Rocco Belfeban (ロッコ・ベルフェバン, Rokko Berufeban?) is the head of the Department of Summoning branch belonging to the Department of Spiritual Evocation in the Clock Tower.[1]
Profile[]
Background[]
Rocco is said to have held his position at the Clock Tower for over fifty years, but no one is certain of the fact.[2] Rocco is part of the conservative party in the Clock Tower. Status-wise, he is effectively a “proxy Lord”.[1] According to Rohngall, Rocco Belfeban represents "the stubborn old guard".[3]
The Department of Summoning is a subordinate organization to the Department of Spiritual Evocation, which ended up being regarded very highly only in the "Apocrypha" universe. It was decided to treat "everything related to Servants of the Holy Grail War" under the category of "summoning", entrusting all responsibility to an assured conservative in the Association. Although Rocco and Lord El-Melloi II are part of two opposing factions, both of them are well aware of the threat of Subspecies Holy Grail Wars, and their views match in that they prioritize resolving the situation over the gains for their respective factions.[1]
Rocco was Flat Escardos's professor when Flat first arrived at the Clock Tower, but their arrangement didn't last long as the combination of Flat's personality and talent quickly grew to annoy Rocco and every subsequent professor he was shuffled off to.[4]
Appearance[]
He is a short old man, straight-backed and the creases on the skin of his face gleam as if he were a statue carved of wood.[2]
.jpg "Rocco Belfeban (Anime).jpg (99 KB)")
Personality[]
Rocco is a collection maniac, and yet by contrast is quite sloppy with what he collects. He’s the type to be completely neglectful by using Mystic Codes that activate just by having them on hand. He has stated in quite a carefree manner, “It’s fine as long as I have just Mystic Codes that resist against curses”. He doesn't involve himself much with the students, so there are lots of rumors like “The old man’s private room is becoming more and more of an entirely different world every year” about him.[1]
Like most staunch conservative Magi, who balked at even ordinary telephones, Rocco is antiquated when it comes to current technological advances to the point where he would mistake electronic communication as messaging via mystical telepathy or would mistake emailing as writing a physical mail.
Role[]
Fate/Apocrypha[]
Rocco, Bram Nuada-Re Sophia-Ri and Lord El-Melloi II discuss about the recent failed operation against Yggdmillennia in Trifas. With the Yggdmillennia announcing them possessing the Greater Grail, the Mage's Association responded and sent fifty specialized Magi 'hunters'. However, everything was ruined by Lancer of Black who annihilated forty-nine Magi, with the last Magus adjusting the Greater Grail to summon additional Servants. When Rocco asked for Lord El-Melloi II's opinion, he suggested to alter their approach for a counterattack. Believing victory can be successful if they assemble seven Masters, El-Melloi II suggest bringing in professionals from the outside and that the Clock Tower must provide at least one or two Magi as this Holy Grail War is on an utterly different scale. The three men will be the people overseeing the selection of Masters for the Great Holy Grail War. The three men then went separate ways.[2]
He personally hires Kairi Sisigou, and debrief him about the situation. He informs Kairi about the other Masters; Rottweil Berzinsky, Jean Rum, Pentel brothers and Feend vor Sembren. Although he tries to pass it off as a forgery, reluctantly parts with the hydra as part of the payment.[2]
Rocco and the two other Lords meet again a few days later, in reaction to the betrayal of Shirou Kotomine, the incapacitation of the Red Team Masters (who are presumed dead) sans Kairi Sisigou, and the Red Team stealing the Greater Grail. They discuss the reaction of the Holy Church, who says that the priest was acting alone, and when Belfeban raises the theory that Semiramis may have been the one to manipulate Shirou Kotomine's actions, Bram angrily asks if he is implying it is the fault of one of the catalysts he gathered. Rocco Belfeban eventually asks Bram and El-Melloi II what course to take, and both answers to stay put to not take any risks and because the Clock Tower might benefit from the situation. The meeting is dismissed soon after.[5]
Lord El-Melloi II Case Files[]
Grace note[]
Rocco and Inorai Valualeta Atroholm watch Lord El-Melloi II give a lecture to his class and later, alongside Bram, speak to him about how simple the lecture was and how they can't understand the need for a Lord to explain such basics. The conversation then turns to the Fourth Holy Grail War ten years ago and how El-Melloi II rebuilt Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald's class after his death.[6]
Several days later, Rocco and Reines El-Melloi Archisorte are playing chess and discussing El-Melloi II's desire to participate in the upcoming Fifth Holy Grail War in Fuyuki. Reines notes how odd it is that the war and the rumors of its Greater Grail have not caused a bigger ruckus among the Mage's Association, especially after a Lord and the daughter of a Lord died in the previous war. They wonder if someone at the Association is suppressing information about the war.[7]
When El-Melloi II's student Svin Glascheit graduates to the rank of Pride, Bram and Rocco quietly observe the ceremony from afar.[8]
Fate/strange Fake[]
He was briefly mentioned by Rohngall.[3] Later, when Saber destroys an opera house and appears on the news, Lord El-Melloi II discusses with him how the secrecy of Magecraft is in danger because various citizens have already recorded the incident and posted it to various social networks, but he does not understand what that means. Lord El-Melloi then receives an e-mail on his phone from his student Flat Escardos, but Rocco again does not understand because he is ignorant about technology.[9]
Abilities[]
He has a number of items in his collection, including a skull that looks like a chimera of ape and elephant, a scroll over one thousand years old, and a preserved juvenile hydra.[2]
Development[]
Creation & Conception[]
Ototsugu Konoe has illustrated Rocco in Fate/Apocrypha material.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3
[] Fate/Apocrypha material - Encyclopedia: Rocco Belfaban [Person's name], p.190-191 [T] Rocco Belfaban [Person's name]
The dean of the Department of Summoning. The Department of Summoning is a subordinate organization to the Department of Spiritual Evocation, which ended up being regarded very highly only in the “Fate/Apocrypha” world. As you all already know, subspecies Holy Grail Wars are held all over the place in the “Apo” world, so the Association of Magi had to quickly form countermeasures. At first, every magecraft department even slightly linked to Servant summoning techniques were scrambling to reap the benefits before each other, causing ugly conflicts to continue even after a Holy Grail War ended, so it was decided to treat “everything related to Servants of the Holy Grail War” under the category of “summoning”, entrusting all responsibility to an assured conservative in the Association.
That conservative is this old man, Rocco Belfegan. Status-wise, he is effectively a “proxy Lord”. Of course, since there is a conservative faction, there is also a reformist faction, and they strongly recommended Lord El Melloi II, who survived the largest-scale subspecies Holy Grail War in history, for the position instead. (However, the El Melloi clan’s stance is conservative, and El Melloi II’s own position is neither conservative nor reformist, maintaining a complicatedly neutral stance.)
Fortunately, both of them are well aware of the threat of subspecies Holy Grail Wars, and their views match in that they prioritize resolving the situation over the gains for their respective factions.
Rocco is a collection maniac, and yet by contrast is quite sloppy with what he collects. He’s the type to be completely neglectful by using Mystic Codes that activate just by having them on hand. He has stated in quite a carefree manner, “It’s fine as long as I have just Mystic Codes that resist against curses”. No, it’s not fine. He doesn’t involve himself much with the students, so there are lots of rumors like “The old man’s private room is becoming more and more of an entirely different world every year” about him.ロッコ・ベルフェバン【人名】
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Fate/Apocrypha Volume 1: Apocrypha: Great Holy Grail War - Chapter 1, p.027-030 & 032-058
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Fate/strange Fake Volume 1 - Prologue VII: Visitor & _____, p.269
- ↑ Lord El-Melloi II Case Files Volume 3: case. Twin Towers of Iselma (Lower) - Chapter 1 Part 3
- ↑ Fate/Apocrypha Volume 3: Triumphal Return of the Saint - Chapter 4
- ↑ Lord El-Melloi II Case Files: Grace Note - Episode 0: "A Grave Keeper, a Cat, and a Mage ~There is no such thing as "truth".~"
- ↑ Lord El-Melloi II Case Files: Grace Note - Episode 3: "Roaring Thunder and the Underground Labyrinth"
- ↑ Lord El-Melloi II Case Files: Grace Note - Episode 13: "The Clock Tower, Usual Days, and the First Step Forward to the Future"
- ↑ Fate/strange Fake Volume 2 - Chapter 6: Day 1, Noon "Two Archers and..."