Hubert von Hresvelg

> People believe Crests are blessings from the Creator, Sothis, that they are necessary to maintain order in Fódlan. But the people are wrong. Crests are to blame for this brutal, irrational world we live in.
>
> Hubert speaking with Byleth

**Hubert von Hresvelg** is a playable character and one of the main protagonists in *Season Emblem: Three Houses* and *Season Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes*. He is the prince and the future emperor of the Adrestian Empire. He possesses a Minor Crest of Seiros. In the Officers Academy, he is the leader of the Black Eagles. Hubert is seventeen at the start of the game and wields gauntlets as his main weapon.

According to his ending, Hubert chose Andri Miller to success him as he passed on his fighting powers to her.

## Biography

### Backstory

Born in Imperial Year 1162, Hubert is the ninth child of Emperor Ionius IX, the prince and heir to the Adrestian Empire, and a student at the Officers Academy in Garreg Mach Monastery. He is also the house leader of the Black Eagles.

In Imperial Year 1171, at the age of nine, he was taken by her uncle, Lord Volkhard von Arundel, to Fhirdiad in the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus during the Insurrection of the Seven. Volkhard was one of the key conspirators against Hubert's father, and with his help, Duke Aegir stripped the emperor of much of his power. Unbeknownst to Volkhard or Hubert, his mother had also escaped to Faerghus under the alias Patricia and married King Lambert.

He later met and befriended Dimitri, the crown prince of Faerghus, though he did not learn that he was his step-brother until years afterward. The two spent much time together, with Hubert teaching him how to dance. Hubert returned to the Empire in 1174 with his uncle, never learning that his mother was Dimitri's step-mother. Before he departed, Dimitri gifted him a dagger, which he has held onto since despite forgetting how he obtained it.

Hubert's childhood afterward was much more traumatic. Upon his return to the Empire, he, alongside his siblings, were imprisoned under the Imperial palace and subjected to torturous blood reconstruction surgeries by Those Who Slither in the Dark, who were said to be backed by many of the corrupt Adrestian nobles. Though his father vehemently objected, his reduced influence meant that he could do nothing to stop them. As a result, most of his siblings were driven mad from the experiments or died from exhaustion.

By the end of it all, only Hubert was able to survive and retain his sanity, leaving him as the only successful subject (which was possible because of the previous experiments conducted on Lysithea). As a result, he bore a second Crest, the Crest of Flames, at the cost of his hair turning white. These events would forever color his view of Crests, the Church of Seiros, and the caste system of Fódlan.

Hubert never learned that his presence in Faerghus was used by Cornelia to manipulate Patricia and eventually cause the Tragedy of Duscur in Imperial Year 1176.

### *Three Houses*

#### Academy Phase

In 1180, he arrived at Garreg Mach Monastery to complete his education and resolved to reclaim what his father had lost.

Sometime before meeting Byleth, Hubert took on the guise of the **Flame Emperor**. The suit used Agarthan technology to heavily distort his voice to protect his true identity. As the Flame Emperor, he employed bandits led by Kostas in an effort to kill as many students as possible during a training exercise --among them Claudia and Dimitri. However, this endeavor failed due to Byleth's and Jeralt's intervention. After being saved by Byleth, he came to hold interest towards them while also staying cautious. He formed an alliance of convenience with Those Who Slither in the Dark, as they both oppose the church, though he despises them for their callous attitude towards collateral damage. During the attack on Remire Village, as the Flame Emperor, he encounters Byleth and Jeralt and offers an alliance. When Byleth refuses, the Emperor had expected the reaction but warns about their decisions in the future. Should Byleth accept, the Emperor will accuse them of lying.

Within the school year, he asks the students of the Officers Academy to hold a reunion five years later on the eve of the monastery's millennium festival. Eventually, he convinces Ionius IX to abdicate and assumes the Adrestian throne, an event Byleth can witness if they are his professor.

Eventually he orders Metodey and several soldiers to infiltrate the Holy Tomb. Should Byleth teach the Black Eagles, Hubert accompanies his fellow classmates into the Holy Tomb. After Byleth sits on the throne, Metodey and several Imperial soldiers arrive, intending to pillage the Crest Stones. When Ferdinand remarks that Metodey must be working with the Flame Emperor, Linhardt immediately deduces that the Empire must be linked to it, prompting Bernadetta to ask Hubert if he had any knowledge of the event. Hubert confirms his suspicions and reveals his identity as the Flame Emperor, much to his classmates' shock. He tells his friends to stand down as the Imperial Army loot the Crest Stones, ordering his soldiers to kill them should they resist.

If Byleth taught the Blue Lions or Golden Deer however, he appears with Metodey in his Flame Emperor persona, and his true identity is revealed following the battle.

Rhea then orders Byleth to kill Hubert, seeing him as a threat to Fódlan. If Byleth taught the other Houses or did not attend her coronation, they immediately side with Rhea, but Edelgard comes in and takes him to safety before they can do anything. Should Byleth attend Hubert's coronation, they have the option of siding with him; should they do so, Hubert will be shocked, but grateful for their decision.

Upon returning to the Empire, Hubert immediately declares war on the Church, organizing his forces to launch an attack on Garreg Mach, knowing that he would have the advantage if he could capture Rhea. If Byleth sided against him, the first assault fails, but a second assault results in Rhea's capture. If Byleth sided with him, the first assault is successful, though Rhea is able to escape, much to Hubert's disappointment.

#### Cindered Shadows

Hubert is the other Black Eagle besides Linhardt that explores Abyss. He becomes acquainted with Constance, having heard of the noble’s disappearance beforehand.

#### War Phase

##### Crimson Flower

Hubert organizes his former classmates into an elite task force known as the Black Eagle Strike Force. They are able to overwhelm the Church's forces, but in the aftermath of the battle, Rhea transforms into the Immaculate One and Byleth is trapped by rubble in the chaos, sending them into a coma. Despite his efforts, Hubert and the others are unable to find Byleth, and he is wracked with guilt over their supposed death.

After the Battle of Garreg Mach, Archbishop Rhea takes refuge in Fhirdiad. Garreg Mach falls into ruin, but Hubert and the rest of the Imperial Army soon rehabilitate the former monastery and put it back into a running state, using it as their base of operations. He and the rest of his classmates spend the next five years in conflict with both the Kingdom and Church; the Alliance remained a neutral party, having people both for and against the Empire's actions.

Eventually, Byleth returns in Imperial Year 1185 on the day that would have been the Millennium Festival. Byleth encounters Hubert upon returning to Garreg Mach, where he is surprised with their reappearance and shares a hug with them. After bringing them up to speed, he reintroduces Byleth to their former classmates, all of whom are happy with their return. With Byleth's aid, Hubert is swiftly able to conquer Leicester, eventually defeating Claudia and her forces at Derdriu. Hubert and Byleth had the decision to spare or execute Claudia. He was surprised that Claudia had considered all possibilities after the battle. If Claudia was spared, she decided to meet Hubert one more time, and asked him to take care of her former classmates and bring peace to Fódlan, which he agreed to.

Following the absorption of the Alliance, the Knights of Seiros then perform a sneak attack on Garreg Mach to recapture it. While Rhea and Catherine distract most of the enemy forces, an expeditionary force led by Seteth attempt to sneak in, but are discovered by Hubert and her strike force. They are quickly repelled, and the Church retreats following their defeat. However, both Randolph and Ladislava are killed during the battle with the main army, along with numerous other casualties. Despite the losses, Hubert continues his campaign against the Church, planning an attack on Fhirdiad, although he informs Byleth they are taking a short detour to Arianrhod first.

The reason for attacking Arianrhod is because Cornelia is actually a member of those who slither in the dark. The siege is a success, with Arianrhod captured and Cornelia killed. However, in response for killing Cornelia, his uncle sends javelins of light to flatten the city. Though Edelgard is concerned they acted rashly in killing Cornelia, Hubert reassures her, stating that they forced those who slither in the dark to reveal their secret weapon. Edelgard advises him to keep the truth of the incident away from the others, which he complies with, telling his classmates that the Church was responsible for flattening Arianrhod. Hubert stresses the war must be ended quickly, before the javelins of light can be used again.

However, news of an Almyran army at Fódlan's Throat forces Hubert to take his strike force there and defend the fortress as no other units can be spared. Hubert defeats Nader, the enemy commander, forcing the Almyrans to retreat. Duke Goneril then entrusts Hubert to protect the fortress, and he stations a group of soldiers there to defend it.

Now heading to the Tailtean Plains, Dimitri intercepts the Imperial Army, while waiting for Rhea's forces to arrive as they are late due to poor weather. In the ensuing battle, Dimitri is defeated and Rhea's forces are routed. If Dedue was defeated after turning into a Demonic Beast, Dimitri curses Hubert, accusing him of causing immense suffering, but Hubert ignores his accusations and executes him himself. Following the aftermath of the battle, Hubert expresses surprise with Rhea's tactical skills, and somewhat mourns Dimitri's death.

The group finally arrives in Fhirdiad. Hubert orders the Church to surrender and be spared. The Church does not respond, prompting Edelgard to state that they should attack. The group then hears a roar as Rhea transforms into the Immaculate One, and a soldier comes in informing them that fires have sprung all over the city, much to Hubert's disgust. He assembles the Black Eagle Strike Force and tells them not to die so they could all see the future he plans to bring at war's end. Hubert, Byleth, and the Black Eagle Strike Force engage her in battle. Ultimately, the Empire emerges victorious and Rhea is slain. Following Rhea's death, the Crest Stone inside Byleth disappears and Byleth collapses and appears to die due to heart failure, much to Hubert's initial horror. However, Byleth's heart starts beating again by itself, much to Hubert's delight.

With all of Fódlan under Adrestia's dominion, Hubert finally begins the reforms he always wanted to bring to the nobility and the Crest system and begins a silent war against "those who slither in the dark", which is successful in the future.