Rye Bryar

> Well, if there is a man who can defeat me, we could get married. Even if he is ugly and had a twisted personality...It doesn't even matter if he is not human if that man could defeat me. How strong would our child be?
>
> To Giovanni Scafidoglou

**Rye Bryar** (ライ・ブライヤー, *Rai Buraiyā*?) is the current Grandmaster of the Continental Association.

## Appearance

Rye is a young woman with a distinctive appearance. Her revealing suit, highlighted by a black purple cloak and a cascading skirt, exudes confidence and mystery. Her hair is styled in two braided pigtails, conveying playfulness and preparedness. She complements her ensemble with carefully applied purple makeup, enhancing her allure and sophistication. Rye's unique fashion choices reflect her individuality and leave a lasting impression on others.

## Personality

On the surface, Rye presents herself as a serious and prideful woman, driven by a noble quest for a world free from oppression. She carries herself with a regal demeanor, commanding respect from those around her. However, beneath this noble persona lies a hidden facet of her personality—a battle-hungry warrior who revels in the thrill of combat.

Despite her seemingly noble nature, Rye rarely displays emotions or sorrow when someone from her own side falls in battle. Even the loss of comrades fails to elicit a strong emotional response from her. This detachment is something that Giovanni, the closest thing she has to a friend, has come to understand and accept as a part of her unique personality. He recognizes that Rye's attitude towards such matters is consistent with her overall character, and he has grown accustomed to her seemingly disinterested demeanor. This demeanor also extends to important announcements from the Counsel of the East, including those related to her own company. Rye often disregards such announcements, seemingly disconnected from the broader concerns of her role and responsibilities.

The circumstances surrounding Rye's birth have left her with a sense of shame regarding her elven heritage. She goes to great lengths to conceal her pointed ears, as if trying to distance herself from her elven lineage. Rye is particularly sensitive to others' scrutiny of her ears, and she becomes uncomfortable when they draw attention to this aspect of her appearance. However, despite her insecurities about her heritage, Rye rarely exhibits curiosity or joy in response to specific subjects or experiences—until the topic of a potential candidate for battle arises. It is the prospect of engaging in combat that stirs a deep passion within her, igniting a bloodlust that excites her to the core.

## Background

Born into a prestigious lineage of witches, Rye inherited an ancient and forbidden knowledge of curses. From a young age, she displayed prodigious magical talent, far surpassing her peers. However, her upbringing was marred by the circumstances of her birth. Rye's elven heritage, though revered in some circles, became a source of shame for her, leading her to hide her distinctive ears and feel a sense of alienation. Seeking to prove her worth and overcome the constraints of her heritage, Rye dedicated herself to mastering her magical abilities. She delved deep into the study of curses, honing her craft with unparalleled determination.

She shares a profound history intertwined with the foundation and leadership of the esteemed Continental Association—a renowned guild of adventurers and mercenaries. Rye's alliance with Giovanni Scafidoglou, an Otherworlder from Earth, plays a pivotal role in their intertwined destinies. Their initial encounter came about during a moment of unexpected convergence. Rye, known for her relentless pursuit of strength and power, found herself embroiled in a perilous situation where she faced formidable adversaries. Giovanni, a quick-witted and resourceful individual, happened to be in the vicinity, drawn by the commotion surrounding the witch's predicament.

Giovanni's lack of magical prowess did not deter him from stepping into the fray. Despite the immense power disparity between them, he demonstrated remarkable strategic thinking and an unwavering determination to protect the innocent. Recognizing his courage and resourcefulness, Rye found herself intrigued by Giovanni's unique abilities and steadfast character. Intrigued by Giovanni's presence and inspired by his resilience, Rye engaged him in conversation after the encounter. Through their discussions, they discovered a surprising alignment of values. Giovanni's lack of magical aptitude was compensated by his sharp intellect and unwavering belief in justice. Rye, despite her disdain for weakness, found solace in Giovanni's unwavering commitment to protecting the vulnerable and upholding noble ideals.

A visionary and seasoned leader, Giovanni had long desired to establish an organization that would bring together like-minded individuals, providing a unified force to tackle the world's greatest challenges. With his entrepreneurial spirit and strategic acumen, Giovanni founded the Continental Association, assembling a diverse group of warriors and magic-users who shared his vision of justice and camaraderie. Meanwhile, Rye had garnered a fearsome reputation as the "Queen of Curses" due to her unparalleled mastery of forbidden arcane arts. Her unique abilities to weave intricate and devastating curses made her a force to be reckoned with. Recognizing the potential value in joining forces with Rye, Giovanni approached her with a proposition—a trade of their respective positions.

Understanding the significance of Giovanni's existing directorship and responsibilities, Rye saw an opportunity to assume the role of Grandmaster within the Continental Association, granting her the authority and platform to further her goals of creating a world free from oppression. In exchange, Giovanni would align himself with the "Queen of Curses" and leverage her formidable powers to strengthen his position and ventures. Thus, the exchange took place, with Rye assuming the mantle of Grandmaster and Giovanni entrusting her with the future of the Continental Association. Rye's presence breathed new life into the guild, infusing it with her strategic mindset, magical expertise, and unwavering dedication to justice. Under her guidance, the Continental Association flourished, attracting talented individuals from far and wide who sought to make a difference in the world.

## Abilities

### Magecraft

**Immense Magical Energy**: Rye is ranked as King-class, which implies she has extraordinarily larger volumes of Animus than even a Saint-class Magi. She is exceptionally proficient at manipulating her Animus and her skills are befitting her rank. Rye' animus was running low against [W.I.P] after using several curses in the detention center and in their fight, but she was still capable of summoning Sample Shoggoth if need be. Like the detention center incident, Rye used a high volume of animus during the Goodwill Event and still didn't fully exhaust herself by the end of his fight with [W.I.P]. A testament to Rye's overall animus is her ability to conjure a boundary layer, which requires a massive amount of it. In [W.I.P], Rye used Abjuration healing as she is casting her boundary layer without expending herself completely. She usually uses [Curse Spell] alone because it consumes a lot of animus, but she still had enough to cast her boundary layer afterward. Even after dispelling her boundary, Rye could still summon Sample Shoggoth with the last of her animus.

#### Curse Arts

Having garnered the moniker "Queen of Curses", Rye is a proficient user of curses, capable of utilizing a variety of lethal and debilitating curses. During the destruction of the Witches Forest, the witches who survived being struck down by Rye were said to bear a curse that took away their possibilities for success in life, dooming their choices to end in failure for the rest of their lives. Rye uses all physical phenomena performed with her own body. While common Magecraft is a program that "recomposes what exists around", Curse Arts is a program that "recomposes the raw materials in one's own body." It is related to **Malevolent Methods** employed by the Narakins, and includes methods to discern one's time of death, secret arts to obtain influence, methods to attain status and fortune (for men) and methods to gain the favor of influential individuals (for women).

Among the pieces of curses Rye has created which are viewed as great achievements, there is one based on perhaps the most famous magic phrase in the world, **Abracadabra** (アブラカダブラ?). Though it is well known in an occult-mocking context, it is more often included in magic circles and charms than spoken incantations. The effects are that of a **curse reversal**; when an enemy casts a curse, it will divert or send it back at the enemy. As such it is widely known as a protective charm. However Rye makes use of it in a different manner, having found a new interpretation and worked it into her magical system. Her usage makes use of the curvature of a curse; a concept arising in many cultures, with examples such as having a doll taking the target's place or the target diverting their enemy's aim by escaping inside a magic circle drawn on the ground. It also uses the countless numbers of existing curses, which are travelling across the world like high-speed wireless internet connections. Similar to how a curved light-reflecting mirror can focus light on a single point, using supposedly harmless sunlight to start fires, the curse reversal is instead used to capture an existing curse, slightly twist it and redirect it onto a target. As she is using someone else's curse, the curse can't be traced back to her and she doesn't need to refine animus to make use of it.

#### Cursed Boundary Layer

The **Cursed Boundary Layer** (呪層界, *Jusōkai*?) utilized by Rye makes a cursed shadow expand itself around her and uses it for teleporting herself, repairing physical damage, restraining and consuming others, and tentacle attacks. AICA explained that it was a world turned inside out with hatred only to kill a target and one trapped in it could not get out of it unless removing the cause. She said it was created with magical energy flowing backward and similar to the Technique Inversion performed by Earth Sorcerers.

While Rye usually manifests her Cursed Boundary Layer in her body, by externalizing it she is able to summon a cursed familiar named Shoggoth. It is an "unidentified object" that gives the impression of a jellyfish on land or a deep-sea monster. Its presence dominates all who look upon it, seeming to distort space around it. It lacks eyes, limbs, or a body, but still casts a shadow at its base. It looks insubstantial, as if a shadow were to stand with so light an existence that it looks able to simply be blown away. It devours magical energy at first, only leaving people unconscious. More ruthless in its feeding than Caster, it eats their magical energy along with their minds. It eventually realizes that eating them fully is more efficient, taking hundreds of people from fifty households in one feeding. Rather than smashing them, it only needs to swallow them, body and soul.

It is impervious to all conventional attacks, and its targets can only await death in its presence. Giovanni is unable to tell if the concept of death can even be applied to it. As a cluster of curses, its touch is highly corrosive due to containing the Naraka property of All the World's Evil, dissolving organic matter and converting the base elements into pure magical energy. It can lash out with tentacles and spread out for ten meters to swallow everything like a wave of water, touching them with All the World's Evil that burns skin like coal, cuts off their life, and shows them its horrors. It takes in energy just by existing, turning plant life black, and automatically leeching it from those without any resistance. It can absorb the energy in an area in order to swell up and explode. It tramples over everything upon exploding and spreading the collected energy out like a storm, swallowing its prey instantly.

## Equipment

**Thaumaturgical Codex**: Rye's possession of a spellbook with the unique ability to inscribe spell formulas offers her a distinct advantage in the realm of magecraft. This spellbook serves as a conduit through which she can precast spells, enabling her to unleash their power swiftly and efficiently. With this remarkable tool at her disposal, Rye's spellcasting becomes a seamless process, requiring only the invocation of a spell's name to activate it. Within the pages of her spellbook, Rye carefully inscribes intricate formulas that represent each spell she has mastered. These formulas serve as a blueprint for the magical energies she wishes to unleash. Through her extensive knowledge and expertise, Rye can transcribe the essence of each spell into the book, capturing its precise components, gestures, and incantations. Once a spell has been accurately recorded in her spellbook, Rye gains the ability to precast it at will. This means that she can store the spell's energy within the book, ready to be unleashed whenever she calls upon it. By simply uttering the name of the desired spell, Rye activates the corresponding formula, bringing the magical energies to life with remarkable speed and precision. The spellbook eliminates the need for complex spellcasting rituals or the gathering of raw magical energy in the heat of the moment. Instead, Rye can focus on the strategic aspects of her magic, swiftly employing the appropriate spells in a wide range of situations. This unique ability grants Rye a tactical advantage in battles and other perilous encounters. She can seamlessly transition between different spells, adapting her magical arsenal to the ever-changing circumstances she faces.

Each spell inscribed within its pages represents countless hours of study, experimentation, and refinement. It is a repository of her magical knowledge, enabling her to tap into the vast potential of her craft with exceptional precision and power. However, the spellbook is not without its limitations. It requires periodic maintenance and care to ensure the accuracy of the inscribed formulas. Additionally, new spells or variations of existing ones cannot be conjured on the spot, as they need to be meticulously transcribed into the book before they can be precast. Nonetheless, Rye's possession of this extraordinary spellbook grants her a unique and formidable edge in the realm of magic. It amplifies her capabilities as a magus, allowing her to wield a wide array of spells with ease and efficiency, further solidifying her reputation as the "Queen of Curses" and bolstering her role as the Grandmaster of the Continental Association.

## Trivia

* The image used for the character is of Tharja from *Fire Emblem*.