Rom

Born a slave, Valga was a leading figure of the Demi-Human War, feared as the Great Strategist who held deep hatred for humanity. Although reported to have died during the war, he was taken captive by the Kingdom of Lugunica in secret, and, after escaping his imprisonment decades later, he took on the name Rom, eventually finding himself in the Royal Capital's slums, where he raised Felt. He joined Felt's camp following the announcement of her candidacy as one of the Royal Selection Candidates at the Royal Selection Ceremony.

Appearance

Rom sports a bulky figure. As a giant, he stands at a towering 220 cm (7'3"), though his hunchback-like style of walking makes him look shorter. He has white strands of hair lining his eyebrows and is bald. He wears a sleeveless vest and possesses a crimson symbol across the left side of his head. His primary weapon is a massive club that he uses to smash opponents.

When he was young, he was much leaner, and his eyebrows stood up in addition to having more hair. He wore black pants, a red cape, bracelets with bones on them, and a necklace.

Personality

Rom is good-natured, intelligent, and wise. He is a known alcoholic and frequents the enjoyments of drinking. He has a high awareness when it comes to sensing hostility. He is especially protective of Felt and values her as a treasured family member.

When he was young, Rom held an immense hatred towards humans and desired to exterminate every single one of them. He used his intellect to produce complex strategies that furthered his goals. However, caring for Felt over the years eventually eased some degree of his burning hatred for humanity, and he personally believes that she saved his way of life.^[1] Because of this, he now seems to be ashamed of his past.

History

Rom was born as Valga Cromwell of the nearly extinct giant race, and he was raised as a slave of an unnamed noble. While being a slave, he experienced a living hell until he was one day saved by a man named Libre Fermi; Valga would begin to foster a hatred of humans as a result of the environment he lived in.^[2] Libre soon became Valga's friend, teacher, and mother figure after freeing the giant.^[3] In addition, he became acquainted with Doltero Amule and Setanta around this time.

During the Demi-Human War, Valga was one of three leaders in the Demi-Human Alliance, serving as the Alliance's strategist. At some point in time, he found Sphinx, brought her into the Alliance as an ally, and they set up a hidden base at testing grounds in Shamrock Valley. According to unconfirmed reports from the Royal Army, Valga personally utilized his forces during the Battle of Castour Field and contributed to the Kingdom of Lugunica's defeat there. After the usage of Sphinx's magic circles and the corpses she was gathering became known to Libre, the two of them disagreed over her methods and they began growing estranged as a result. Three years later, at the Battle of Aihiya Swamp, Libre was personally killed by Sphinx and turned into a corpse soldier, though the Witch would hide the Poison Snake's manner of death from Valga. Without Libre's charisma to continue leading the Demi-Human Alliance, Valga chose to invade Lugunica Castle in an attempt to attack the Kingdom at its heart.

During the Invasion of the Royal Castle, Valga would be accompanied by Sphinx and the corpse of Libre. Although he was too weak to fight on his own, he had magic circles engraved on his body to increase his power, and alongside them, a bone from an ancestor of his. Sphinx then used Sacrament of the Immortal King in tandem with the bone, which increased Valga's size to a 10-meter-tall giant. He fought against the Sword Demon, Wilhelm Trias, but he ultimately lost the battle and supposedly died. However, in reality, his continued survival was left a concealed fact, and he was taken to the main McMahon Manor as a captive, with only select individuals such as Gionis Lugunica and Miklotov McMahon knowing this fact.

A few years after the Demi-Human War ended, Stride Vollachia was moving across Lugunica with unseen aims. He somehow found his way into Sphinx's Testing Grounds in Shamrock Valley and found a magic circle there that was left by Sphinx. This magic circle had the ability to nullify the covenant that the Kingdom had with the Divine Dragon. Valga, who knew about the magic circle's effects, opted to disclose what it did to Gionis. After Stride's death, Valga told Miklotov that he only chose to divulge the information because Stride's faction would have killed his fellow demi-humans.^[4]

An unknown number of years later, Valga started calling himself Rom, escaped from his captivity either by force or with permission, was given custody over Felt by a man with golden hair and crimson eyes, and he raised her as his granddaughter. On one occasion in the years following his captivity, Rom visited the Oni Village to see Setanta for unknown reasons, and the two had a disagreement. Before leaving, he told Ram and Rem to never forget to be close sisters.^[5] About seven years before Arc 1, Rom gained ownership of the Loot House and began selling illicit items that Felt stole from other people in order to get by.

Abilities

Keen Intellect: Rom was once feared during the Demi-Human War, not for his physical strength, but for his strategical mind. His strategies were so impressive that he was considered one of the most dangerous threats alongside Sphinx. He has since taken up a position similar to that of a strategist in the Felt Camp, and as of Arc 9, he does not seem to have lost his touch. This intellect even allowed him to corner Al, who had only ever been truly cornered once before, and Al considers Rom more dangerous than the Sword Saint.

Keen Observation: Rom is skilled at drawing out a person's true abilities and nature through endless trial and error. Because of this, he has been able to spot and identify a vast number of Divine Protections, leading to him becoming the man who has killed the most Divine Protection users in the world. It is because of this that Rom managed to almost completely ascertain the true nature of even Al's Authority.

Equipment:

• Spiked Club: Rom wields a Spiked Club in combat. He can casually swing it around with one hand and crush wood with ease.
• Gauntlets: Rom wore gauntlets on both of his arms that he used to hold multiple Conversation Mirrors.
• Conversation Mirrors: Meteors that are used to converse with anyone who has another of its kind. They were duplicated by the Felt Camp for usage. Rom has shown to have several, which he uses to direct large numbers of people at once.
• Hexcel: A drug produced with a bokko fruit that generates excess mana through the activation of the gate. With Rom's usage, it causes his physique to grow. The drug has a narcotic effect, however, and its usage can cause its user to bleed from their eyes and nose, their veins bulge, and their insides will be torn apart.
• Night Banishing Magic Stone: Originally used alongside a Night Banisher, this stone is used to temporarily overwrite the appearance of the battlefield, giving the illusion of night having turned to day. Though he is not a man of great magic, when he is enhanced by Hexcel, he can control the blast created by crushing one of these stones.

Trivia

• In the first section of Felt-chan's Royal Selection Life from Zero, it is implied that Rom has a debt to an unknown group of people affiliated with a man who has golden hair and crimson eyes.^[6][7] These physical characteristics are shared by Felt and all members of the Lugunican Royal Family.
• According to the author, Rom's birthday is February 20.
• Rom has a named chapter in Arc 9 of the web novel and light novel.

References

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