Karl-Heinz Schneider (SCP)

**Karl-Heinz Schneider** (カール・ハインツ・シュナイダー) is a primary character in Secure, Contain, Protect, serving as one of Tatsuko Ryūzaki's several love interests. He is the elusive and mysterious "Young Kaiser Heinrich," leader of the Heinrich Troop, an almost entirely Anomaly-comprised military organization he officially founded in 1903 when he was 16 years old alongside Hermann Kaltz and Genzo Wakabayashi, his two closest friends.

## Profile

### Background

Karl, as he prefers to be called, was born into a human family that had fallen from its previous relative wealth due to the economic crisis in Germany at the time. His parents were shocked at first to have produced an Anomaly as a son but didn't hate him, in fact they were more worried about how they would protect him if necessary, knowing the local stigma against his race. When his little sister was born, the three of them had resolved not to tell her what he really was. His parents began to fight with one another more and more the further they fell into relative poverty, leaving Karl to raise his little sister, Marie, on his own.

At some point his prodigious intellect and ability was acknowledged by Oxford University and he was invited to attend at only 16 years old with a scholarship. He attended Oxford until he was 22, majoring in political science and law, befriending fellow scholarship owner Genzo Wakabayashi while he was studying at Oxford, becoming fast friends despite Genzo's rough English and mediocre German. Over the roughly 3 years they attended Oxford together, completing their undergraduate degrees, and Genzo told Karl much about Japan and the rapid development it has been undergoing lately, along with the Russo-Japanese War ongoing while the two were in Britain. He promised Genzo he would come to Japan once he finished his graduate studies, continuing his life in West Europe and recruiting more endangered Anomalies in need of shelter and protection. When he and Genzo were about 17 years old, they and Hermann Kaltz – the three original executives of the Heinrich Troop – went to a barely populated rural town to, as Genzo put it, "Investigate the rumors of a monster in the woods."

This was where Karl, in his boundless charisma and captivating passion, recruited the centuries-old Golem of the Ghost Mist Mountains who had only been known by folktales. The golem, in his Old German, explained he had no name, so Karl gave him time to choose his own. The Golem eventually named himself Deuter Muller.

After finally graduating, Karl followed through with his promise and travelled to Nankatsu, Japan, to visit his old friend. Hermann and Deuter wouldn't let him go alone, however, being two of his closest friends and most prized officers of the Troop.

### Appearance

Karl is a relatively tall caucasian male with pale skin, gold blond hair, and ashen blue eyes. Just like his best friend Genzo, he has been noted to be rather attractive, with a sturdy frame, calm expression, and steady, cool-headed presence. Karl is almost always wearing formal clothing or some variation of: his casual clothing consist of a white dress shirt, matte burgundy vest, dress pants and black shoes. It's been said by his peers that he has "sharp eyes, as if they could see into your soul."

Like most höllenhunds, any variation of his other form is pitch black with a blue glow. This is a contrast to his human form, because usually höllenhunds have black hair and a more ashen skintone with warm brown eyes. However, he has a Hel Mark on his back between his shoulder blades, white also with a blue glow. He is about the average size for a hound – that is, a large dog. Though his höllenhund form has been described as beautiful, very few can touch it as a result of the höllenaura ("hell aura") around him that can either burn or freeze anyone who comes too close.

### Personality

Karl is a noble, honest, and modest man. Though he knows he is powerful, he is never one to underestimate those he faces. He himself knows he doesn't seem particularly intimidating, so there is nothing to say someone else is just the same. With his advanced sense of smell and hearing, Karl is able to read emotions and people much easier than he already could. He has a remarkably good grasp on the functions of the human mind, having taken a psychology course as well as some economics classes to better understand how human societies interact with one another. While usually honest, Karl is a fantastic liar. When talking to Jun Misugi, a satori, Jun notes in distress that he has no idea what Karl is feeling or thinking, meaning he also has a lot of mental fortitude.

Karl himself is very kind-hearted and gentle most of the time, preferring not to enter conflict if it is avoidable or unnecessary, but also knows when he must intervene. If he sees something he views as wrong, he will "subdue it." That is to say, he will destroy it without mercy.