TV-Series
Description
Leona is the princess of the Kingdom of Papnica, a nation known for producing skilled mages, and one of the central figures of the story. She is fourteen years old and training to become a sage, a path that brings her to Dermline Island, where she intends to undergo the ritual required to be recognized as a fully qualified sage. In appearance she is a fair-skinned teenage girl of average build with long hair that is depicted as pink-tinged ginger or blonde depending on the adaptation, and brown eyes. Before meeting the main party she had already received instruction in ice spells from the sage Baron.
Leona's first encounter with the protagonist Dai is not friendly. She bluntly dismisses him as small and unimpressive, while he finds her outspoken and difficult to get along with. Over time the two warm to each other. When Leona learns that Dai struggles with magic and feels discouraged, she gives him the Sun Knife, one of three heirloom knives passed down through Papnica's royal family, and tells him that if he cannot use magic he should stop brooding and sharpen his swordsmanship instead. Their bond deepens when Bishop Temjin and the sage Baron plot to seize control of Papnica and try to assassinate Leona with the venom of a magic scorpion. Dai awakens his power as a Dragon Knight to save her, and the monster Brass later cures the poison. Before leaving the island as a newly qualified sage, Leona asks Dai to become a great warrior and to come and see her again.
Leona's position in the story changes dramatically when the forces of the Dark Lord Hadlar return. The Undead Legion led by Hyunkel overruns Papnica, the king is reported missing and is later confirmed dead, and the fourteen-year-old princess becomes the de facto ruler of her nation in exile. She hides with a handful of retainers and soldiers in the tower on Balji Island, enduring hunger and fear while trusting that Dai will come to her rescue when danger arrives. She survives an attack by Flazzard and is eventually rescued by Dai, after which she sets about rebuilding her kingdom. She is known abroad as a brave and daring princess, and Flazzard considers her important enough to try to eliminate her before any other figure of Papnica.
As a person, Leona is energetic, spirited, and remarkably direct. She says exactly what she thinks without softening her words, a trait that leads Dai to describe her as cute but not the gentle, demure type, and as having a sharper personality than Maam. At the same time she is neither spoiled nor shallow; when she acts as a leader she shows wisdom, composure, and a breadth of perspective that earn genuine respect from those around her. The former sage Matrif, who had once abandoned Papnica, is moved to hope that the kingdom might recover because of her. She is also free with formalities: she chooses practical clothing, joins in festive celebrations, and asks her close companions to simply call her Leona rather than address her by her title, because she wants to be treated as one of them rather than as a princess. Yet she never forgets what is expected of a royal. She uses formal speech in public and casual speech among friends, and she insists on shouldering the duties of the crown. Her honesty can seem harsh, but those close to her come to value her belief that one should say what one thinks.
Leona's deepest motivations are the protection of her kingdom and people and the pursuit of peace for the world. Her sense of justice is firm and personal rather than abstract. During the trial to learn the great destruction spell Minakatoru, she is asked why she seeks such power, and she answers that she does not want it merely to defeat evil but to prove that the justice she has inherited is not mistaken. That answer allows her to pass the trial and awaken the power of her conviction.
Her role within the group develops over the course of the story. At first she serves as a replacement support member after Maam leaves the party to train as a martial artist, contributing healing spells in dangerous battles. Later she takes on a different kind of responsibility: she assembles the rulers of the world in a summit and works to build cooperation among human nations against the Dark Army. In the approach to the final battle, Queen Flora of Carl, the woman Leona admires most, guides her to the resistance and names her the fifth Disciple of Avan, passing on the mark of that title to her. Leona then enters the trial cave with Flora, Maam, and Merle, masters Minakatoru, and in the final battle uses it to disable the Demon King's fortress, allowing the others to reach him. She also receives the supportive items known as the Gold Feather and the Silver Feather from the hero Avan, who recognizes her qualities as a guide and leader for the party. Her development across the story is that of a young princess learning to balance royal duty, personal justice, and close friendship, growing from an outspoken girl into a ruler and a spiritual pillar for those around her.
Her key relationships shape much of her character. With Dai she shares a friendship that becomes the first true human bond in his life, and the affection between them is mutual, though neither ever openly confesses it; the Demon King Vearn even remarks on her feelings for Dai. After Dai vanishes at the end of the final battle to protect the surface world, Leona is among those who insist that he is still alive, and she waits for the day he will return. With Hyunkel, the man who destroyed her homeland and took her father's life, she chooses not to act on personal vengeance. Understanding the suffering of her people, the remorse of Hyunkel himself, and the pleas of her friends, she tells him that death would be too easy an escape, and she sentences him to atone by living and devoting his life to the mission of a true Disciple of Avan. This act of mercy also resolves Hyunkel's self-destructive guilt. Flora serves as her model of a courageous and just ruler, and her own circumstances as a young woman who loses her father and must lead her nation mirror Flora's youth. With Popp and Maam she is candid and teasing, and she takes an eager interest in their complicated romantic affairs.
Leona's abilities reflect her training as a sage, a class known for versatility. She is proficient in both fire spells of the Mera family and ice spells of the Hyado family, and she can also use support magic such as sleep and awakening spells. Her greatest strength lies in healing: she masters Hoimi, Behoimi, and Behoma, the last of which she uses repeatedly and effectively, particularly during the battle against the Dragon Knight Baran, where her healing proves vital; for much of the story she remains the party's only user of Behoma. Over time she also acquires Hyadarko, Bagi, the revival spell Zaoralu, and the identification spell Impasu, alongside the great destruction spell Minakatoru. She is not a frontline fighter like the warriors of the party, and her direct combat experience is limited; her value comes from healing, support, and coordination. Still, in the final confrontation she proves her boldness by drawing a small knife and striking the Demon King Vearn, becoming the first person to wound him, an act that stirs Dai to rise again. Her courage and will remain with her even when she is turned into a statue-like eye by Vearn's power, and her unbroken spirit contributes to the miracle that turns the eyes against their creator. In the aftermath of the war, she stands among those who keep faith in Dai's survival, and her portrait is placed beside his in the story's closing moments.
Leona's first encounter with the protagonist Dai is not friendly. She bluntly dismisses him as small and unimpressive, while he finds her outspoken and difficult to get along with. Over time the two warm to each other. When Leona learns that Dai struggles with magic and feels discouraged, she gives him the Sun Knife, one of three heirloom knives passed down through Papnica's royal family, and tells him that if he cannot use magic he should stop brooding and sharpen his swordsmanship instead. Their bond deepens when Bishop Temjin and the sage Baron plot to seize control of Papnica and try to assassinate Leona with the venom of a magic scorpion. Dai awakens his power as a Dragon Knight to save her, and the monster Brass later cures the poison. Before leaving the island as a newly qualified sage, Leona asks Dai to become a great warrior and to come and see her again.
Leona's position in the story changes dramatically when the forces of the Dark Lord Hadlar return. The Undead Legion led by Hyunkel overruns Papnica, the king is reported missing and is later confirmed dead, and the fourteen-year-old princess becomes the de facto ruler of her nation in exile. She hides with a handful of retainers and soldiers in the tower on Balji Island, enduring hunger and fear while trusting that Dai will come to her rescue when danger arrives. She survives an attack by Flazzard and is eventually rescued by Dai, after which she sets about rebuilding her kingdom. She is known abroad as a brave and daring princess, and Flazzard considers her important enough to try to eliminate her before any other figure of Papnica.
As a person, Leona is energetic, spirited, and remarkably direct. She says exactly what she thinks without softening her words, a trait that leads Dai to describe her as cute but not the gentle, demure type, and as having a sharper personality than Maam. At the same time she is neither spoiled nor shallow; when she acts as a leader she shows wisdom, composure, and a breadth of perspective that earn genuine respect from those around her. The former sage Matrif, who had once abandoned Papnica, is moved to hope that the kingdom might recover because of her. She is also free with formalities: she chooses practical clothing, joins in festive celebrations, and asks her close companions to simply call her Leona rather than address her by her title, because she wants to be treated as one of them rather than as a princess. Yet she never forgets what is expected of a royal. She uses formal speech in public and casual speech among friends, and she insists on shouldering the duties of the crown. Her honesty can seem harsh, but those close to her come to value her belief that one should say what one thinks.
Leona's deepest motivations are the protection of her kingdom and people and the pursuit of peace for the world. Her sense of justice is firm and personal rather than abstract. During the trial to learn the great destruction spell Minakatoru, she is asked why she seeks such power, and she answers that she does not want it merely to defeat evil but to prove that the justice she has inherited is not mistaken. That answer allows her to pass the trial and awaken the power of her conviction.
Her role within the group develops over the course of the story. At first she serves as a replacement support member after Maam leaves the party to train as a martial artist, contributing healing spells in dangerous battles. Later she takes on a different kind of responsibility: she assembles the rulers of the world in a summit and works to build cooperation among human nations against the Dark Army. In the approach to the final battle, Queen Flora of Carl, the woman Leona admires most, guides her to the resistance and names her the fifth Disciple of Avan, passing on the mark of that title to her. Leona then enters the trial cave with Flora, Maam, and Merle, masters Minakatoru, and in the final battle uses it to disable the Demon King's fortress, allowing the others to reach him. She also receives the supportive items known as the Gold Feather and the Silver Feather from the hero Avan, who recognizes her qualities as a guide and leader for the party. Her development across the story is that of a young princess learning to balance royal duty, personal justice, and close friendship, growing from an outspoken girl into a ruler and a spiritual pillar for those around her.
Her key relationships shape much of her character. With Dai she shares a friendship that becomes the first true human bond in his life, and the affection between them is mutual, though neither ever openly confesses it; the Demon King Vearn even remarks on her feelings for Dai. After Dai vanishes at the end of the final battle to protect the surface world, Leona is among those who insist that he is still alive, and she waits for the day he will return. With Hyunkel, the man who destroyed her homeland and took her father's life, she chooses not to act on personal vengeance. Understanding the suffering of her people, the remorse of Hyunkel himself, and the pleas of her friends, she tells him that death would be too easy an escape, and she sentences him to atone by living and devoting his life to the mission of a true Disciple of Avan. This act of mercy also resolves Hyunkel's self-destructive guilt. Flora serves as her model of a courageous and just ruler, and her own circumstances as a young woman who loses her father and must lead her nation mirror Flora's youth. With Popp and Maam she is candid and teasing, and she takes an eager interest in their complicated romantic affairs.
Leona's abilities reflect her training as a sage, a class known for versatility. She is proficient in both fire spells of the Mera family and ice spells of the Hyado family, and she can also use support magic such as sleep and awakening spells. Her greatest strength lies in healing: she masters Hoimi, Behoimi, and Behoma, the last of which she uses repeatedly and effectively, particularly during the battle against the Dragon Knight Baran, where her healing proves vital; for much of the story she remains the party's only user of Behoma. Over time she also acquires Hyadarko, Bagi, the revival spell Zaoralu, and the identification spell Impasu, alongside the great destruction spell Minakatoru. She is not a frontline fighter like the warriors of the party, and her direct combat experience is limited; her value comes from healing, support, and coordination. Still, in the final confrontation she proves her boldness by drawing a small knife and striking the Demon King Vearn, becoming the first person to wound him, an act that stirs Dai to rise again. Her courage and will remain with her even when she is turned into a statue-like eye by Vearn's power, and her unbroken spirit contributes to the miracle that turns the eyes against their creator. In the aftermath of the war, she stands among those who keep faith in Dai's survival, and her portrait is placed beside his in the story's closing moments.