Rainer

Rainer is one of Wildgarde Stronghold’s Guardians and High Elders, its senior blacksmith, and the master of Nero. Although stern and initially aligned with his disciple’s interests, he repeatedly chooses evidence, institutional duty, and practical cooperation over personal rivalry.

Biography

The Lionheart Tournament and the Hidden Domain

Rainer watches Nero’s tournament battle as a demanding teacher rather than a partisan who dismisses the opposition. He reluctantly praises the disguised Lux’s tenacity, predicts that both youths could lead their generation, and accepts the revealed identity once the evidence becomes undeniable. Later, when Alexander demands a binding secrecy contract, Rainer is the first Wildgarde elder to sign: he reasons that a Saint would not use such a dangerous agreement over a petty guild dispute. His gamble exposes Lux’s Mythical Guild and turns their relationship into a formal partnership, including an offer to join temporarily when guild buffs could improve important crafting for the Stronghold. (Chapters 253, 255, 363–365)

That judgment does not erase his responsibility toward Nero. Rainer teaches his disciple to draw on Abyssal power without surrendering to corruption, then rushes to examine him after the Hidden Domain crisis and works beside Natasha until they confirm that no Abyssal trace remains. The same man who asks Lux for crafting access therefore continues to protect Nero’s life and future, keeping the younger men’s feud separate from his duties as master and High Elder. (Chapters 465, 506)

The Dragon kingdoms and the Abyss

When a silver-haired young woman penetrates Wildgarde’s keep, Rainer does not let a familiar aura override security. He keeps his guard raised and prepares to attack until Lux confirms that the apparent intruder is the rejuvenated Vera. His astonishment afterward shows the limits of even his good memory and senses, while his initial restraint demonstrates that his latest role remains protective: he treats an unexplained transformation as a potential breach until identity is established. (Chapter 794)

Appearance and personality

Rainer is described as an old blacksmith and is usually presented with the composed bearing of a veteran Guardian. He remains calm while others tease or protest, wears a faint smile during Lux’s secret meeting, and can be stern enough that his neutrality toward Lux surprises Gerald. Curiosity and rational risk assessment are central traits: he signs the contract first, recognizes Draconian runes immediately, and still admits shock when Lux’s secret exceeds his expectations. (Chapters 255, 363–365)

Crafting, defensive, and Abyssal-training abilities

Rainer is a specialist blacksmith and craftsman whose study of ancient languages allows him to identify Draconian runes and infer how inscriptions affect an item’s rank and power. He also designed Wildgarde’s defensive mechanisms; because he knows their structure, he can extend his senses through the Stronghold and distinguish an internal spell from a phenomenon originating elsewhere. These skills are investigative and preparatory, and neither lets him identify Vera through an unfamiliar restored body without Lux’s confirmation. (Chapters 359, 364, 794)

His training of Nero demonstrates practical knowledge of Abyssal corruption. Rainer teaches the youth to draw only the power required and resist the temptation to be consumed, improving Nero’s control without removing the Abyssal seed or its inherent risk. In the Hidden Domain aftermath he supplements that expertise with direct examination, but Natasha performs the healing treatment, showing that Rainer’s role is diagnosis, instruction, and protection rather than clerical restoration. (Chapters 465, 506)

Relationships

• Nero: Rainer trains Nero, manages concern over his corruption, and protects him after defeat. His support is real, but he does not intervene in Nero’s personal conflict with Lux. (Chapters 253, 365, 465, 506)
• Lux: He moves from stern elder to pragmatic collaborator after learning Lux’s guild secret, requesting crafting access while acknowledging that Lux has treated him fairly. (Chapters 255, 363–365)
• Gerald and Natasha: The three share Wildgarde’s leadership and patrols. Rainer often supplies the analytical counterweight when Gerald or Natasha reacts more emotionally. (Chapters 359, 363–365, 794)
• Vera: He has long known Vera as a fellow Guardian, yet her restored youth defeats visual recognition and tests his security-first instincts. (Chapters 253, 794)

Items

No individually assigned generated item is recorded for Rainer in the centralized inventory.