TV-Series
Description
Ernest Fairclough is a prominent character from the light novel and anime series The Asterisk War: The Academy City on the Water. He holds the prestigious position of student council president at Saint Gallardworth Academy, one the six renowned magical academies in the floating city of Asterisk. He is recognized as the top-ranking student, or the number one Page One, at his academy, and is known throughout Asterisk by the formidable title of Paladin, also referred to as Pendragon.
In appearance, Ernest is a young man around twenty years old. He has chin-length blonde hair and blue or blue-green eyes, and he is typically seen wearing the standard male uniform of Saint Gallardworth Academy. His demeanor is often described as broad-minded and possessing a strong, natural presence. Despite this serious and commanding aura befitting a student council president, he is fundamentally frank, sociable, and open in his interactions with others.
Ernest Fairclough is a Genestella, a modern human with enhanced physical abilities and an internal energy source known as prana. His combat prowess is exceptional, and he is widely considered one of the most powerful characters in the series. In terms of pure swordsmanship, his technique is described as perfect and splendid, surpassing that of master swordsmen like Kirin Toudou. His skill is so great that fellow student Julis Riessfeld openly acknowledges that he is much stronger than she is.
A major source of his power comes from his weapon, an Ogre Lux (a powerful type of Lux, an armed armament from a bygone era) known as Lei-Glems, the Demon Sword of the White Ryeo. This great two-handed sword has a unique and powerful ability: it allows Ernest to cut whatever he wishes to cut while passing through or phasing through anything he wishes not to cut. This ability, however, requires its wielder to be noble, selfless, and an agent of order and justice, though Ernest is known to interpret these requirements somewhat flexibly.
Ernest’s role in the story becomes most prominent during the Gryps, a large-scale team tournament that is one of the major Festas of Asterisk. He serves as the leader of Team Lancelot, a powerful team that has won the previous two Gryps tournaments and is the heavy favorite to win again. Throughout this competition, his team demonstrates overwhelming strength, dispatching opponents with speed and precision. In one match, Team Lancelot defeated its adversaries in less than three minutes, making no effort to hide its true power.
His primary motivation is a deep, almost spiritual drive to test his skills as a swordsman. He develops a strong interest in the series’ protagonist, Ayato Amagiri, who wields the opposed Ogre Lux, Ser-Veresta, the Demon Sword of the Black Furnace. Ernest perceives Ayato as a kindred spirit, a mirror in which he sees his own ideals and struggles reflected. This interest is not born of animosity but of a profound respect and a desire to cross swords with a worthy rival. He goes so far as to attend a preliminary event, the Gran Colosseo, specifically to observe Ayato's abilities firsthand and expresses delight at the swordsmanship Ayato conceals.
Key relationships for Ernest are primarily tied to his teammates in Team Lancelot, including Laetitia, Elliot, and Lionel, with whom he has developed strong bonds of mutual respect and friendship. His family background is within the prestigious and demanding Fairclough family, and he has a sister named Sofia.
Ernest experiences significant development during his climactic battle with Ayato in the finals of the Gryps. While he initially wields Lei-Glems with masterful control, the sword ultimately rejects him after the battle. More profoundly, the fight forces him to confront the duality of his own nature. Described as nurturing the energy of a war demon, or Sura, inside himself, he normally suppresses it with his temperament and willpower, presenting the image of a perfect, noble knight. However, the desperate and exhilarating challenge posed by Ayato leads to his liberation. In a moment of self-realization, he discards Lei-Glems, declaring that he no longer needs to be patient. Activating a reserve imperial armament, he abandons the polished and graceful style of Saint Gallardworth to fight with a ferocious, straightforward, and untamed sword style that reflects his true, unshackled self, laughing from the bottom of his heart for the first time in his life.
In appearance, Ernest is a young man around twenty years old. He has chin-length blonde hair and blue or blue-green eyes, and he is typically seen wearing the standard male uniform of Saint Gallardworth Academy. His demeanor is often described as broad-minded and possessing a strong, natural presence. Despite this serious and commanding aura befitting a student council president, he is fundamentally frank, sociable, and open in his interactions with others.
Ernest Fairclough is a Genestella, a modern human with enhanced physical abilities and an internal energy source known as prana. His combat prowess is exceptional, and he is widely considered one of the most powerful characters in the series. In terms of pure swordsmanship, his technique is described as perfect and splendid, surpassing that of master swordsmen like Kirin Toudou. His skill is so great that fellow student Julis Riessfeld openly acknowledges that he is much stronger than she is.
A major source of his power comes from his weapon, an Ogre Lux (a powerful type of Lux, an armed armament from a bygone era) known as Lei-Glems, the Demon Sword of the White Ryeo. This great two-handed sword has a unique and powerful ability: it allows Ernest to cut whatever he wishes to cut while passing through or phasing through anything he wishes not to cut. This ability, however, requires its wielder to be noble, selfless, and an agent of order and justice, though Ernest is known to interpret these requirements somewhat flexibly.
Ernest’s role in the story becomes most prominent during the Gryps, a large-scale team tournament that is one of the major Festas of Asterisk. He serves as the leader of Team Lancelot, a powerful team that has won the previous two Gryps tournaments and is the heavy favorite to win again. Throughout this competition, his team demonstrates overwhelming strength, dispatching opponents with speed and precision. In one match, Team Lancelot defeated its adversaries in less than three minutes, making no effort to hide its true power.
His primary motivation is a deep, almost spiritual drive to test his skills as a swordsman. He develops a strong interest in the series’ protagonist, Ayato Amagiri, who wields the opposed Ogre Lux, Ser-Veresta, the Demon Sword of the Black Furnace. Ernest perceives Ayato as a kindred spirit, a mirror in which he sees his own ideals and struggles reflected. This interest is not born of animosity but of a profound respect and a desire to cross swords with a worthy rival. He goes so far as to attend a preliminary event, the Gran Colosseo, specifically to observe Ayato's abilities firsthand and expresses delight at the swordsmanship Ayato conceals.
Key relationships for Ernest are primarily tied to his teammates in Team Lancelot, including Laetitia, Elliot, and Lionel, with whom he has developed strong bonds of mutual respect and friendship. His family background is within the prestigious and demanding Fairclough family, and he has a sister named Sofia.
Ernest experiences significant development during his climactic battle with Ayato in the finals of the Gryps. While he initially wields Lei-Glems with masterful control, the sword ultimately rejects him after the battle. More profoundly, the fight forces him to confront the duality of his own nature. Described as nurturing the energy of a war demon, or Sura, inside himself, he normally suppresses it with his temperament and willpower, presenting the image of a perfect, noble knight. However, the desperate and exhilarating challenge posed by Ayato leads to his liberation. In a moment of self-realization, he discards Lei-Glems, declaring that he no longer needs to be patient. Activating a reserve imperial armament, he abandons the polished and graceful style of Saint Gallardworth to fight with a ferocious, straightforward, and untamed sword style that reflects his true, unshackled self, laughing from the bottom of his heart for the first time in his life.