Grace

Grace is a Level 3 Shield Swordswoman in Samuel's expedition team. She guards the front line in the Forest of Denial, then follows Samuel into a tomb whose danger the party has already confirmed.

Biography

The Forest of Denial and its aftermath

Grace enters the Forest of Denial as Samuel's front-line guard, using her buckler to cover the group's advance and protect Hugo's blind side during combat. Lioners overwhelm that formation: her shield breaks, the forest's mental influence makes her lose control, and other party members must rescue her. She survives that fight and helps explain how the Quill Pen of the Flowing Consciousness works, allowing the expedition to confirm the resentment within the tomb ahead. (Chapters 25–28)

Despite that warning, Grace votes to continue because Samuel wants to proceed and shows little concern when Ian advises retreat. The party enters later without Seol Jihu, and the tomb's spirit kills Grace along with Samuel and Alex. A much later Earth-side revelation shows that she survived Paradise's death penalty but ultimately died by suicide after being unable to endure her diminished life, making the tomb disaster the beginning rather than the end of her fate. (Chapters 29, 159)

Appearance and personality

Grace has short, bright platinum-blonde hair and carries herself casually around her teammates. She giggles at crude jokes, speaks openly about her relationship with Samuel, and follows his preferences in group decisions. Her nonchalance becomes a liability in the tomb vote, where the confirmed danger and other members' distress do not visibly change her position. (Chapters 25–29)

Abilities and class

As a Level 3 Shield Swordswoman, Grace wields a longsword and silver buckler. She stays close to stronger attackers, blocking assaults on their blind sides and adding timely sword strikes. This makes her an effective formation guard against Cave Ettins, but the Lioners break her shield and the Forest of Denial's mental effect removes her from the fight, demonstrating clear limits against stronger enemies and psychological interference. (Chapters 26–27)

Relationships

• Samuel: Grace is Samuel's teammate and lover, follows his vote inside the tomb, and dies in the same disaster. (Chapters 25, 28–29)
• Alex: Alex shields Grace when the forest's influence incapacitates her; both later die after entering the tomb. (Chapters 27, 29)
• Seol Jihu: Grace helps Seol understand the quill pen, but disregards the danger he identifies before the fatal tomb entry. (Chapters 28–29)

Items

Grace fights with an unnamed longsword and silver buckler. She also wears earrings that Seol retrieves after her death, but the corpus does not establish a notable name or lasting history for them. (Chapters 26–27, 29)