Gahard D. Hoelscher

Gahard D. Hoelscher (ガハルド・D・ヘルシャー) is the emperor of the Hoelscher Empire.

Appearance
Gahard is a man in his late fifties, but he looks 10 years younger and possess a vitality and energy of a man 20 years below him. He has a lustrous silver-gray hair, sharp gaze, and bulging muscles.

Personality
Gahard is fickle and acts deceptive by circumstances (as in the simulated match against Kouki). He too, like Hajime, is extremely sharp and perceptive as he is aware of the manipulative nature of the pope and the Holy Church. He is a womanizer, as he wishes to make Shizuku his lover, despite already having a wife and several mistresses.

He is a firm believer in his country's doctrine of "strength reigns supreme", as he is willing to accept the Haulia Tribe's demands to free all of the empire's slaves due to having been bested by them during the events of his son's failed engagement party, due to this belief, Gahard despite being genuinely shocked when he learnt of Ehit's true nature from Liliana was able to easily accept it by adhereing to his country doctrine that power and abilities are everything and outright stating that it is Ehit's own fault that he got exposed as an Evil God by the Liberators, claiming there is no point in continuing to worship a false idol. He is deeply impressed by Hajime's artifacts, such as his airship "Fernir" and the weapons they used in the Legendary Great War, as such he's described as a child with brand new toys.

Abilities

 * Master Swordsman - Gahard is able to keep with Kouki in a duel. He claims to his subjects that he held back in order to test the young hero's skills in battle.

Relationships

 * Hajime Nagumo - Gahard is extremely impressed with Hajime's immense power and his talent for inventing technomagical artifacts and tries everything he can to recruit him. He even goes so far as to offer his own daughter to Hajime.
 * Shizuku Yaegashi - Gahard is infatuated with Shizuku and has propositioned her to be his mistress.
 * Kouki Amanogawa - Gahard considers Kouki to be a loud-mouthed and immature child that is unworthy of his title of "Hero".
 * Eliheid S. B. Heiligh - the two of them have a positive relationship due to them being the rulers of two allied nations, though Eliheid is not too fond of Gahard's quirks when he challenges Kouki Amanogawa to a duel while in disguise. Gahard considers Eliheid to be a great king and grieves after learning of his death.

Quotes

 * (To Liliana S. B. Heiligh after learning the truth about Ehit): "Oh, I’m plenty shocked. The god I believed in since I was a little brat turned out to be a madman. But well, you know how it is with the empire. All we really believe in is strength. Killing our enemies and taking what we want is all that matters to us. The weak exist to serve the strong. So if it turns out Ehit’s a sham, well, it’s his own damn fault for getting found out. Now that I know the truth, there’s no point in worshiping a false god."