Gahard D. Hoelscher

Gahard D. Hoelscher (ガハルド・D・ヘルシャー) is a character from the Arifureta Shokugyō de Sekai Saikyō series.

He 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 adhering 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.

After learning from Liliana S. B. Heiligh of Ehit's true nature as an evil god, Gahard has forsaking his respect for Ehit, as he called him a false god.

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. Gahard is very pleased to receive a mini Fenrir flying craft Artifact from Hajime after Ehit's defeat, causing Gahard to name Hajime as the Empire's best friend. However, he considers Hajime to be the devil at times, something most people agree on (including Yue and Tio).
 * Shizuku Yaegashi - Gahard is infatuated with Shizuku and has propositioned her to be his mistress. However, Shizuku refused as she already fallen in love with Hajime causing Gahard to back off as he knew better then to try to provoke Hajime's anger.
 * Kouki Amanogawa - Much like Hajime, 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.
 * Ehit - Unlike his friend Eliheid who blindly worshiped Ehit, Gahard doesn't worship the god due to his singleminded beliefs in strength. He also insulted Ehit as he called him a false god.

Physical Abilities

 * Peak Physical Abilities- Due to his rigorous training, Gahard has achieved peak human potential.
 * Master Swordsman - Gahard is consider the strongest warrior in the Hoelscher Empire, which is the reason why he's the current emperor. 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. During the “The Haulia Rebellion”, he was able to defend himself from the Haulia's Tribe attacks the longest and even managed to fight many of them off by himself before being defeat. This being more impressive by the fact that he taken by surprise and wasn't able able to see clearly because of the blackout.

Magical Abilities

 * Expert Magic User - Gahard has proven himself to a skilled and experienced caster. He can uses simple spell in effective ways to aid him in battle.

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."