Banica Conchita

**Banica Conchita**, regarded as **Blessed Saintess Conchita** and eventually **Master of the Graveyard**, was a Duke of the Beelzenian Empire. Obsessed with food since an early age, the curious Banica made a contract with the Angel of Temperance to taste all the foods in the world and make dishes from them for her people; this led her to eating the most "grotesque" foods imaginable. In pursuit of this goal, she eventually had her own body prepared as a meal, devouring herself and the angel with her, becoming the new Angel of Temperance.

## History

### Early Life

Banica was born in the Beelzenian Empire in November of EC 296, the daughter of Muzuri and Megour Conchita. The night following her birth, a celebration was held in her honor where the household feasted on a baemu pig. Due to her young age, Banica was the only one who did not partake in the meal.

As the years progressed, Banica's household suffered from the Purio Disease, which they had contracted from eating the baemu. It forced to them in only small amounts to avoid death, as their bodies would violently expel anything more than tiny portions of food and water. The only one not affected, Banica was often terrorized by her increasingly deranged mother, continually harassed when she ate "too much" and forced to purge what she had eaten. Eventually, the gloomy child grew obedient out of fear of Megour's abuse.

In January of EC 306, a famine swept through the Conchita territory, leaving the house in low supply of food. In March, Banica witnessed Megour attempt to kill her husband, with Muzuri accidentally murdering her in the ensuing struggle. With Megour's death, Banica fell into a depression and locked herself in the mansion basement. Lonely and uncomfortable, she soon after met her new servants, Arte and Pollo, as well as the personal chef hired by her father, Josef Cucino. Before long, she became close friends with the twins and Josef, having them accompany her everywhere.

### Royal Engagement

In June of EC 311, Banica was betrothed to Carlos Marlon, the third prince of Marlon. She soon traveled to Marlon with her servants and nervously met with her fiance and his parents for the first time, introduced by her family's head retainer, Ron Grapple. The following day, Banica and Carlos went down to Bariti together with their various retainers. There she spoke about her impressions of the city and learned from Carlos of the war between Marlon and Lioness, while also sharing her own dreams about increasing her country's access to the cuisines of the wider world. That evening they had dinner together, during which Banica impressed Carlos with her food expertise by improving his soup with a drop of a nutrient-rich Jakokuese sauce.

Over several months, the two became much closer and warmed up to the idea of marriage. During this time, however, Banica regularly made attempts to eat "regular" sized meals out of embarrassment for her thinness and "strange" eating habits. In February of EC 312, Banica attended a dinner party celebrating her engagement with Carlos being made official, only meekly apologizing as Arte and Pollo crassly insulted the poor quality of the Marlon food.

During this, Banica witnessed one of Prince Cult's soldiers hand over the personal items of a mage they had captured; among them, she spied the red wine glass connected to her family's downfall, triggering the trauma she'd faced in her childhood. After the meal was over, she noticed how several of the attendants left their food half-finished and became fixated on the idea of having eaten too much. Suddenly, Banica began desperately forcing herself to purge the little she had eaten, continually muttering about how she had eaten too much. As a result of this, the engagement was quickly cancelled, and Banica returned home after her "failure".

### Pursuit of Improvement

Over the next three years, Banica furthered studied food, becoming well-known as a gourmand throughout Beelzenia by EC 315. In January of EC 316, Banica journeyed abroad with Arte, Pollo, and Josef, hoping to improve Beelzenia's food culture through her studies. Traveling through Elphegort, Asmodean, Holy Levianta, Marlon, and Lioness, Banica looked into their cooking habits and their methods of choosing and growing ingredients. She also made use of the Association's information network during this time.

Returning home after her journey, Banica confirmed her appointment at the imperial palace with Ron before heading there. There, she met with Empress Juno Beelzenia and brought forward her two ideas: to introduce the ziz tiama octopus to Beelzenian food culture and to begin a trauben fruit plantation, bringing over samples of both as an aid. She also explained that she intended to develop a variety of wine that would exceed the Yatski L'Opera. Supported by Juno, Banica introduced her ideas to the nation, greatly improving its culinary culture, radically increasing the quality of the domestic foods in the empire as a result. She also began developing her own brand of wine, dubbed "Blood Grave", with the cooperation of the local farmers.

Because of her contributions to the empire, the young noble became well-regarded as the "Noble Gourmand Conchita". However, in EC 321, after her father died of a heart attack, Banica fell into another depression and began slipping into her old fasting habits. Two months later, Empress Juno appointed Banica as her father's successor and she took up his title as Duke. Still grieving her father, the new duke resumed her travels abroad, going as far as the Akuna region.

### Tasting Temptation

In July of EC 323, Banica returned home after hearing that Ron had gone missing. The next day, Banica collapsed and was diagnosed with "organ abnormalities" due to her undereating and was confined to her bed. That evening, she was visited by the Angel of Temperance, who remarked on her impending death and the unfinished business she would leave behind.

The angel then revealed that she had only conceived of half the world's food, offering her a contract to avoid death and discover the rest. She initially declined on account of how her mother and the entire staff had been previously killed by due to the angel, and it returned to its vessel, which had been left on her nightstand.

The next morning, Banica awoke and saw the glass, realizing it was full of baemu pig blood when smelling it. Consumed by her curiosity, she drank it after an initial hesitation, making the contract. Through the angel's power, Banica's figure filled out to a "healthy" degree and she made a full recovery. With her newfound abilities, the revitalized gourmand began researching the foods she had yet to try.

### Declining Obsession

At the mansion of Duke Victor Oruhari, a banquet was held in November of that year to celebrate Banica's recovery. Accompanied by her servants, Banica arrived and surprised everyone with her new, fuller body. By the end of the festivities, she asked her servants to bring out her specially-made dessert for the guests to try, made from insects. Delighted, the noblewoman was surprised by the audience's disgust, thinking that she needed to work on the dish some more.

By November of EC 324, Banica refused to meet with anyone due to her previous illness, transferring the management and supervision of her territories to Arte and Pollo; she also had them deliver the dishes she made to both the local nobles and to the common folk in nearby towns. After hiding herself from the outside world, Banica used the glass to turn her current staff members into vampires, having her new army guard her mansion.

Over time, Banica hired a number of cooks to serve her after the death of Josef, but as each became disgusted by the dishes she had them make, she would disappointedly order Arte and Pollo to murder them and use their bodies as ingredients. After hiring and cannibalizing thirteen chefs, Banica hired her fourteenth chef, Ildebrando, but eventually became disappointed by him as well and had her servants murder him too.

One night, Banica discovered the thief Platonic in her mansion, holding the red wine glass. Amused, she took back the glass and made her intentions to known to the theif, before she was interrupted by the vampiric Ildebrando attacking her. She then quickly killed the former chef, barely reacting when he injured her quickly healing neck. After killing him, Banica decided to put Platonic to use, having her work as an assistant to Arte and Pollo in exchange for "protecting" her from the mage for whom she worked for.

### Great Love

Afterwards, Banica hired Karl Lions as her next cook; as time went on, she realized that he was actually her former fiance, Carlos. Their relationship wound up culminating in a night spent together after the two got drunk. Soon after, Banica became pregnant with his child. Over the next few months, when imperial messengers arrived with summons for Banica, she repeatedly ignored them. After one occasion in April of EC 325, Banica ordered her servant Pollo to kill them all.

To deal with the soldiers outside, Banica released her vampiric forces led by Arte and Pollo. As the terrified Carlos recognized the former head chamberlain, Ron, Banica explained how the vampires were all former servants of her family. She then revealed the revalation she had came to while on her journeys abroad, describing her desire to turn the entire world into a banquet for the "higher order beings". Having driven her forces across the region to pillage nearby villages for ingredients, she continued her "temperate" behavior.

When Carlos attempted to escape a few days later, the duke sent her twin servants to capture him and bring him back. After a brief confrontation with her cook, she denied his requests to leave and declared that he would be forced to continue working for her, forbidden from leaving the estate.

Soon after, he served them a special-made soup and she readily devoured it. Seeing Carlos suddenly cough up blood and collapse, Banica realized that it was poisoned before watching her lover die, unaffected by it herself. She then had Arte and Pollo cook her beloved, eating his prepared remains with a grim expression and eventually breaking down into tears. Several months later, she gave birth to her and Carlos' son.

### The Ultimate Food

Around August of EC 325, Banica ended up eating Arte and Pollo after running out of food and staff in the mansion. Once the hungry duke realized that she had eaten everything in the mansion, she heard strange noises and remembered her child, which she was holding in her arms. Placing the baby on a plate in her room, Banica prepared to eat him; however, right before she did, she looked upon his sleeping form and felt happy.

As she hesitated, she heard the angel goading her into continuing, saying that this was yet another food she had yet to try. They then explained that the powder from Carlos' golden key was slowly killing her, which she had consumed in both her soup and from Carlos' body directly. The angel continued by saying that the baby would act as a "vaccine" and counteract the Patience magic.

Despite this, Banica refused to eat the child, beginning to see the angel take shape in her mind as it raged against her decision. As it continued, she realized that it had the shape of a boar, reminding her of her mother and the cursed baemu pig. In a burst of defiance, Banica instead chose to devour herself, making sure that no one would have the "honor" of consuming her blessed body as the angel panicked.

### Angelic Rebirth

Exploiting her contract, Banica's consumption of her body allowed her to became an angel herself, gaining all of the demon's power and knowledge. Refusing to give up her dreams of devouring the world alongside the gods and other higher beings, she began plotting; she eventually decided to become the Master of the Graveyard and herald the "Graveyard Ending".

She then created an illusion of her mansion within the dimension of her vessel. Confined within the glass, she waited until IR retrieved the vessel before it was later stolen by Platonic. Amused by the unknowing incarnation of Eve Moonlit, the angel decided to keep an eye on her soul over the later centuries. After the glass was passed onto ABELLONE, Banica conversed with the mage about how she replaced the original angel and the knowledge that the mage possessed about Eve and her husband Adam, whom she had known as Josef Cucino.

### Story of Evil

ABELLONE later lost possession of the vessel and it was eventually retrieved by the mage ESSENCE; the angel then learned that the woman and ABELLONE were just different bodies possessed by the same being: Elluka Chirclatia. In EC 490, ESSENCE had Banica conjure a small strain of the Purio Disease to use as a cover story so the mage's ally, King Arth Lucifen d'Autriche, could disappear. Several years later, Banica conjured a second wave of the disease to infect and later kill Queen Anne Lucifen d'Autriche.

On one occasion, while the mage traveled to Elphegort to meet with an informant, Banica encountered the forest spirits Phaser Bane and Catherine Derais. Conversing with them, she learned that their interests aligned with hers, and so brought them into the glass alongside her and had them become her servants. When ESSENCE questioned her on this, Banica waved it off as just the whims of an angel. After IR collected the glass from Mikina Freezis, the angel and her servants were sealed in the vessel; sometime later, Elluka reclaimed the wine glass while possessing the body of Jahime Hatsune.

### Changing Hands

After Elluka took up the alias "Velda Coates", she stored Banica's vessel in the treasury of her mansion in Rolled, Lucifenia. Velda later fled with the vessel on January 26 of EC 612, along with the other vessels she had collected. Banica then watched as the mage eventually detonated a black box within her "true" body; following the duel within Behemo Barisol's mental world, she absorbed the souls of Adam and Eve Moonlit into her vessel. Catching them up on her goals going forward, she explained that they needed to find a new contractor before making the two into her new servants.

In the centuries following, the glass was passed between a variety of owners; at some point, Banica transformed Phaser and Catherine into "death gods". The glass was later stored in the restaurant Graveyard that Phaser managed in the country of Holy Levianta. In EFC 978, the judge Garrick Lucif shut down the restaurant and collected the vessel.

After Adam and Eve arrived at the judge's home and demanded that he give the glass back, Banica sucked Eve into the glass. She then told her that the glass was now Garrick's and that they would be subservient to him, as long as MA was barred from getting near it. After the glass was subsequently transferred to one of the mansion rooms, Banica laughed at a doll sitting in a wheelchair, saying that they were both the same. The glass was later relocated to Evil's Theater.

### Evil's Theater

Sometime before EC 990, Banica was given a physical body and took on the mantle of "Master of the Graveyard"; her four servants also took on physical forms as well. Soon after, she willingly became subservient to MA and was tasked with guarding the theater from any intruders by killing them, turning them into meals for the other theater inhabitants.

When Gammon Okuto attempted to infiltrate the theater, Banica showed no interest in him, though watched with interest as Adam let him escape for unknown reasons; she then had Phaser knock him out and carry his inside. She later attended his trial once he was at the mercy of the Doll Director. There, she reluctantly complied when Waiter had Gammon spared to become the choreman for the theater instead.

In EC 998, she attended the "trial" held by the Master of the Court to discuss the whereabouts of the vessel of Patience, snapping at the Twilight Gears when they commented on the pointlessness of their search. Later on, Banica was absorbed by MA, although separating from her after she was killed in EC 999. Although temporarily taking on another physical body, Banica then perished along with the other theater inhabitants following the destruction of the world.

### End of the World

Following the end of the Third Period in EC 999, Banica returned to the ruined site of Beelzenia with her servants and recreated an illusion of the Conchita Mansion there.

Later on, she had her servants deal with the Tasan Party soldiers that arrived, having Phaser and Catherine fight off the group while Adam and Eve daptured and interrogated one of them. Sometime after, she was visited by Mora Viwirtz along with Themis Sudou, Behemo's reincarnation, in tow. Banica began talking with her new guests, relating everything that she had learned about the world during her time as an angel and from devouring the former angel.

Discussing how the world was different from what the gods had intended, Banica related her wish for Adam and Eve to know about other worlds just like she, Phaser, and Catherine did. During their conversation, the topic switched to the Tasan Party and she summoned Phaser, who spoke with Themis soon after. Once her servants finished their interrogation, Banica then announced her plans to travel to the reconstructed Evil's Theater, both to get rid of Gammon Okuto and to make it her new home.

Joined by her servants, Mora, and Themis, Banica made it to Evil's Theater and confronted Gammon in the main hallway, having Mora and Themis stall him while she went into the director's office. After MA resurfaced from within Kyle Marlon and absorbed Banica along with the rest of the nearby contractors, Banica was later freed following the mage's defeat.

### Her Concerto

Following Kyle and Mora's creation of the Fourth Period, Banica gathered with many other souls at the illusory Marlon Castle. While there, she was approached by Seth Twiright and Meta Salmhofer, with the former sharing his research about parallel worlds with her; she then accepted his offer to be a guinea pig for his new invention, the Neo Black Box, wanting to travel to a new world and devour everything for the sake of the Graveyard Ending.

In preparation for their journey, Banica and her servants sought out the Grave Yard, leaving Phaser behind when they couldn't find him. Once they returned in the new Evil's Theater II, they found Phaser at the castle. Banica then chastised him for disappearing and related her plans to him; after Phaser expressed his intent to come along, he brought forward someone he had met earlier: the still vampiric Ron Grapple.

Later, Banica watched the ball at Marlon Castle from within the floating theater before her and her crew then began their journey. During the trip, the ship was attacked by MA's "ghost", causing it to malfunction and nearly crash, though ultimately surviving with everyone still intact and successfully reaching their destination.

## Skills and Abilities

Banica was a famed gourmand and a notable contributor to Beelzenia's food culture. She was well versed in the tastes and flavors of many delicacies from across the Evillious and Akuna regions; she also studied the nutritional benefits of foods and took this into account with her own dishes. Because of this, she was able to work with local farmers to conceive and develop Blood Grave, a fine wine that remained popular for centuries after her death. She also possessed a strong sense of smell, able to detect faint scents of a dish's individual components.

Due to her abstaining from eating, Banica became severely crippled and eventually fell ill; after making her contract, her health was boosted and she developed a fit and "full" figure, now able to eat as little or as much as she wanted without harm. She was also capable of eating any materials or even toxins with minimal effects to her physical health; similarly, the Angel's power allowed her to quickly heal from any injuries and prevented her from being killed by anything other than another virtue vessel.

Banica was also able to turn people into vampires by having them drink from the glass, becoming stronger and faster in exchange for losing some of their sanity and developing an unstoppable urge to drink blood. By devouring herself and the angel themself, Banica took on their powers, including projecting herself outside the vessel, possessing individuals, creating and enhancing the Purio Disease, and turning people into vampires. Despite this, she was also subject to the limitations of both her vessel and the rules for angels in general.

## Character Connections

Carlos Marlon: Banica's fiance and later meal. She grew fond of Carlos during their engagement, seeing its later failure as a personal problem; she eventually discovered that Carlos was disguised as her chef, Karl Lions, and fell in love with him once again, siring a child with him in the process. She was left distraught by his attempt to kill her and his own suicide, taking comfort in devouring his body so that they could always remain together.

Arte: Banica's servant and later meal. Having a close friendship with Arte stemming from their childhood, Banica relied on Arte to attend to her every need, even trusting the maid to govern over her territories. Despite this, this did not stop Banica from devouring her later on out of desperation.

Pollo: Banica's servant and later meal. Having a close friendship with Pollo stemming from their childhood, Banica relied on Pollo to attend to her every need, even trusting the servant to govern over her territories. Despite this, this did not stop Banica from devouring him later on out of desperation.

Megour Conchita: Banica's mother. The strict dietary discipline and harsh punishments that Banica received from Megour eventually left her traumatized; after her death, Banica was depressed for a time, resenting the Angel of Temperance for their perceived role in her death.

Dulcis Conchita: Banica's son that she conceived with Carlos. Although told to eat the child by the angel, Banica instead chose to devour herself instead, sparing the boy.