Thearesia van Astrea

Theresia van Astrea was a legendary historical figure, former generation's Sword Saint, and central catalyst for the tragic fractures within the prestigious Astrea family lineage. Born into the highly esteemed Astrea family—a bloodline cursed and blessed with an inescapable destiny of producing unmatched swordsmen for the Kingdom of Lugnica—she inherited a heavy generational legacy alongside her later roles as a loving wife to the "Sword Demon" Wilhelm van Astrea, mother to Heinkel Astrea, and grandmother to the current, omnipotent Sword Saint Reinhard van Astrea. Despite being a gentle, deeply social, and open-minded soul who possessed a profound love for flowers and a visceral hatred for violence and taking human lives, she was forced into the occupation of a master knight and military vanguard. This tragic destiny manifested at the tender age of 12 when she was unexpectedly granted the Divine Protection of the Sword Saint, a cosmic blessing that instantly maxed out her latent combat prowess and forced a blade into her pacifist hands. This gift operated alongside her terrifying innate blessing, the Divine Protection of the Death God, which cursed her by ensuring that any physical wound she inflicted upon an opponent could never naturally heal, causing endless bleeding. Burdened by these lethal talents, she hid her identity until the horrific heights of the Demi-Human War forced her to the front lines, where her unmatched skills single-handedly brought a bloody conflict to a swift end 40 years. Her internal suffering was alleviated when a passionate and fiercely determined swordsman named Wilhelm Trias noticed her tending flowers in a ruin, fell in love with her, and later publicly defeated her in a dramatic duel to strip away her burden, vowing to wield the sword for her so she would never have to kill again. They married and lived in peaceful retirement until 14 years prior to the main plot, when she was called back to action to lead the Kingdom's "Great Conquest" against the colossal mabeast known as the White Whale. Tragically, mid-battle, her Divine Protection of the Sword Saint abruptly shifted to her young grandson Reinhard, leaving her completely defenseless and vulnerable; she was ultimately killed not by the whale, but by the manipulation of Pandora, the Witch of Vainglory, who then allowed the Witch Cult to retrieve her corpse. Years later, during the harrowing siege of the water gate city of Priestella in Arc 5, her reanimated, puppet-like corpse was weaponized by the Sin Archbishop of Wrath, forcing a heartbreaking showdown where she ruthlessly fought her aging, grieving husband Wilhelm before their grandson Reinhard intervened and struck her reanimated body down with cold, dutiful precision to lay her spirit to rest—an act that permanently fractured the bond between grandfather and grandson, though in her final, fleeting moments of true consciousness, Theresia tenderly wiped away Wilhelm's tears and died peacefully knowing she was profoundly loved.