Editing Zachary Valente

{| class="infobox" style="width: 22em; float: right; clear: right; margin: 0 0 1em 1em; border: 1px solid #aaa; background: #f9f9f9; padding: 0.2em; font-size: 90%;"
! colspan="2" style="text-align: center; background: #b0c4de; font-size: 1.25em; font-weight: bold;" | Zachary Valente
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| colspan="2" style="text-align: center;" | [[File:Zachary_character_art.jpg|250px]]<br>''Zachary in his dark blue-black and gold armor, wearing his signature white cloak.''
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! colspan="2" style="background: #e1e8f0; text-align: center;" | Biographical Information
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| '''Alias''' || Commander Valente, Boss, Leader, Guardian of Loriana,
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| '''Age''' || Late 20s
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| '''Gender''' || Male
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| '''Race''' || Human
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| '''Height''' || Average
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! colspan="2" style="background: #e1e8f0; text-align: center;" | Status
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| '''Status''' || Alive
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| '''Affiliation''' || [[Castalia Mercenary Company]] (Commander), Ardenian Alliance
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| '''Occupation''' || Commander, Mercenary Leader
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| '''Relatives''' || Unnamed Father (Deceased)<br>Unnamed Uncles and Cousins (Deceased)
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! colspan="2" style="background: #e1e8f0; text-align: center;" | Media
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| '''Debut''' || Volume 1
|}

'''Zachary Valente''' is a major character in the series. He is the leader and founder of the '''[[Castalia Mercenary Company]]''' and the self-appointed "Guardian of Loriana." A scion of a disgraced and executed noble house, Zachary has dedicated his life to preserving the stability and independence of the [[Kingdom of Ardenia]] through strategic foresight, tactical combat, and political caution.

== Biography ==

=== The Purge of House Valente ===
Zachary was born into House Valente, one of Ardenia's "Old Families" with roots tracing back to the Occupation Era. During the [[Ardenian Civil War]] twelve years prior, Crown Prince Finlay discovered that House Valente was secretly corresponding with the Holy Empire of Rodinia and hoarding wealth while the common populace suffered. 

Rather than seeking vengeance, Zachary accepted the Prince's purge of his corrupt family line, choosing the survival of the Kingdom over his ancestral name. Living "in the mud" alongside orphans and common soldiers, he formed the Castalia Mercenary Company to protect those without crests on their shields.

=== Campaign against the Eclipse Cult ===
When the "[[Children of the Eclipse]]" doomsday cult threatened to overrun the region, Zachary partnered with Princess Adreana to form the "[[Coalition of the Unwilling]]." During the battle to liberate [[Roake]], he coordinated the main assault on the East Gate to draw the cult's forces, allowing the West District to be taken back by the people.

=== The Albion Invasion ===
Following the declaration of war by the Albion Empire, Zachary was tasked with holding the strategic Ardan Bridge and Western Keeps. Under heavy stress and dwindling resources, he quickly authorized the mass production of the Special Project Division's new "[[SAM-1]]" guided missiles to neutralize the threat of Albion's elite Wyvern Knights.

== Abilities and Magic ==

=== Command Arts ===
Zachary is a highly capable tactician and magic user, utilizing specialized incantations known as "Command Arts" to control the flow of the battlefield:
* '''[Command Art: Fortify — Iron Resolve]:''' A spell that unleashes a wave of golden light, sharpening his allies' mental clarity, reaction speeds, and physical strength.
* '''[Command Art: Teleport — Reposition]:''' A high-speed spatial displacement spell. It allows Zachary to instantly teleport himself or his allies across short distances to rescue them from fatal strikes. This magic requires immense focus and places a severe strain on his mana.

=== Auxiliary Magic ===
* '''Familiar Summoning:''' Zachary can summon and bind [[Four-winged Raven]], linking his senses to the creature to scout terrain and relay verbal status reports over long distances.
* '''[Minor Healing]:''' He possesses basic restorative magic, capable of closing flesh wounds and preventing infection on the field.

== Trivia ==
* Due to the high stress of running a mercenary company during a continental war, Zachary has developed a receding hairline, leading to an recurring anxiety that he will be "bald before forty."
* Zachary was classmates and old rivals with [[Edward]] (House Thornfield) prior to the Civil War, and the two share similar trauma regarding the loss of their noble families.