And so the Black Knight has at last been vanquished. He lived an obstacle for Ike to face and died a tragedy of lost souls. Unfortunately, his choice to duel Ike and Ike alone means we won't have much to discuss from him, but Levail has some lines to sit through.
Levail
Face me in an honorable duel, and know that I shall be the one to take your life.
He knows he's killing, but he knows to kill without honour is cruel.
Levail: You must be the Silver-Haired Maiden, Micaiah, correct?
Micaiah: Who are you?
Levail: Don’t worry, I’ve no intention of harming you. Far from it, in fact. I’m under orders from General Zelgius to keep my men away from you. Please retreat. I don’t want to disobey the general.
Well, we know the what (although the Disciples don't obey this order), but the why is an open question. Why does Zelgius want Micaiah unharmed?
Sanaki: I know you… You were a general in the Gaddos army. Did Zelgius betray Sephiran and side with the senate?
Levail: No, no! I swear upon the general’s good name that he would do no such thing! I was the one who abandoned the duke of Gaddos to follow General Zelgius.
Sanaki: What is going on here? I don’t understand the relationship between the Black Knight and the senate, or who is friend or foe…
Levail: Of one thing I am certain, Empress Sanaki. We are not your enemy!
Sanaki: Then order your men to stand down! I must speak with Zelgius. Take down that barrier!
Levail: I cannot do that. General Zelgius was very clear: he wishes to fight that man. Alone. My orders are to eliminate any intruders inside the tower in the meantime. My deepest apologies, Empress.
Sanaki: Wait! I won’t allow it! Halt, Levail! Halt!
Seems a shame these two were never on the same side. I wonder if they could've been friends had his boss not wanted her dead.
Reyson: Why do you avoid eye contact? Am I not a worthy enemy?
Levail: Attacking a defenseless man goes against the code of chivalry. Please stay back, man of Serenes.
Reyson: Do not insult me!
Leanne: Um… You… Keep… run away… from me. Why?
Levail: Attacking a defenseless woman goes against the code of chivalry. Please stay back, woman of Serenes.
Leanne: What? But…
Rafiel: …It seems as though you have been avoiding me since this battle began. What is the meaning of this?
Levail: Attacking a defenseless man goes against the code of chivalry. Please stay back, man of Serenes.
Rafiel: …
The herons all have their own reactions to being avoided by Levail. They don't seem all that fond of it as a rule.
Sigrun: Sir Levail, you stand against Empress Sanaki. Lay down your weapons.
Levail: I cannot, Lady Sigrun. As strong as your loyalty is for the apostle, so is mine for General Zelgius.
Tanith: Sir Levail! How dare you raise your sword against Empress Sanaki! Has Goddess Ashera taken over your mind, too?
Levail: No, Lady Tanith. I fight for General Zelgius. I care not for the goddess’s cause.
At least the man knows what he has his faith in. "I care not for the goddess's cause" is something to think about, though. But that's for later.
Levail: Lady Astrid, please stand down. A lady like you shouldn’t have taken up a weapon in the first place.
Astrid: No, I am a knight of Crimea, here to fight you. Please forget about the past. The Lady Astrid you knew no longer exists.
Levail: You have indeed become strong. Very well! Prepare yourself!
Levail works for the man who tried to marry Astrid, and I get the feeling that these two are at least passingly acquainted. Despite his misgivings, Levail is definitely on Astrid's side in this situation.
Levail: Captain Haar! You are still alive!
Haar: What happened that you didn’t expect me to survive?
Levail: Um… Nothing, I suppose. It’s just that it’s been a while since you left Begnion.
Haar: Yeah. Twenty years ago, wasn’t it?
Levail: I was still very young at the time. You had just been dubbed a knight. Oh, it brings back such memories… The bravery of the dracoknights, especially the Fizzart Platoon. It was legendary among the soldiers. But then you suddenly defected to Daein.
Haar: I got sick of taking orders from corrupt senators, so I ditched the country with General Shiharam.
Levail: I joined the army after I came of age. But it was different after you all left. It was as if you took its spirit with you. The only exception was General Zelgius, the general of Duke Persis’s army.
Haar: I see. Is that why you’re under his command?
Levail: Yes. He is the last true knight. I will die for him.
Haar: Yes, Levail. You will.
Levail: How I dreamed of fighting a proper foe! I am honored, Sir Haar! Have at you!
Well, that gives us a bit of an idea of his age. This boss quote is largely famous for it's ending- of the Haar quotes, this one is definitely the most badass. "I will die for him." "Yes you will." This is also some interesting Fizzart Platoon lore in the first half, too. Nothing groundbreaking, but you know, it's there.
Levail: Duke Tanas! I thought you were executed as a slave trader three years ago.
Oliver: True beauty is immortal. Look at me. Right now, I am flawless. You are not without potential. With education, you could aspire to be me.
Levail: …No, thank you.
I think "No thank you" is the best response to Oliver's ramblings one could make.
Levail doesn't actually have that much going for him in the overall worldbuilding. He doesn't even rate his own pages in the in-game glossary or artbook, despite being a character fought in the Tower of Guidance. Honestly, they've got a bit of a point: this guy is dime a dozen in the world of FE. It's how they populate the factions of the disposable bosses they don't want to be hateable bastards the likes of Lombroso. But the fact they bothered to have a general with a name and a face follow Zelgius around through Part 3 feels like it wanted to add something more. Perhaps his purpose is, in part, to highlight just how much of a Good Man Zelgius was to his allies, to overshadow the Black Knight's crimes.
Zelgius
Onto the man himself, right off the bat. Zelgius is a tricky fellow to pin down. Even among Knights, he's a likable man, with a tactical acumen to call his own that matches Soren's and an active endeavour to, at all times, treat his enemies with respect and use as much lethal force as necessary, and no more. And yet, he is also the Black Knight, a man who allowed Ashnard to run rampant over Tellius, killing Greil, kidnapping Leanne, and in general harrying Ike's progress about. He doesn't actually do that much for Ashnard when you count, but he's still an impressive villain the player is going to remember. And underneath all that, he's just a man who was shunted by the world and wanted to prove his worth.
Overall, I lean closer to sympathising with the Black Knight than not. But I feel like this decision is going to be influenced by your opinion of his master, which we have yet to cover. Whatever your opinion of the Black Knight is, it may be something to return to once we know more about his master.
When it comes to comparisons with Three Houses, we have a fairly obvious pick right out of the gate. With black armour that screams "death", a rivalry of ages with the daughter of a legendary mercenary and a fierce loyalty to one cause, the Death Knight, and the Jeritza underneath, is not only the point of comparison, but an outright direct reference. With this comparison, however, there's a certain dynamic to the "rivalry" part where the Death Knight somewhat fails. Although he is intensely interested in Byleth, if you came looking for Ike vs Zelgius Part 2, you are likely to be disappointed. However, with Jeritza playable in Part 2 and able to share his experiences and backstory with other characters, Jeritza diverges from Zelgius in one key way: Jeritza actively explores the "lost soul" dynamic of the Zelgius character to a depth that Zelgius himself shied away from, albeit from a vastly different angle. Jeritza is not a worse Black Knight- he is the Black Knight played entirely for tragedy. And when the themes of Three Houses include exploring the person behind the mask they show society and that everyone has a tragedy that's worth assisting, not only does Jeritza explore this well, but he fits right in amongst his companions who have also met with grisly childhoods at the hands of their society.
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