 * Reid Astrea was so skilled with the blade that he received an honorary title of the Heavenly Sword; a title only given to the most skilled Swordsman in a generation.
 * Cecils Segmund is currently trying to achieve the title of the Heavenly Sword.
 * Despite Reinhard being stronger than Reid, the first generation's Sword Saint is more skilled with a blade than the current generation's Sword Saint.