Duke Stearead, also spelled Staelied, is the leader of the anti-monarchy party in Roland, a group of nobles vehemently opposed to the Hero King Sion Astal because of his commoner bloodline. He first appears in Volume 3 - Ruthless Sleep Disturbance of DYD and episode 5 of LofLH, voiced by Nobuo Tobita.
Background[]
Stearead was an extremely influential member of the nobility and is described as "a man who lived in Roland's darkness." He was also a close confidant of the previous king of Roland, using bribery and threats to control any members of the nobility who did not follow his and the king's direction.
After Sion overthrew his father and took the throne, Stearead continued as a mouthpiece between the new king and the nobility. He often contradicted and questioned Sion publicly under the guise of his concern for the country; however, he was mostly interested in protecting the lavish lifestyle he and the other nobles enjoyed under the former king's rule.
Plot[]
Because Sion knew that Stearead held quite a bit of power of the other nobles, especially those who despised the new king, Sion sent numerous spies to Stearead's estate. However, he managed to evade all the spies that Sion sent; though most were simply unable to gather incriminating evidence on Stearead, some spies never returned after being sent to his estate. This was cause for great concern among the pro-monarchy party members, such as Claugh Klom and Miran Froaude. Froaude took the matter into his own hands by pretending to accept Stearead's invitation into the anti--monarchy party and threatening Stearead with his overwhelming power (chapter 3 of volume 3).
From then on, Stearead maintains the appearance of leading the anti-monarchy while following Froaude's directions. This eventually culminates in Stearead organizing a gathering of the anti-monarchy party at the Froaude Manor where Froaude kills every anti-monarchy noble present, including his father (chapter 4 of volume 4). Because Stearead has declared his allegiance to Sion, Frouade had intended to let him live; however Stearead is killed in the next few moments by mysterious beasts made of lightning. While it is ambiguous as to the identity of the man wielding the the lightning beasts at the time, it is later revealed that the wielder is Ril Orla.
Quotes[]
- Stearead, thinking about Froaude): “He was a dangerous man. He was a manipulator who had a sharp mind and who could plot to kill many people, a ruthless man. He was a man who no one would want to go against. Or better said, he was a person who no one would want to be the enemy of.”