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I like how the official special Gnosis art for the Break The Ice drama CD pre-order bonuses (clear file and acrylic stand) gives him long fingernails.

Speaking of, their matching acrylic stands are also great.

✨Partners-in-crime ✨

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I love Enciodes's module. It adds so much to his character. It paints such a vivid picture of this lonely, grieving, frustrated, hurting youth, who nevertheless doggedly kept the spark of hope and idealism alive in his heart.

It's called "Snow Realm Fowlcare Kit," and is told from the perspective of Enciodes's perpetual companion: Tenzin. The image depicts an assortment of bird-related paraphernalia which Enciodes used (and perhaps still uses) to take care of Tenzin.

When it awoke, it found itself lying in a warm room. The unfamiliar environment frightened it and it wanted to leave, but it was in so much pain it could not move. The door opened, and through it strode a Feline boy with silver hair and a thick tail. He approached it with liniment and gauze in hand, applying the medicine in the bottle to the wound before bandaging it up. It struggled a little at first, but was too weak to do anything but accept the boy's treatment before falling into a deep slumber.

We open with how the two met: Tenzin awakening in Enciodes's room, afraid and hurt. Tenzin is first introduced to Enciodes with an act of kindness: cleansing and wrapping the bird's injury. We don't know what kind of injury it is, but considering how Tenzin is in pain too overwhelming to even move, I can only presume it's a grievous wound for a young bird, likely one which would lead to the creature's death if left untreated.

So right off the bat, we have the impression that Enciodes is the kind of the person who would come across a severely wounded animal and rescue it in the hopes that he might still be able to save its life. While Enciodes himself draws a distinction between his childhood self and his adult self, not unreasonably, this is something that we can still see the glimmers of--positive and negative--in him later on, not only in the way he saves Degenbrecher but in the way he seeks to save all of Kjerag from ruin.

On the second day, the boy took it back to where it had been found. They wandered through the woods for an entire day until the boy was exhausted and gasping for breath, but in the end found only the remains of two adult fowlbeasts. He built a small grave for them, then turned to it and said: 'Now, both of us are in the same boat.' The boy took it back to his room, and the tiny nest inside became its new home. The boy would come check on it every day. He liked to gently wipe its plumage while chatting with it, unconcerned with whether it could understand him.

Enciodes was so determined to return this baby bird home that he spent the whole day searching to the point of exhaustion to try to find Tenzin's parents. Not only that, but when he found them dead, he took the time to build them a grave. It's so sweet and pure of him to spend his time like this for a mere bird, particularly as we can see by the mention of them being "in the same boat" that this happened not long after the accident that took Olafur and Elizabeth. No doubt, struggling to cope with grief is what sent Enciodes wandering in the woods and finding Tenzin in the first place. And immediately, he finds this to be the point of connection between them: they're both orphans now. I can't help but wonder if Enciodes building a grave for the dead birds was a form of closure for him--Olafur and Elizabeth died in a train accident. Was there anything left of them to bury at all (if the Kjerags bury their dead)? Possibly not. At least he could give the birds a proper send-off.

And with no other choice, he doesn't hesitate to bring Tenzin back home with him, resolved to care for this feeble creature that he rescued, because who else would? They're in the same boat, after all.

It's also clear that caring for Tenzin gave Enciodes a much-needed psychological outlet, a form of healthy distraction from the many burdens on his shoulders and the loss of his parents. Looking after an injured animal even more helpless than himself and wholly dependent on him must have been a form of therapy and comfort for him, especially because it was someone he could talk to and who would listen and not judge him. Every single day, without fail, he wiped Tenzin's feathers and presumably changed the dressing of its wound, talking to it about his troubles--because he had no-one else to talk to.

...... Like that one night, when the boy approached it with a sullen face and said: 'I'm confident I have what it takes to be a strong clan leader or a good brother, but I cannot guarantee I can do both at once.' The boy sighed as he spoke. He contemplated for a long time, before finally running off to return with a box that smelled nice. Inside was his sister's favorite dish.

This one stings, and it wouldn't surprise me if this is foreshadowing for the final reveal of what was the argument between Enya and Enciodes the night before she went on the Saintess's trial. Enciodes, who has been groomed to become the clan's leader since virtually the moment he was born, has come to the painful realization that he has to choose between being a good leader and being a good brother, because he cannot do both at the same time.

This plays into a recurring theme in the Kjerag stories: choosing between family and leadership. We've seen it in the conflicts between the Browntail sisters and how they envy each other's position but most clearly with how Ratatos feel hollow and deprived of her sister's mundane happiness; in the way Arctosz chose to send Tatyana and Rosalind back to Ursus, as even being leader of Paleroches wasn't enough to guarantee their safety after the Silverashes were targeted; in the way Enciodes complains as a child that his own father can't even smile when he's with his family; and of course, in the ongoing conflict between Enciodes and Enya and how they must set aside their blood relation to each other in their leadership roles, and how those leadership roles further divide them from each other and from Ensia.

While for now, as he retrieves Enya's favorite dish, Enciodes is trying to do what he can for his sisters while he still can, we know his choice is a foregone conclusion: he chose to become a strong clan leader over being a good brother. Ultimately, he chose the clan and chose Kjerag as a whole over his relationship with his sisters, no doubt in part because he believes protecting Kjerag from the threats posed by the outside world is the best thing he can do for the country and for them as a whole, and in part because it was always his dream that Kjerag should, could, and would be more, as is seen in Gnosis's oprec. Enciodes has always been dissatisfied with Kjerag's standing in the world, and has always wanted to change this.

But we see here that as I said in my previous essay, he did not make that decision lightly and it was a decision that caused him emotional anguish. This module as a whole, as well as Gnosis's oprec, demonstrates painfully clearly that Enciodes was a normal child. He had his dreams, his quirks, his interests, his struggles--and he did, in fact, care about his family a normal amount. But he was forced to make a choice, and make a choice he did.

...... Like that one afternoon, when the boy approached it with a tinge of melancholy in his voice: 'I want to graciously wish Gnosis success on his new journey, yet I selfishly hope for him to stay.' Perhaps because he had been bottling it in for so long, the boy spent the next half hour explaining to it the situation of the Edelweiss clan, the difficulties facing Gnosis, and his reluctance to part ways with his best friend. In the end, he sighed again and said, 'Alas, you're the only who can hear me out. I'd better think of a farewell gift for him now.'

I talked about this in-depth in another post, so I'll try not to repeat myself. I'm glad to see it explicitly stated that Gnosis is Enciodes's best friend; likely, at this point, still his only friend, too. It breaks my heart how Enciodes is so stressed and has been bottling up his feelings about Gnosis in the wake of the blame being pinned on the Edelweisses that he pours his heart out to Tenzin for half an hour. Tenzin is the only one whom Enciodes can talk to about the Edelweisses and their hardships, which underscores just how bad their situation in Kjerag was and how awkward Enciodes's position must have been as the ostensible victim of theirs. It must have been difficult for Enciodes to even go on seeing Gnosis, much less openly associating with him as the son of his parents' murderers, after everything happened.

Enciodes knows the polite thing to do is bid Gnosis good luck going abroad, but he's unable to do this just yet because he selfishly, desperately, hopes that somehow Gnosis will stay. This is how much Gnosis means to him: even though it's possible that Gnosis's life will be in danger if he remains in Kjerag, his companionship is so important to Enciodes that even knowing all of this, even knowing that the Edelweisses are at the epicenter of all of Kjerag's hatred right now, Enciodes still wishes he could stay. He doesn't want to be alone. He doesn't want to be without Gnosis--his one friend, the one person who shares his dream and the one person who understands him and with whom he shares a deep connection outside of his family.

But alas: there is nothing Enciodes can do. He can't keep Gnosis there. Sooner rather than later, he has to bid Gnosis good-bye, and make him that promise one last time, "I'll come find you," probably fearful deep down that they'll never see each other again.

I wonder, also, what was Enciodes's farewell gift to Gnosis. (I'd be over the moon if Gnosis's second module was about this.) Gnosis probably gave him one of the traditional Edelweiss family knives if he hadn't already, but what could Enciodes give him? Something to remind Gnosis of him, their friendship, their shared dream, their promised future together.

...... And like that day when its wounds healed, and the boy took it out to the snowy plains to practice flying. When it was about to take off, he took out a black silk scarf, tied the fabric around its neck, and asked: 'Will you come with me?' —At that moment, the boy had already decided to set aside the burdens of being a clan leader and depart from the Snow Realm to study abroad. It simply cocked its head and looked at him. Of course, it did not know what the boy was worried about, why he was anxious, or why he was sad. But perhaps, it sensed that the boy, just like it, did not wish to stay confined in a warm room. He wished to soar beneath the blue sky— It spread its wings and leapt forward. Then, to the boy's happy, surprised shouts, it took off with the wind. On that day, it learned to fly once again.

As soon as Tenzin's wounds have healed, Enciodes takes it out to practice flying. If Tenzin was just a baby when Enciodes rescued it, it never even had to opportunity to learn to fly from its parents, but Enciodes is clearly resolved to find a way anyway, or maybe believes that Tenzin will somehow be able to do it through instinct. Yet first, he must ask it a question, as he's already made up his mind to continue on the path he'd previously chosen.

I love how he straight-up asks Tenzin if Tenzin will go with him. He's cared for this bird for probably weeks, spoken to and petted it on a daily basis, given it a home because it has no other--for all intents and purposes, it belongs to him now and will never be able to survive in the wild again, and even the scarf he ties around its neck can be taken as a symbol of ownership rather than a token of affection. Yet still, approaching the verge of departing Kjerag, he sees fit to ensure Tenzin can fly and has its own free will to choose whether or not it wants to go with him. Undoubtedly, Tenzin went with him to Victoria, and I'm sure Enciodes was happy to have his beloved pet as company in an unfamiliar country, particularly given how nervous and uncomfortable he is there.

It's beautiful as well how Tenzin is a metaphor for Enciodes himself in this last section. Through their long time together, even if Tenzin doesn't fully understand Enciodes's words or complex problems, it understands his emotions, and shares his joy and his sorrow. And through this bond, Tenzin feels that Enciodes, too, longs for freedom, for more beyond the comfortable isolation and willful ignorance of Kjerag--he, too, wants to fly. And Enciodes's determination, however battered, is inspiration for Tenzin to fly once more. They're one and the same in this last moment: two creatures both wounded albeit in different ways, seeking the earliest opportunity to spread their wings, literal and metaphorical.

(Here I must also note that this bird metaphor and seeking of freedom is a potential callback as well to Gnosis once more, as he also receives similar imagery in his EP and his oprec.)

And as Tenzin takes off, we know that Enciodes will soon take off as well, perhaps inspired in turn: the greatest changes to his character and person, not to mention the beginning of his practical experience and the true real foundation of his great endeavor, began when he departed the "warm room" of Kjerag and went to Victoria. As Tenzin learns to fly once more, Enciodes too will also learn to fly.

Reading the module, it's abundantly clear now why Enciodes is accompanied by Tenzin at almost every turn. Not only does he love Tenzin so much, he's cared for Tenzin since Tenzin was a little chick, and Tenzin chooses to go with him wherever he goes. (Similarly, I think I can say my headcanon of Enciodes lovingly choosing Tenzin's bandanas to match his own outfits is more or less confirmed.) They're inseparable companions.

It's also incredibly sweet how reading this, we can see that much as Enciodes hand-raised Tenzin, Tenzin has also watched Enciodes grow up: from a frustrated child into the powerful adult he is today, listening to his thoughts and secret worries all the while, at many instances being his sole comfort and confidante. I'd like to think that Tenzin harbors just as much affection for Enciodes as he must hold for it...

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I love how Enciodes was so upset about his crush--I mean, his best friend--having to leave that he rambled about it to his pet for half an hour straight. Not just about how sad he was, but he also had to tell Tenzin about the difficulties Gnosis was facing, because it was apparently important enough to him that somebody else also knew what a hard time Gnosis was having.

It's also impressive how Enciodes himself admits that wanting Gnosis to stay is selfish, because he'd likely be risking bodily harm by doing so with the whole of Kjerag believing the Edelweisses to be murderers--but that doesn't stop Enciodes from still wishing he could.

It adds an extra layer to their conversation in the flashback in BI-6, where Enciodes asks him, "Do you really have to go?" and Gnosis replies that there's no place in Kjerag for them anymore; that conversation must have happened right before this moment where Enciodes pours his heart out to Tenzin.

Probably a scant year or two prior, Enciodes promised Gnosis that he'd make Kjerag big enough for him so that he would stay. Yet before he could even have a chance to make good on that promise, to even start working on it, circumstances beyond his control conspired to separate them anyway. No wonder he's gloomy: on top of all the grief he was already experiencing at the loss of his parents and the stress of his new responsibilities (likely what drove him to wander through the woods and find the injured Tenzin in the first place), he's powerless to even keep his closest companion safe and near him in the face of a conspiracy in which he's the only who even believes otherwise.

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An extremely minor point that I couldn't help but notice in Chapter 14: at last, we have the knowledge of when it was that Gnosis crossed paths with Shining--it had to be at the Royal Academy of Sciences, when Gnosis was doing his studies. It was also likely there, with Shining, that he either discovered or was told about the truth of Originium, which has always struck me as extremely odd for him of all people (a nobody from an underdeveloped country) to know.

Gnosis says they "collaborated", but in all likelihood, if he was still a student at the time, he may have just been an intern working in the lab. Of course, given how cold Gnosis is to Doctor, there's no reason he would reveal more than strictly necessary, particularly given the sensitive nature of the Confessarii experiments.

I wonder if it was also in that aftermath that he had his 'dealings' with the Trilby Ashers...

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Symmetry once more.

(New art by Ryuzakiichi.)

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And the official English sub of the U-chan animated series feat. Kjerag is live!

My favorite highlights:

Rus and Yucatan eating on the train with a burdenbeast literally at the table with them

Karlan Trio literally kidnapping Eureka and bribing her to do good PR for Kjerag as a streamer

Gnosis and Enciodes swapping their usual good cop/bad cop roles

Gnosis being so dramatic that even Enciodes tells him to go with something simpler next time (the acting world lost a great talent when he decided to go into STEM instead)

Tenzin patting Enciodes's head

Degenbrecher being super serious MENACING the entire time (probably getting a kick out of the drama too)

Enya and Kjera out for an evening date walk

Kjera being best (and clumsiest and most human) goddess

Even Karlan Trade's 1 million LMD deposit to Eureka's account for making Kjerag travel trend is only a fraction of her current debt Very cute, looking forward to more.

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A highlight from yesterday's JP stream: while presenting Silverash's Ambience Synesthesia skin, Gnosis's VA Midorikawa Hikaru launched into an impromptu and rather suggestive in-character monologue of Gnosis touching him.

"Enciodes... Can I touch here? You feel very stiff. Don't overdo it. Ha... How does it feel if I touch here? Here, let me help here, too."

Youtube clip and translation provided by my friend Aelen_altria!

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I like how even in her casual clothing, Degenbrecher wears the Kjerag symbol so nobody doubts where her true allegiance lies.

Also she's wearing nail polish! Cute.

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THEM

And them!

(Source: Terra Live trailer)

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I appreciate the existence of someone who actually understand the characters and plotline Kjerag. Way too many people treat Enciodes as an unambiguous villain with an irreconcilable divide with his sister/family.

Thank you, anon! Part of the reason I started writing some of my essays was because I saw a lot of detail and nuance going overlooked, as well as inaccurate interpretations. I'm always somewhat disappointed to see the "Enciodes is a villain" take, and I feel it's quite telling that there hasn't been much discussion about the Silverash siblings' relationship post-RS nor following Cliffheart's second oprec. With so much care put into the Kjerag characters and plot, it's a bit of a shame that some people don't notice or appreciate them.

Thank you for reading!

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It actually completely slipped by my notice that in RS-ST-3, Enya and Enciodes word-for-word say the same thing when they're talking about Kjerag's future. What a brilliant little parallel.

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I have a longer essay in the works about this, but I'm surprised by how many people seem to take the perceived animosity between Degenbrecher and Gnosis at face value and act as if they dislike each other. They very much don't.

Degenbrecher constantly carries hangover medicine for Gnosis; constantly brings up Gnosis in conversation; chats casually with Gnosis. Gnosis openly worries about Degenbrecher and was willing to risk starting an international war if it meant making sure she would live.

In fact, Gnosis and Degenbrecher are very good friends. They're over the rocky start they had in the manga where Gnosis didn't trust her and acted overprotective and jealous regarding Enciodes, and in fact, have a lot in common, not just in their mutual friend Enciodes Silverash but their backgrounds: they're both outcasts, both people who have been hardened by their cruel treatment at the hands of others and who will be absolutely ruthless when it comes to achieving their goals.

Gnosis is also very much not Degenbrecher's punching bag. She has fun at his expense, yes, but she would never actually harm him in a lasting way or do more than mildly humiliate him, and she certainly wouldn't react with violence to any little thing he does. Degenbrecher's writing makes it abundantly clear that Gnosis is equal to Enciodes in her mind, and he's just as much her beloved friend as Enciodes is.

She exhibits absolutely no malice towards him in the entirety of RS, unless you count her "poison" prank as malice, which it very much wasn't. Even the anecdote she shares about pinning his head to the ground was purely petty revenge for her own amusement because she was annoyed by his being full of himself, likely after how reluctant he was to trust her in the manga. Her running prank about the poison is just that: a friendly prank. She doesn't actually want him dead, she just thinks his reactions are funny, and pulling a fast harmless one on your buddy is a normal friend thing.

Degenbrecher and Gnosis are besties. They might laugh at each other's misfortune, or intentionally trip the other up as a joke, but even as they do so, they're holding out a hand to help the other up. They might call each other names to their faces, but they'd never let anyone else do the same. They have each other's backs. They care about each other.

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Visual comparison between Degenbrecher's manga outfit and Shadow of the Dark Moon (+ similar details from Forerunner/Never-Melting Ice)

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I think there's really not enough content depicting Karlan Trio as three weirdos who vibe with each other's weirdness. Especially and including Enciodes.

Beneath his perfect social facade, Enciodes is extra and kinda strange. He thinks it's funny to dress up as a pirate on his off-time to go to the beach. He regularly gambled his allowance away as a kid. He got sold to kidnappers as a child by Gnosis and ends the day promising Gnosis a future. He comments on the taste of the food he's being fed while he's captive and says he felt safer tied up when Gnosis cuts him free. He thought it would be a swell idea to empty his bank account to save Degenbrecher while barely knowing anything about her personality. He decided to try to make a Viscount owe him a favor by trying to position himself as a savior and cat's paw while also being "that guy's son from that backwater country." He decides to just enlist with RI as an operator like "Hiii, did you miss me? <3"

He tends to do non-business-related things in an over-the-top way, because he's apparently Just Like That.

Then we have Gnosis and Degenbrecher. Canonically, they're both outcasts from their respective homes even if for different reasons. They're both people who have internalized the pain of being ostracized and made it into strength, refusing to allow public opinion to affect them. This is common ground for them and I believe it forms part of their friendship and why they always have each other's backs even if they mess with each other. But on a personal basis...

Yep, they're kinda weird too. There's the fact that homeless orphan Degenbrecher says Gnosis has "lousy taste" when it comes to food. What does that even mean? Is he an omnivore crane who'll eat anything in front of him? Does he like spicy food (fun fact, birds don't have capsaicin receptors)? Does he like the most hardcore weird traditional Kjerag food? Does Enciodes always have to pick the restaurant when it's his turn? How bad must his taste be for Degenbrecher of all people to say it's "lousy"? He has a penchant for blowing things up and setting things and people on fire whenever he can, apparently just because he can because why be subtle when you can be over-the-top? He's a consummate actor yet can't be bothered with pleasantries. He has an intimate knowledge of etiquette yet chooses to be rude. He's a scientist and engineer yet forges weapons because it's the family tradition.

Degenbrecher? Almost goes without saying. She likes to fight avalanches because survival is fun. Enciodes got her to come along to Kjerag partly by telling her she might be able to 1v1 God and she says so to God's face. She's the strongest person in the country but knows animal midwifery and does farmwork. She's an honorary member of the Kjerag fishing association. She has a great time roleplaying a witch because acting as the final boss means everyone will come at her and spends a long time trying to figure out how she can fit the hat on her head because she's that into it. She grins like a maniac when she gets the chance to destroy the trap house walls; she probably gets a kick out of wanton destruction just as much as Gnosis does. She goes on a Looney Tunes Chase after Trilby Asher with a single-minded intensity without a second thought. She has a cell phone but almost never uses it because she hates being contacted.

I would just love to see more content that shows them just being a bunch of total freaks with each other while vibing harmoniously all the while. Let me see Degenbrecher helping Gnosis blast new mineshafts because explosions and debris are fun. Let me see Degenbrecher throwing the boys over her shoulders like potato sacks to escape some building that's on fire because Enciodes was a cat who knocked something over for the fun of it. Let me see them trading parts of their meals. Let me see them going on vacation together and accidentally causing a minor incident just by being themselves.

Let me see them just doing stupid fun stuff together like the besties that they are.

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Skin description from weibo:

Shadow of the Dark Moon - Custom Costumes for the "Dark Law Codex" role-playing scenario of the Witch Feast / Shadow of the Dark Moon. The player will be a witch who protects the codex. The codex is useless to her, and she is unstoppable with her long sword: "You can try to defeat me." It is rare to see Degenbrecher frowning and thinking hard like this. After a long time, she finally found a suitable angle and put the witch hat on her head by passing it horizontally and vertically through the horns. She breathed a sigh of relief.

Degenbrecher: "Roleplay? Oh, you're going to try to defeat me? Sure, I can pretend to be a witch or whatever, fire counts as Arts, right?"

Final boss Degenbrecher. On par with Orphan of Kos. Guarding a treasure she doesn't even care about just because it means people will fight her.

Blaze plays the role of the person trying to obtain the codex, by the way, according to her skin description. So I'm sure that showdown is something they're both looking forward to...

I like seeing canon confirmation that her massive horns cause her problems--maybe that time she almost smacked Gnosis in the head really was an accident... (or maybe it wasn't)

Degenbrecher is so bad at Arts that even movie props malfunction in her hands...

Little smile and nod!

My crops are watered, my skin is clear, my house is clean. This is the most blessed and adorable thing I have seen. She's having a great time.

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I was going to wait until we have a better resolution, but these are some of my favorite details in Degen's skin so far!

Horn ring! I love it, seriously. And the huge horns on her hat emblem! I think they're probably meant to represent the ones of her animal spirit from her E2.

Star-shaped brooch at her cravat like the one from her manga outfit, and the long white ribbon on one side resembles Gnosis's Forerunner ribbon! The eye(?) shaped decoration is of interest, too.

Red lines running down the front of her boots give such a nice pop of color.

Gold ornamentation on the knuckles of the gloves, also like Gnosis's gloves and Enciodes's in Never-Melting Ice!

Blue and red! Enciodes's and Gnosis's colors! The sword blade is red, too!

Violence. 👍👍👍

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People complaining that Degenbrecher's new witch skin "doesn't suit her personality" forget that she very much has a sense of humor and she likes to have fun in her own way.

I'm willing to bet that she finds dressing up as a mage only to shatter bones with flaming swords funny as heck.

There's also nothing that implies she doesn't like fancy outfits when her regular outfit has several purely ornamental details like her medals, her Karlan Trade bracelet, the flower-shaped buckle on her shoulder pauldron, and her high-heeled boots. Her long hair, being worn loosely, is also extremely impractical for combat and by all logic, she should have short hair or keep it tied back, yet she doesn't. Her manga outfit is similar with several ornamental details and the skin is a callback to that with the black color scheme with purple and gold details. Even the books aren't out of place as her profile mentions she spends time every day reading!

While an unexpected choice, I'm kind of glad they didn't go with the boring Black Knight shoo-in, and she looks like she's having a great time with her new weapons. My only wish/hope is that her boys show up in the background during the animations or at the very least are mentioned in the description.