Curate, connect, and discover
I know he’s not a villain per se, but that was my first impression (´-ω-`)
I thought he was someone cunning, willing to do whatever it took to survive—even surrendering to his captors. Discovering that the ‘Honte’ we were presented with was nothing more than a puppet surprised me greatly ( : ౦ ‸ ౦ : )
It’s because of that initial impression that Honte is in this category instead of the other.
But here we go—the reason I believe he deserves ‘redemption’ lies in his backstory. He shares the same background story as Sir Rex, and we were given hints that there might be a way to make dark magic good.
Furthermore, being used as a marionette by someone you trusted (assuming Bernard was his alchemy professor) must have been heart-wrenching ｡ﾟ(｡ﾉωヽ｡)ﾟ｡
If somehow he could have stayed alive during his time as a puppet, he might have resisted self-destruction in some way and survived.
If he survived, Cale’s group would likely take care of him and help him improve. He could even become a key player in Bernard’s demise. And why do I say this?
Well, to provide context, the main reason I’m writing this is because of a speech that popped into my mind out of nowhere when I couldn’t sleep. Here it goes:
Kindness? Kindness?! You’ve never been kind to me for a single day of your life! Every so-called ‘moment of unity’ we’ve had has been nothing more than you finding a quicker way to turn me into a puppet! You’ve never cared about me! You brought me and hundreds of other children here for your twisted experiments, promising a better life! You and your followers tortured us and reveled in our despair! You turned me into a marionette! For years, you used my body to harm others! I was your weapon! And when I was no longer useful to you, you discarded me! The only reason I’m alive is because the so-called ‘enemy’ took pity on me! They helped me! They gave me everything you promised but never delivered! They cared for me and treated me as one of their own! To me, they are not the enemies! You are the enemy, and I will gladly be the weapon that ends you! Be happy, dear professor. This student knows more about how this world works than you do, and I’ll happily demonstrate it in my graduation project. Your death.
It’s foolish and very emotional, but it seems perfect for the confrontation between Bernard and Honte. o(>ω<)o
We must take into account that since the Queen of Death told us that there was a way for dark magic to be good, the information on how she thought it was possible was probably in her book on dark magic.
Cale would definitely give this book to Honte, and considering that he was already seen as a prodigy even before the possession, it’s likely that he could make the Queen of Death’s theories a reality ＼(٥⁀▽⁀ )／
Perhaps even thinking of her as a mentor, similar to Mary.
And what would that method be? I believe it involves using the user’s own blood. Whether it’s using your own blood to draw magical circles or making blood sacrifices during spells, utilizing your own vitality instead of sacrificing others could be the way for dark magic (now called dark magic, distinguishing it from traditional dark magic) to be natural.
Essentially, dark mages would be crystal cannons—extremely powerful, but if they’re careless or overwork themselves, they could die. This could be mitigated with blood replenishment potions, although it wouldn’t change the essence of their powers (¯▿¯)
I wish the author had addressed this plot hole, and that’s why I believe Honte deserves redemption.