TV-Series
Description
Kurt von Benno Baumeister, eldest son and presumptive heir of Artur and Johanna von Benno Baumeister to their impoverished knight territory, harbored deep-seated jealousy toward his more skilled, educated, and capable siblings. He feared his brothers might usurp his inheritance, especially after four left the territory and a fifth married into a junior commander's family. Though this briefly eased his anxiety, consolidating power fostered an arrogant and abusive demeanor.
His leadership prioritized financial exploitation. He imposed a 50% tax on Wendelin's hunting, exceeding the standard 30%, and later attempted a 30% tax on Wendelin's bazaar operations. Kurt also tried confiscating armor and weapons recovered by survivors from a Demon Forest expedition, directing them to sell through his associate Eckart below market value; Wendelin thwarted this by providing replacement iron blocks. Kurt further taxed the survivors' rewards until virtually nothing remained. Administrative incompetence, marked by near-total illiteracy, forced reliance on his wife Amalie and village chief Klaus for written communications and records.
Kurt's antagonism intensified after Wendelin earned a noble title surpassing the family rank. When nobles and King Helmut maneuvered for Wendelin to assume control of the Baumeister estate, Kurt plotted assassination to inherit Wendelin's assets and titles, relying on judicial laws designating him as heir. Baron Rückner exploited this, supplying a cursed artifact misrepresented as the "Flute of Dragon Tamer" but actually the "Flute of Grudges," amplifying negative emotions to transform its user into a vengeance-driven monster. Playing the flute turned Kurt and his accomplices into zombies; they killed Kurt, assimilating his consciousness into a collective grudge entity. This entity attacked Wendelin's group, was partially destroyed by holy magic, and Kurt's residual hatred redirected toward Rückner, causing further casualties in the capital before ultimate purification.
After Kurt's demise, his son Karl von Benno Baumeister lost noble status, though Wendelin later arranged for Karl to receive a knighthood and land upon adulthood. Amalie changed their surname to Mainbach. Hermann, Kurt's second brother, succeeded as the new Knight Baumeister with a baronetcy promotion; other brothers received adjacent territories and similar rank elevations. King Helmut expanded Wendelin's domain into adjacent Savage Lands.
Narrative adaptations introduced variations: the manga depicted pre-academy bonding between Kurt and Wendelin absent in the novel. The anime modified Kurt's confrontation with Wendelin's party, omitting Wendelin's dialogue challenging Kurt's authority during negotiations. Anime-only elements included Wendelin offering financial aid for territory development—rejected due to Kurt's paranoia—and noble factions considering execution rather than peerage stripping for Kurt.
His leadership prioritized financial exploitation. He imposed a 50% tax on Wendelin's hunting, exceeding the standard 30%, and later attempted a 30% tax on Wendelin's bazaar operations. Kurt also tried confiscating armor and weapons recovered by survivors from a Demon Forest expedition, directing them to sell through his associate Eckart below market value; Wendelin thwarted this by providing replacement iron blocks. Kurt further taxed the survivors' rewards until virtually nothing remained. Administrative incompetence, marked by near-total illiteracy, forced reliance on his wife Amalie and village chief Klaus for written communications and records.
Kurt's antagonism intensified after Wendelin earned a noble title surpassing the family rank. When nobles and King Helmut maneuvered for Wendelin to assume control of the Baumeister estate, Kurt plotted assassination to inherit Wendelin's assets and titles, relying on judicial laws designating him as heir. Baron Rückner exploited this, supplying a cursed artifact misrepresented as the "Flute of Dragon Tamer" but actually the "Flute of Grudges," amplifying negative emotions to transform its user into a vengeance-driven monster. Playing the flute turned Kurt and his accomplices into zombies; they killed Kurt, assimilating his consciousness into a collective grudge entity. This entity attacked Wendelin's group, was partially destroyed by holy magic, and Kurt's residual hatred redirected toward Rückner, causing further casualties in the capital before ultimate purification.
After Kurt's demise, his son Karl von Benno Baumeister lost noble status, though Wendelin later arranged for Karl to receive a knighthood and land upon adulthood. Amalie changed their surname to Mainbach. Hermann, Kurt's second brother, succeeded as the new Knight Baumeister with a baronetcy promotion; other brothers received adjacent territories and similar rank elevations. King Helmut expanded Wendelin's domain into adjacent Savage Lands.
Narrative adaptations introduced variations: the manga depicted pre-academy bonding between Kurt and Wendelin absent in the novel. The anime modified Kurt's confrontation with Wendelin's party, omitting Wendelin's dialogue challenging Kurt's authority during negotiations. Anime-only elements included Wendelin offering financial aid for territory development—rejected due to Kurt's paranoia—and noble factions considering execution rather than peerage stripping for Kurt.