The Great Conquest (大征伐) was the failed effort by the Kingdom of Lugunica to bring down the White Whale. It was led by Sword Saint Theresia van Astrea, who was assumed to have met her end by the White Whale. Unbeknownst to history, however, the Witch of Vainglory, Pandora, was involved in the Great Conquest and the circumstances leading to Theresia's death.
The repercussions of the Great Conquest incited Wilhelm van Astrea's motivation to slay the White Whale, which he successfully accomplished in Arc 3, and thereafter, his confrontations with the Witch Cult in Arc 5.
Background[]
When the window of opportunity arose, the Kingdom of Lugunica began an effort to vanquish the White Whale. At the time the subjugation was set to occur, the commander of the Royal Guard, Wilhelm van Astrea, would be absent from the Royal Capital to conduct the search for Ford Lugunica's kidnapped daughter, preventing him from joining the subjugation force.[1] As a replacement for Wilhelm, his son, Heinkel Astrea, was nominated to lead the subjugation instead. However, Heinkel refused to participate in the subjugation, recommending that his mother, Theresia, who had been retired from active duties for over two decades by that point, join in his place.[2][3]
Theresia accepted the nomination, much to Wilhelm's chagrin. To prevent him from abandoning his duties and joining the subjugation, Theresia shocked Wilhelm by asking if he loved her and took advantage of the momentary distraction to scratch his left shoulder, giving him a wound that would stop bleeding due to the effects of her Divine Protection of the Death God. Prior to her departure, she asked her husband to finally let her hear the answer to her question she had asked him so many times.
Battle[]
The battle initially began with the subjugation force holding their ground against the White Whale. But unexpectedly, Theresia could not clearly remember what had happened afterwards, and the White Whale unleashed its thick fog as the force collapsed. The Divine Protection of the Sword Saint, which she had possessed for years, was suddenly missing. She instinctually recognized that it was transferred to Reinhard. All of a sudden, a woman with platinum hair, Pandora, appeared from the fog. Theresia tried drawing the Dragon Sword Reid from its sheath, to no avail. Opting to use the longsword at her feet, she attempted to attack the woman, retaining her previous skill with, when suddenly, the woman's voice rendered the Sword Saint unconscious. Thus, the subjugation force all but fell, the Great Conquest ended in failure, and felled was Theresia van Astrea.
Aftermath[]
In the wake of the Great Conquest, the White Whale was left unscathed and continued to roam the world. The Witch Cult seized Theresia's body, making it into an undead corpse soldier that was placed under the command of Capella Emerada Lugunica at an unspecified time. Conwood Melahau, the Deputy Commander of the Royal Guard who accompanied Theresia to the battlefield, returned the Dragon Sword Reid that Theresia left behind.[4]
Once the search for the kidnapped princess ended without her whereabouts being discovered, Wilhelm van Astrea resigned from the Royal Guard.[5] The Royal Guard only managed to recover from the aftereffects of the Royal Selection through the efforts of Marcos Gildark, the commander who succeeded Wilhelm.[6] The Sword Demon, under the impression that he lost his wife to the White Whale, solely dedicated the next 14 years of his life to studying what was known of it and seeking a chance to take revenge on it. To this end, he withdrew from House Astrea and reverted to using the name Trias, leaving Heinkel Astrea as the successor to the family. Wilhelm's relationship with his grandson Reinhard, the inheritor of the Divine Protection of the Sword Saint, was also damaged. In the years following the Great Conquest, Reinhard would officially be appointed as the Sword Saint to succeed Theresia and joined the Royal Guard.
Nearly fourteen years after the Great Conquest's failure, Wilhelm was unsuccessful in convincing his old friend Bordeaux Zellgef to support his quest to end the White Whale’s life and was given a short daylong sentence in the Prison Tower for assaulting him. This incident was witnessed by Crusch Karsten and Ferris, and after presenting his case to the duchess, he gained her assistance in hunting for the White Whale in exchange for giving her his support in the Royal Selection. Roughly a week after the Royal Selection commenced, at the end of the Subjugation of the White Whale, Wilhelm was successful in avenging his wife. Though he had avenged the death of his wife that had occurred during the Great Conquest, the Sword Demon did not end his quest there, as because the wound his wife gave to him before her death was reopened, he chose to pursue the Witch Cult to discover why it happened.[7]
The Witch Cult's acquisition of Theresia after the Great Conquest became known during the Battle for Priestella that took place one year after the Subjugation of the White Whale. Wilhelm and the undead Theresia crossed blades twice during the battle: once at City Hall and again at the control tower in the first district. Their first bout ended without a conclusion. In the second, Wilhelm was about to deal a finishing blow onto his wife, but faltered and missed the opportunity when his son, Heinkel, witnessed the battle. With Wihelm unable to defeat Theresia, Reinhard entered the fray and concluded the battle in his grandfather's stead, finishing it in one blow with the unsheathed Dragon Sword Reid. The Sword Demon was given an opportunity to share a final farewell and confession of love with his undead wife, who regained sentience, before her body dissolved into ashes. The relationship between the three surviving Astreas was left incorrigibly broken as a result of the circumstances of Theresia's return. In the end, fifteen years after the Great Conquest ended with Theresia's death and the disappearance of her body, Wilhelm collected his wife's ashes and intended to lay them with her family's grave to give her a proper memorial.[8]
Trivia[]
- Before being used as an in-story term, the author came up with the name “Great Conquest” upon being asked if the event had a name by a fan.[9]
References[]
- ↑ “That is not so. ――However, the Great Conquest, the effort to bring down the White Whale, included the previous Sword Saint. It took place during the time Wilhelm-sama was absent from the Royal Capital to conduct the search.” Re:Zero Light Novel Volume 16, Chapter 4, Section 7.
- ↑ “…That is not the half of it. I have heard that at the time, it was Heinkel-sama who recommended that Theresia-sama, who had already laid down her sword and retired from active duty, participate in the Great Conquest.” Re:Zero Light Novel Volume 16, Chapter 4, Section 7.
- ↑ “We have records remaining from that time. The deputy commander refused to join the Great Conquest, nominating Theresia-sama to join the battle in his stead.” Re:Zero Light Novel Volume 16, Chapter 4, Section 7.
- ↑ “I didn’t draw it, but I’m sure Conwood, who represents the old men, has been apologizing to Wilhelm ever since he brought back Theresia’s sword.” Re:Zero Season 1 Episode 20 Commentary
- ↑ “However, the facts remain that the search was aborted, the Great Conquest itself ended in failure, and Wilhelm-sama resigned from the Royal Guard.” Re:Zero Light Novel Volume 16, Chapter 4, Section 7.
- ↑ “The Royal Guard surely would not have recovered if it were not for Commander Marcos exhausting every effort to do so.” Re:Zero Light Novel Volume 16, Chapter 4, Section 7.
- ↑ “Theresia van Astrea. This sword wound was opened by my wife. I must continue to pursue the Witch Cult in order to uncover the truth.” Re:Zero Light Novel Volume 9, Chapter 6, Section 3.
- ↑ “Even if it is only ashes, I wanted to lay her to rest in her family’s grave and have a proper memorial for her.” Re:Zero Light Novel Volume 20, Chapter 6, Section 5.
- ↑ November 27, 2014 AskFM Q&A