Rocco Belfaban (ロッコ・ベルフェバン, Rokko Berufeban?) is the head of the Department of Summoning in the Mage's Association.
Profile
Background
Rocco is the dean of the "Department of Summoning" in the Clock Tower.[1] He is said to have held his position 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 Belfaban 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]
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]
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 mage, 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 discussed about the recent failed operation against Yggdmillennia in Trifas. With the Yggdmillennia announced them possessing the Greater Grail, the Mages 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 adjusted the Greater Grail to summon additional Servants. When Rocco asked for Lord El-Melloi II opinion, he suggested to alter their approach for a counterattack. Lord El-Melloi II believes victory can be successful if they assemble seven Masters. El-Melloi II suggested to bring in the professionals from the outside and 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 are the people overseeing the selection of Masters for the Great Holy Grail War. The three men 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]
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.
Lord El-Melloi II Case Files
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: Chapter 1, p.027-030 & 032-058
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Fate/strange fake - Volume 1 - Prologue VII: Visitor & _____, p.269