Roku

Overview

Roku is a member of the Household of the Tower who lives within Shun Sato's shadow and emerges from it when called. He is introduced in Chapter 21, when Shun summons him in the stone chamber beneath the Tower moments before surrendering to the Royal Knights. The narration names him Shun's loyal shield.

Appearance

He is a large man who towers over both his Lord and Shun's captors, with feral, spiked black hair and a short, scruffy beard. He wears nothing but trousers and boots made of simple tanned hides, leaving his heavily muscled chest and arms bare. Scars cover his body, described as a map of numerous victories.

His voice is deep and guttural. The narration likens it to a bottomless well that swallows the pride and strength of those who hear it.

The summons

Shun calls him with a single word, “Roku,” spoken after he has already offered his wrists to the manacles. The whisper shakes the walls of the underground chamber, and Shun's shadow expands at his feet, writhing and rising like a trapped monster breaking free of its prison, before Roku steps out of it. He takes his place behind his Lord with his arms crossed and waits for orders.

His arrival makes even Akiyama Magnus draw his weapon, and every knight follows. Roku pays the drawn swords no attention. He addresses only Shun — “You called, boss?” — and the knights are reduced to muffled whimpers behind their helmets; one takes a step back.

The charge

Shun gives him two orders. The first is to guard the gate: to let no one through, humans and demons alike. The second is conditional: if Shun does not return within a week, Roku is to take Mimi Sato as far away from the Tower as he can, and protect and care for her as if she were Shun himself.

Roku holds his stance and answers only after a heartbeat's silence. In that pause the narration records that he sees in his Lord's eyes a desperate plea — a weakness Shun refused to show even to his old commander, hidden beneath the mask of strength he wears too often. His reply is “As you wish, Boss,” and the narration closes the exchange by calling his loyalty as strong as the mountain he resembles.

Relationships

- Serves Shun Sato, whom he calls “boss.” - Fellow member of the household alongside Zero, who is present in the chamber when he is summoned. - Charged with the protection of Mimi Sato should Shun fail to return.

Undisclosed details

Chapter 21 shows Roku only at the moment of his summons. His origin, his nature, how he came to live in Shun's shadow, and how long he has served are all undisclosed at this boundary, as is whether the week's condition on his orders comes due.