Priscilla Barielle (プリシラ・バーリエル) is an exiled imperial princess of the Sacred Vollachia Empire, the Matriarch of House Barielle, and a candidate to become the 42nd king of Lugunica. While only a supporting character in Arc 3 and Arc 5, she had a major role in Arc 7 and Arc 8.
She was originally born in Vollachia as one of the many children of the country’s emperor. As such, she participated in their Imperial Selection Ceremony. Despite having become one of the frontrunners, she ultimately lost when her brother and closest aide faked her death. Afterward, following the death of her first husband, she was smuggled into Lugunica, went through several husbands, and ended up married to the late Leip Barielle, who discovered her as one of the Royal Selection Candidates.
During the Great Disaster, Priscilla was imprisoned by Sphinx and forced to watch as her home nation was slowly led to ruin. Rather than standing idly by, she took advantage of the resurrection magic in order to escape her imprisonment by becoming an undead. A day following the victory, she peacefully faded away before the eyes of Natsuki Subaru and her knight, Aldebaran.
Appearance
Priscilla Barielle's long orange hair shone radiantly like the sun itself and flowed through a single barrette before spilling down her back. Her crimson eyes had a glimmer of strong will that betrayed her commanding personality. She had pale, white skin and faintly pink lips. She was considered a woman of true divine beauty. Additionally, her dainty figure possessed noticeably bountiful breasts and other shapely features. She stood at 164 centimeters (5'5"), making her the same height as Emilia.
Priscilla wore exquisite clothing that matched the crimson colour of her eyes. The dress she most frequently wore was an opulent black and red aristocratic dress with wrapped off-the-shoulder sleeves, a wide-hemmed heel-length red skirt, a black petticoat, a large black ribbon with red striping attached to the right side of her waist, and a black flowery ornament with red edging and emerald jewels decorating each petal that was adorned on the opposite side of Priscilla's waist. The dress was also backless and prettified by various emeralds fastened to the skirt. Under her dress, she wears translucent reddish-brown holdup stockings with a black elasticized band at the top. She also had a black choker, a pair of red high-heel shoes, and a pair of long black fingerless opera gloves. She often carried a crimson handheld folding fan that she claimed from a half-sister she felled. Finally, her middle fingers ware bedecked with a single emerald ring each and similarly-colored teardrop-shaped earrings dangled from her earlobes. The jewels enriching Priscilla's figure wee all of such fine craftsmanship that anyone could tell they were incredibly expensive at a glance. Natsuki Subaru estimated that her full outfit from top to bottom was worth at least a hundred times his own money.
When she was inside her mansion, she wore a red outfit that highlighted her body a bit. She had a small coat with a black bow in the center and has a black clip on her hair, in which she had a ponytail. She also wore a pair of black studs. She kept her fan between her breasts.
Personality
Priscilla was an arrogant, proud, and absurd woman. She had a conviction that the world worked for her comfort, and according to her words, the events around her worked for her. She classified people according to their interests; if someone was not of her interest, she would not remember their names and would not pay attention to them anymore.[1] This happened with Subaru a few days after meeting him. Her biggest enemy was boredom, so the things she does were to avoid it. She repeatedly hit Al, or ordered him to do something to entertain her. She was also able to position herself in situations unimaginable to any gentleman, such as leading a dangerous expedition simply because she was curious.[2]
Priscilla showed confidence in her actions, because in the end she always came out on top. She was also not afraid to fight, because she knew exactly how to fight and defend herself, and she was not intimidated when she had to face Sirius, when she encountered zombies in her territory, or when she went to search for the thieves who stole her domain. Though she was well known for being a woman who over the years ended up being a widow, Priscilla did not seem to mind at all. She considered Leip Barielle to be an old pervert and did not care for her marriage with him.
In her speech during the Royal Selection Ceremony, she declared that under her command, everyone would be able to get what they wanted.[3] She was, according to Aldebaran, very volatile and very dangerous when she's angry. Despite her self-centered attitude, Priscilla valued people who keep their pride, as seen in Episode 17 SD while talking to Felt, where Priscilla offered her a quick and easy way out, but she refused. She usually urged others to humble themselves and thus earned her luck.
Despite this pride, she did not like deceiving people, and she loved when people attempted to reach for an objective outside of their capacities, and whether the person succeeds or fails in reaching their goal, she loved it regardless. Her love seemed to spread wide, as evidenced when her Soul Marriage Technique not only affected those in the city just beneath her, but also the people in a city more than a day away.
History
Ex 5
Priscilla was born in the Vollachian Empire as one of the many children of the then emperor Drizen Vollachia and Sandra Benedict, one of the many reincarnated lives of Iris. Her birth name was Prisca Benedict (プリスカ・ベネディクト, Purisuka Benedikuto). Sandra died in childbirth, leaving Priscilla alone until, for unknown reasons, her father decided to gift her with Arakiya, who became her foster sister and later her sworn sword. Prisca took part in the Vollachian Empire's Imperial Selection Ceremony at the age of 12 after witnessing her father burned by the Yang Sword and being deemed worthy by it. Despite not liking the system of succession forcing her to kill her siblings, she participated in it anyways, personally felling one of the frontrunners, her older half-sister Lamia Godwin, and a descendent of the Evil Eye Tribe, Palladio Manesque. With only other candidate, Vincent Abellux, remaining in the selection, Arakiya ended up betraying her, fearing she would be killed by her half-brother and agreed to a deal of his that would involve setting up a plot to fake her death, ingesting poison that Prisca took a portion of from her to save her life.[4] The plot succeeded and Prisca was regarded as dead. As a result, Vincent won the ceremony and became the emperor whilst Prisca took the name Priscilla, a name belonging to one of her deceased body doubles.[5]
After escaping certain death, Priscilla married her first husband, Jorah Pendleton, and she changed her name to Priscilla Pendleton (プリシラ・ペンダルトン, Purishira Pendaruton). Some time later, Serena Dracroy sent her servants Balleroy Temeglyph and Miles to the Pendleton Estate in order to invite Jorah and Priscilla to the Gladiator Island Ginunhive. While they were there, the gladiators attempted to spark a revolution that would render the island independent from the mainland. Priscilla feigned being Serena and was taken captive by the gladiators and their ringleader, a member of the Evil Eye Tribe named Ubilk. However, rather than seeking independence, Ubilk's true plan was to bring the Nine Divine Generals to the Gladiator Island for unknown reasons. After Priscilla used a broadcast to reveal Ubilk's plan, the rebellion ended up failing thanks to the intervention of the Imperial Army and a gladiator named Aldebaran. After the group left Ginunhive and returned to Serena's estate, Priscilla thanked her for the invitation in the stead of her resting husband.
Soon afterwards, Jorah was accused of attempting to overthrow Vincent Vollachia, from his position. As a result, Goz Ralfon visited his manor in an attempt to take custody of him and Priscilla for a scheduled execution. Jorah fended Goz and his escorts off for Priscilla's sake, knowing that he would meet his end in just mere moments. This bought time for Priscilla to escape until she had a chance meeting with Arakiya on the way. In the end, Arakiya let Priscilla escape and announced that she had committed suicide. At an unknown point in time after Jorah's execution, Serena ordered Balleroy and Miles to look for Priscilla, as there was a rumor going around about some bandits who kidnapped a girl looking like her. The duo successfully found her and managed to bring her to the estate. From there, Serena found a way to smuggle Priscilla out of the Empire and into the Kingdom of Lugunica. She was married six to six different men for a period of several years, but every husband of hers fell into ruin and met unnatural deaths, earning her the moniker “Bloody Bride”.
Priscilla eventually married Leip Barielle, the baron of the Barielle Barony. Leip found that she was one of the candidates for the Royal Selection and sought to use her as a tool to achieve his dream of power, but Priscilla proved to be much harder to manipulate than he thought and decided to make her into a puppet by using the abilities of a curse arts user he was acquainted with.[6][7] He also planned to prepare a knight who would look good alongside Priscilla as a sort of public relations strategy to improve her standing among citizens.[8] Around this time, Priscilla met a starving, impoverished, orphaned, and nameless boy from a farming village in her domain. Despite being on the brink of death, he caught her interest because they shared the same eye color. She decided to call him Schult and she took him back to her manor so he could become a butler.
One day, Leip organized a tournament to decide who Priscilla's knight would be. She quickly got bored with the fighting while viewing the tournament, causing her to ask Schult for his thoughts. Schult decided to recommend Al, as he believed that the man showed care for Priscilla, unlike the other combatants.[9] Priscilla thought Al was entertaining enough and that his fighting style was interesting, and she consequently selected him as her “clown”. This infuriated Leip, as he had tried to fix the tournament so that a winner would be under his control.
A few days later, Leip attempted to bring Al and Schult under his control, but he was refused when he revealed his intentions to make Priscilla into a puppet. Al clashed with Leip by using his ability, which resulted in the baron being incapacitated. In due time, Leip passed away before the commencement of the Royal Selection, leading Priscilla to take over as the governing lord of the Barielle Barony.[10] Under her rule, the land—which was previously ravaged by severe poverty—quickly got back on its feet, and its people started to live much happier and better lives all thanks to Priscilla's leadership of the territory.[11]
After the Royal Selection's commencement, a man named Array Denkuts came to the Barielle Manor in order to plead Priscilla to go to his home village, Coffleton, and eliminate the undead that had appeared there. Together with Al and Yae Tenzen, Priscilla went to Coffleton and discovered that the undead had some sort of parasite within them. The men of the town had all turned into undead who looked exactly as they did in life, while the women and children housed the parasites yet were still alive. Priscilla used the Yang Sword to remove the parasite from them, she gathered her private army, the Crimson Battlefront, to visit two other villages among the Tenrill River to eliminate any undead, and she brought Priscilla and Al with her to an unaffected village to investigate why there were no undead there. They visited a watermill and found that the manager there, Edda Rayfast, had become the leader of the undead, and she opened a trap door that led Al into a wastewater treatment plant.
On Priscilla's order, Yae retreated to search for Al. In the meantime, Priscilla conversed with Edda and discovered her plan to create a "paradise" for her "maker". When Yae found Al, he had cleared through waves of numerous undead and decided to save Priscilla from Edda. He went back to the watermill, successfully defeated Edda, and rescued Priscilla. With the undead's leader defeated, they returned to the Barielle Manor. However, at midnight, Yae made an attempt to visit Priscilla's room, as she was an assassin who made an attempt to kill her supposed mistress. She was stopped by Al, and after losing to him in a short-lived fight, she decided to “resign” due to “familial matters”.
Lugunican Papers
In the year following the Subjugation of the White Whale, she was requested an interview by Shorty Megan and Lululala. Already having a meeting with Anastasia Hoshin, the interview was scheduled on the same day. There, they discussed their opinions on the Royal Selection and the other candidates. In particular, both Anastasia and Priscilla claimed that Emilia didn’t stand a chance, as public discrimination against her was heavy as she was a perfect resemblance and of the same race as the Witch of Envy. Even with the slaying of the White Whale and the Sin Archbishop of Sloth under her belt, they claimed that it was an achievement the reflected more on her knight than her, which even Anastasia’s knight Julius Juukulius agreed with, though Al argued that his achievements also reflect on her. Eventually, the interview came to a close.
Priscilla's Cheers for Me, Drunk Father Part
At some point later that year, Priscilla made her way to a bandit city, where she found Heinkel Astrea, who had slaughtered all of the bandits in an effort to collect a cup rumored to have been capable of restoring anyone who drank out of it to full health. Though this turned out to be a sham, Heinkel offered his service to her as a means to counter the Felt Camp, who had the Sword Saint in it. Ultimately, Priscilla accepted him into her camp.
Not long after returning from the Battle for Priestella, Priscilla’s camp returned to the Barielle Domain. However, not long after arriving, Priscilla was confronted with assassins sent by Chisha Gold. Realizing they came from Vollachia, she swiftly dispatched them and decided to leave for her home country. However, Al was heavily against this, leading to him using his Authority to try and stop her. Though he died over 1000 times, in the end, he was unable to convince her, and she took her camp with her. With the assistance of Serena Dracroy, she managed to smuggle herself into the country.
Abilities
Divine Protection (加護 Kago): Priscilla had the Divine Protection of the Sun (日輪の加護 Nichirin no Kago), which made her stronger during the day and increases the effects of buffs.[12]
Soul Marriage Technique (魂婚術 Konkon-jutsu): Soul Marriage is a long-lost secret technique of the old world that has been forgotten by most people. By dividing her own Od and bestowing it onto someone of her choosing, Priscilla imbued them with power more or less reflective of her own, and she greatly boosted their healing capabilities to the point someone acting under her Soul Marriage can receive multiple fatal wounds and be healed completely in a few short moments. However, in order for Soul Marriage to work, Priscilla must have not only loved the receiver of this ability, but she must have also be loved by that person in return. If this condition isn't met, Soul Marriage will not work. During the Flying Dragon Cataclysm in Guaral, Priscilla used this ability to protect Schult from being harmed by ensuring that he'd be healed from against any attack towards him. By kissing Liliana in Priestella, Priscilla was able to place her under the effects of Soul Marriage, freeing her from Sirius's Soulwashing. Furthermore, the reach of her Soul Marriage Technique also extended to numerous others, affecting every living person in Lupugana and Garkla simultaneously during the Conquest of the Undead Capital. She can use this ability on herself, with her commenting that items like jewelry were bestowed to her by her past husbands and could be used to defend herself. Soul Marriage could also be used to block a lethal attack on the user by sacrificing one of the recipients of the user's Od.
Magic (魔法, Mahō): Priscilla was a relatively skilled user of Yang Magic.
- Akra (アクラ): Priscilla produced pale colored light around the target that enveloped them in a veil of golden light. The veil presumably strengthened the target, allowing them to use their body more freely while at the same time making them more sensitive to pain. This magic was cut from the Light Novel.
Extraordinary Luck: Priscilla had unique luck, which she mentioned makes "the world in her own favor", granting her extremely high luck in her daily life and in fights. She also had great intuition, which allowed to guess the right and safest path towards the lost Schult during their stay in Priestella. She claimed that it didn't matter what choice she makes, since she'd always be right and it would always be positive for her.
Private Army: The Crimson Battlefront (真紅戦線, Shinku Sensen), also called the Red Plates (赤拵え, Aka Koshirae), are a private army that was owned by Priscilla.
Equipment
- Yang Sword Vollachia (陽剣ヴォラキア, Youken Vorakia): As a member of the Imperial Family of Vollachia, Priscilla was capable of summoning and using the Yang Sword Vollachia, otherwise known as the Yang Sword, an ornate crimson sword with light that shines like the sun. She mentions that it has a terrible mana consumption rate and therefore had it dissipate back into the atmosphere when she was not using it. Priscilla's Yang Sword could incinerate anything upon contact and could also throw and extinguish at will some white flames which are said to be inextinguishable, as those ignited even water. The Yang Sword seems to have its own will which tends to obey its wielder, as it cut down and burn those that it wishes to cut down and burn,[13] rendering the slashes and fire harmless to everyone bar the desired target or targets, which was how Priscilla managed to destroy the parasites nested inside of the villagers with a swing of her Yang Sword, without harming their hosts. However, the Yang Sword's will doesn't necessarily always follow its wielder's will as Priscilla stated so,[14] resulting in the Sword losing its shine which then can come back with time, while the drawbacks are not clear, Priscilla mentioned that the sharpness disappeared,[15] but also said that the Yang Sword was still able to burn upon contact.[16]
- Beloved Articles: As a user of Soul Marriage, gifts that were loved by Priscilla and were given with love become viable substitutes for lethal damage. Some jewelry Priscilla wears have met these criterion.
Trivia
- According to the author, Priscilla's birthday is September 7.
- Priscilla liked most animals, but if she had to choose her favorite, it would be a white wolf.[17]
- According to the Author, Priscilla had the biggest breasts in all of Re:Zero.
- In a one on one fight between Crusch Karsten and Priscilla Barielle, the most likely winner would have been the latter, even though it would be a good fight depending on the conditions, according to the author.
- In 2014, the author stated that Priscilla was among nine known characters introduced in the story up to that point who had the highest capacity for holding mana. However, he chose to not rank Priscilla or any of the other listed characters in order.[18] It is unknown if the list has changed since then.
- Priscilla had her own named chapter in Arc 8 of the web novel and the light novel.
References
- ↑ "Priscilla's word were neither joking nor mocking. That is to say, she was being genuine. Priscilla had completely forgotten about Subaru's existence." Arc 5: Chapter 16. Section 2
- ↑ "At first, I thought the disorder of such a grimy place held promise, but now that I am accustomed to it, it has nothing to draw my eye. It is quite useless for assuaging my boredom." Re:Zero Light Novel Volume 4: Chapter 2. Section 7.
- ↑ "Serving me means siding with the winner. You may have anything you desire; I allow it." Re:Zero Light Novel Volume 4: Chapter 4. Section 3.
- ↑ "Prisca-sama has passed away. However, your princess yet lives." Crimson Afterglow Part 3, Section 8.
- ↑ "She was a girl that really resembled me... but she's certainly come in handy twice." Crimson Afterglow Part 3, Section 9.
- ↑ “What, could you not hear me? That girl’s troublesome willfulness is in the way. I was able to overlook it before the start of the Royal Selection, but now that the importance of every single action is increasing, I can’t let it be. Once her debut at the royal castle is finished, I’ll take away her will and make her my puppet.” Re:Zero Tanpenshuu Volume 1, The Day I Gave Up on Being a Following Star, Section 7.
- ↑ “In this world, there are many demands for unimaginable dark deeds. I long ago made connections with a handy fellow who acted as an intermediary for a curse arts user.” Re:Zero Tanpenshuu Volume 1, The Day I Gave Up on Being a Following Star, Section 7.
- ↑ “The people love picturing a master and servant with a knightly knight as the servant. Since things have turned out such that someone who is not of the Royal Family will be taking the throne, the support of the citizens will not be unconditional as it has been up to this point.” Re:Zero Tanpenshuu Volume 1, The Day I Gave Up on Being a Following Star, Section 7.
- ↑ Re:Zero Prequel: Camp Formation Stories
- ↑ And thus, his young wife, Priscilla, took over from her ill husband as the governing lord. Priscilla's Cheers for Me, Drunk Father Part Section 2
- ↑ Her excellent skills purged the Barielle lands from their stagnant atmosphere in a flash. Priscilla's Cheers for Me, Drunk Father Part, Section 2.
- ↑ Narō Blogpost
- ↑ "My Yang Sword cuts down those that it wishes to cut down, and burns those that it wishes to burn." Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Section 5.
- ↑ "The sun has been obscured, it seems. As usual, this sword does not abide by my will." Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Section 8.
- ↑ "When I gave the final blow, the Yang Sword clouder over and its sharpness disappeared." Arc 5: Chapter 78. Section 2.
- ↑ "Even supposing that the sun is obscured, the smoldering heat will not die out." Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Section 13.
- ↑ "Something like a white wolf, probably. If it's animals, Priscilla likes pretty much anything. Pets or livestock, each of them has their good points." Priscilla Birthday Q&A
- ↑ “Emilia, Roswaal, Echidna, Typhon, Carmilla, Daphne, Ferris, Priscilla, and Mimi have a large capacity. It’s scary to rank them, considering the future, so I will stop…” 2014 AskFM Q&A
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