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Petelgeuse Romanée-Conti

Petelgeuse Romanée-Conti (ペテルギウス・ロマネコンティ)was the Sin Archbishop of the Witch Cult representing Sloth. A spirit who lived for over four centuries and a co-founder of the Witch Cult, he served as the main antagonist of Arc 3 and remained a recurring figure in later arcs. Once a kind man who cared for the elves and shared a familial bond with Fortuna and Emilia, Petelgeuse lost his sanity after taking in the Witch Factor of Sloth. Manipulated by Pandora, the Witch of Vainglory, he became a deranged spirit obsessed with reviving Satella, feared as one of the most notorious members of the Witch Cult.

His final act was leading an attack on Arlam Village and Roswaal Manor, which ended in failure due to Natsuki Subaru’s intervention. In his dying moments, he tried to kill Subaru, but met his end beneath the wheels of a dragon carriage.

“
LOVE! LOVE! LOVE!
 ”
Petelgeuse Romanée-Conti

Appearance

Petelgeuse’s vessel was a thin man about 180 centimeters tall, with gaunt cheeks, pale greenish skin, and short deep-green hair in a neat bowl cut. His grey eyes shone with madness, and his body emitted a foul odor. He wore crimson teardrop-shaped earrings and a dark-purple Witch Cult robe with a clerical cassock, green stripe, frilled sleeves, and a purple cloak with red seams.

A hundred years earlier, he appeared more normal—tall, thin, with lively brown eyes and longer green hair tied in a ponytail. His demeanor was calm, and his body unscarred. As a spirit who used human vessels, Petelgeuse frequently shifted between bodies and occasionally possessed women.

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Anime (Past)

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Personality

Petelgeuse was the embodiment of madness, often speaking in distorted poses and harming himself by crushing his fingers or hitting his head. Despite being the Sin Archbishop of Sloth, he valued diligence and love, showing extreme devotion to Satella and serving as the Witch Cult’s most active member, leading many of its attacks.

Before losing his sanity, he was a rational and kind man, close to Fortuna and Emilia, and respected by the elves and Sage Flugel. After accidentally killing Fortuna due to Pandora’s manipulation and taking in the incompatible Witch Factor of Sloth, he went insane. Even so, the Witch Cult continued to revere and obey him completely.

Abilities

Authority of Sloth (怠惰の権能, Taida no Ken’nō): Petelgeuse wielded the Authority of Sloth until his death, after which his Witch Factor was taken by Natsuki Subaru.

Unseen Hand (見えざる手, Miezaru Te): This ability allowed Petelgeuse to summon invisible, hand-like appendages he could control telekinetically. Each hand had immense strength, capable of tearing through flesh, shattering rock, and combining into larger hands. Normally limited to seven, he could summon over a hundred when all fragments of his Witch Factor returned to him. Only Subaru could see the Unseen Hands besides Petelgeuse. He could also use them to propel himself through the air.

Magic (魔法, Mahō): As an earth spirit, he could perform earth-based magic. His spell Ul Dona created a defensive dome of earth, though it could be destroyed by strong magic.

Possession (憑依, Hyōi): As a spirit, Petelgeuse needed human hosts to survive, possessing those compatible with spirits and without contracts. He used followers known as “Fingers,” who acted as spare bodies. After acquiring the Witch Factor, he shared fragments of it with them to possess their bodies, though this weakened his power and deteriorated each vessel quickly.

Equipment Gospel (福音, Fukuin): Petelgeuse owned a defective replica of Echidna’s Book of Wisdom, which foretold parts of his future. Like other Witch Cult Gospels, it was subject to interpretation and could only be read by its owner.

History

Petelgeuse began as a lesser earth spirit born 402 years ago. Around 400 years ago, he co-founded the Witch Cult and became the leader of its Moderate Faction, even before gaining an Authority. Known as Geuse, he respected the Sage Flugel and had a cordial relationship with the Witch of Greed, Echidna, even tutoring her artificial spirit, Beatrice. Eventually, he befriended Fortuna and learned about the elves of Elior Forest and their hidden seal.

Over a century ago, Petelgeuse grew close to Fortuna and Emilia, visiting the forest often. When Regulus Corneas and Pandora attacked, he took in the Witch Factor of Sloth to protect them, gaining the Authority of Sloth at the cost of his sanity. Though he fought bravely, Regulus overpowered him until Pandora erased the events and healed him. In the final battle, Pandora tricked Petelgeuse into killing Fortuna, shattering his mind. Consumed by despair, he later accepted the seat of Sloth, joining the Radical Faction and becoming infamous for his cruelty. Over the next century, he spread terror, guided by his Gospel, and encountered figures like Sirius Romanée-Conti and Stride Vollachia.

Trivia

  • Petelgeuse, like every other Sin Archbishop (with the exception of Stride Vollachia), received his namesake from a celestial body. Betelgeuse is the name of a variable star in the constellation of Orion. It was known as the “the Hand of Orion” due to its location in the constellation. This could possibly be a reference to Petelgeuse’s Unseen Hands. In Japan, Betelgeuse is known as the “red star”.
  • According to the author, the basis of his actions, his relation to the Witches, his past 400 years ago, and why his name is intentionally spelled as Petelgeuse are important plot points scheduled to be revealed in a future arc.
  • A man who was one of Petelgeuse’s fingers during the incident in Elior Forest 100 years ago identified himself a member of the “Romanée-Conti family” (ロマネコンティ一族,Romanekonti Ichizoku).[12][13]Per the author, the Romanée-Conti family is a group of Petelgeuse’s followers who have been devoting their bodies to him for generations.[14]
    • Furthermore, in the Aganau IF from the mobile gameRe:Zero Lost in Memories, the Romanée-Conti family was said to have modified their bodies to become suitable vessels for their lord and had been bred for that purpose. It is unclear whether the inner workings of the Romanée-Conti family mentioned in Lost in Memories are the same as the one depicted in the actual story.
  • Petelguese’s last name is named after a famous wine under the same name that originated in the French Revolution.
  • The author asked his readers on “Let’s become a Novelist” about whether he should change the surname Romanée-Conti to something else in the Light Novel version. However, most readers told him to keep it as is, thus his surname was not changed.
  • According to the author Petelgeuse was the “nicest” Sin Archbishop compared to the others, but after he went mad, he lost every ounce of dignity and morals, frequently going on rampages all across the world, becoming responsible for more than half of all attacks orchestrated by the Witch Cult, being known as the most active Sin Archbishop of the aforementioned cult.
  • The author has stated that Petelgeuse used to be a lesser spirit of earth.[15]
  • The author mentioned that Petelgeuse was unable to possess a spiritual arts user who already had a contract with another spirit.
  • Before he lost his mind, Petelgeuse was shown to have a rather intimate and close relationship with Fortuna. Their relationship lasted for decades if not centuries.
    • According to the author, there were times where Petelgeuse was forced to use a female body. Despite that, Fortuna still loved him.
  • According to the author, the reason why Petelgeuse introduced himself as Geuse can be found by researching the star Betelgeuse.[16]
  • Petelgeuse and Fortuna’s Japanese voice actors also voiceYuuki AsunaandKirigaya Kazuto, a well-known and popular couple from the anime seriesSword Art Online, another series published by Kadokawa under its subsidiary ASCII Media Works, respectively.