Randolph Clovis

Randolph Clovis is a mercenary and the captain of the Wandering Wolves, first encountered in the Miller domain, where his band was hired by the local lord. By the time he meets Theodore he is already a first-rate swordsman, able to cut single-handedly through hordes of undead and wielding aura at a level Theodore had never witnessed even at the academy. Blunt and roughly good-natured, he is driven both by a survivor's instinct and by the dream of becoming a true sword master, which is why he hunts down his family's lost relics with the aid of an ancient artifact. He introduces himself curtly and to the point — 'We are the mercenaries of the Wandering Wolves, and I'm in charge' — and, before letting strangers into the village, insists on verifying their identities.

Their alliance begins with a pointedly hard bargain. At first Theodore offers the band three hundred gold for their help, but Randolph, a man who knows the price of risk, stalls — a fee split among a hundred mercenaries is not worth diving into the thick of it. So Theodore cunningly buys Randolph's own 'soul' for a mere hundred gold, strips him of the rights to the recovered relics, and binds the mercenary by an oath sworn before Marcus, God of War. Despite this lopsided deal, a firm comradeship grows between them: already in the battle for the village, Randolph's aura-fed blades cut down ghouls and mid-rank undead like straw dummies, while Theodore's protection shields him from Sylvia's frost.

They later cross paths again in Sipoto, where Randolph fights a wager duel against the Black Knight — a death knight, higher undead whose movements feel oddly familiar to the mercenary. After that clash he stays at Theodore's side for a long stretch: they travel together, spar constantly, and it is from Randolph that Theodore learns the basics of close combat. His sister Rebecca is tied to the story as well, binding House Clovis to Theodore's fate even more closely.

Over the years Randolph perfects the Clovis family swordsmanship: his speed more than doubles, his twin blades break the sound barrier, and his blue aura trails behind them like a comet's tail — hence his nickname, the Lightning Swordsman. He fights alongside Theodore all the way to the final battles against Andras and the heavenly demons, survives grave wounds, and at last, after the war, is granted a noble title in Meltor and trains new aura-users, while his former mercenaries become knights.

A master of twin blades who channels aura for superhuman speed and strength. Fighting the undead, he leaps across the heads of corpses and tree branches ('grass-flight'), carries two mages on his shoulders without feeling their weight, and his aura-soaked falchions cut through ghouls and mid-rank undead without resistance. He is naturally cold-resistant, so he fights shoulder to shoulder with Sylvia's ice magic with ease.

In time his speed surpasses sound, and his strike gathers into a comet-like vortex of blue aura — earning him the name Lightning Swordsman. At the root of it all lies the hereditary Clovis swordsmanship, which he polishes year after year until it can stand against higher undead and master-class opponents.

Their acquaintance begins with a hiring in the Miller domain: rejecting the ordinary fee, Theodore buys Randolph's 'soul' for a hundred gold and binds him by an oath before Marcus, God of War, taking the rights to the family relics along the way. Thus the rough mercenary is drawn into the orbit of a future great mage.

Their paths cross again in Sipoto at a wager duel against a death knight, and from then on Randolph remains Theodore's companion for a long time. They travel and spar together, the mercenary teaches Theodore close combat, and in the end Randolph walks the whole road with him to the decisive battles of the war, after which he is granted nobility in Meltor.