Wilhelm van Astrea/Relationships

Family

Theresia van Astrea

When Wilhelm first met Theresia, he was as cold with her as he was with others, though he was captivated with her beauty for a moment. Though he tried to remain detached, he found himself increasingly drawn to Theresia, who often rebuffed his crude manners and afoot persona. Unaware of the subtle changes in his heart at first, subconsciously he started looking forward to their ritualistic meetings, which eventually led him to question the real reason why he had continued to walk the path of the sword while he had been avoiding his life up until now. When she began asking why he wielded a sword, he found that his heart hurt every time she asked. When he met with Theresia once more, where he was once again made to question why he wielded his sword, even though he claimed that he would continue to wield his sword, even if it caused him pain, and she hoped to him that he would find that reason one day.

After the Invasion of the Royal Castle was over, he went to meet Theresia again. Coming to an epiphany, Wilhelm realized that he had been using it as an excuse to run away from his problems at home. He wanted to do something his older brothers couldn't and support his family in his own way as they did. Accepting this fact, Wilhelm found himself caring about things he hadn't in a long time, becoming less and less concerned with taking the heads of his enemies over prioritizing the safety of his comrades. Meeting Theresia again, he claimed he no longer hated flowers, and his reason for the sword was to protect others. Over time, he started using his sword as an excuse to meet her, and she even influenced him when his home was in danger. That said, when he found out that the Sword Saint, he was angry and took that as her looking down on him and his swordsmanship. Noticing her expression as she easily defeated him, he declared that he would take away the reason she wielded the sword, as he regretted giving her that reason in the first place. For two years, he trained himself until the day of her ceremony. After challenging and defeating her, he declared that he would take the sword in her name, so that she wouldn't be forced to fight anymore to protect her loved ones. In the following months, they married.

Over time, his love for her only strengthened, and his life with her was happy. After her death, he was deeply upset, to the point that he lashed out at his own family, and for the next fourteen years, he dedicated his life to slaying the White Whale. Upon finally taking vengeance upon the beast, he loudly proclaimed his love for his wife while standing atop its body.

Later, he would be forced to face her in Priestella as a corpse soldier. Realizing who she was, he was left completely heartbroken, highly offended, and fully resolved to put his wife to rest. However, when facing her, he nearly lost his life to her multiple times as she was still his wife. After her defeat and passing by Reinhard’s hands, she shared her last moment with Wilhelm, and her second death would shatter their family further.

Heinkel Astrea

Wilhelm loves his son, and by Heinkel's own thoughts, he knew that he was loved. In his youth, Wilhelm believed that Heinkel would be the beloved by the sword, and he was even responsible for training him. Despite this, this training alongside Heinkel's fear of combat led the two to having a somewhat strained relationship. However, after Theresia died in the Great Conquest, the strain in their relationship became even worse. After Wilhelm publicly blamed Reinhard for his wife's death, Heinkel confronted him and claimed that he had no right to apologize, keeping him away from Reinhard and intending to prove that his suddenly obtaining the Divine Protection of the Sword Saint was not responsible for Theresia's death.

When they met again in Priestella, Heinkel told him off for his actions, showing that the strain between them had not lessened. Still, he retains some parental love for his son, pleading in vain to the resurrected Theresia to not to kill their son. Later, when Al started his scheme, Heinkel's involvement was one of the main reasons that he took action, and as a result, Wilhelm and Heinkel became enemies, with Wilhelm becoming frustrated that Heinkel took such an action, even if it was for his wife. During Wilhelm's fight against the Divine Dragon, despite Volcanica's overwhelming advantage, Heinkel could not unsee Wilhelm's victory, which led him to sorrowfully stab his father in the back while crying. Despite this, he did not want Wilhelm to die, and after Wilhelm pulled his body off of the blade and fell to his knees, Heinkel attempted to help him, only for the man to tell him to wake up and see that his actions would not affect Reinhard's decision to be the Sword Saint, something which hurt him greatly.

Reinhard van Astrea

Wilhelm's relationship with his grandson is very tense. Following Theresia's death, Reinhard spoke to his grandfather in an attempt to assure him that despite her death, she did not lose as the Sword Saint, and he instead received it just before her passing. Despite Wilhelm pleading to say no more because he did not want to blame his grandson, this marked the start of the strain in their relationship, and after laying the blame of her death on Reinhard's shoulders, Wilhelm avoided his grandson, leaving the Astrea family behind. Nevertheless, Wilhelm regretted this, and he wished to fix their relationship, intending to apologize to his grandson. However, because Heinkel had heard that Wilhelm blamed Reinhard, he refused to allow the two to meet and said that he didn't deserve the right to apologize, stripping Wilhelm of the chance to.

Later, after the White Whale had been successfully killed, the two still showed great strain avoided each other's gazes awkwardly. Despite this, in an effort to do fix their relationship, they were able to share a warm moment together in Priestella with the help of the other Royal Selection camps, but this was unfortunately interrupted by Heinkel. Later, after Reinhard was forced to kill Theresia's resurrected corpse, when Wilhelm asked Reinhard if he had any regret doing so, upon hearing Reinhard's answer, he began calling the current Sword Saint by his full name, as if to show that he was a stranger instead of his grandson.

Despite this, he did not want that last reunion between him and his family to end in such a tragedy, and instead of attempting to change their relationship verbally, he decided that he, as he did with Theresia, would use his sword to dispossess the Sword Saint of his sword.

Veltol Astrea

Despite being annoyed with the man's overprotective antics causing problems for his marriage, Wilhelm greatly respected Veltol as a man, to the point that, despite the man's lack of talent for the sword, he respected him as the greatest swordsman he knew. He was saddened by his death.

Tishua Astrea

He and Tishua got along rather well and were able to speak with each other casually, and Tishua often defended him from Veltol's antics.

House Trias

His immediate family were decent people who, despite their poor status as nobles, preferred to solve things through speaking rather than violence. It was for this reason that Wilhelm first picked up the blade, despite being enraptured by it. This ultimately led to him having conflicts with his family, and after a big argument with one of his brothers, he left home for the army. In time, Wilhelm came to regret not speaking with them, and despite his actions, he did eventually want to see them again to apologize. However, due to the Battle of the Trias Domain, his entire family died, and he never got the chance, much to his regret.

Crusch Camp

Crusch Karsten

The two would first meet following an argument Wilhelm had with Bordeaux Zergev. Temporarily imprisoned for harassing the Council of Wise Men again, Crusch would make a deal with him to join her camp, and in return, she’d help him get revenge on the White Whale. The two would often spar against each other, allowing Crusch to become stronger, and Wilhelm would come to respect her position and commitment. Eventually, with the Whale defeated, he would remain by her side as her sword, even with her memories now gone.

Over the year that would follow, Crusch would continue to train regularly with Wilhelm, allowing her to recover some of the strength she once had. And in Priestella, he would show great concern for her after she got cursed. That said, he respected her wishes and would thank Subaru for taking her thoughts into consideration, even though she asked him not to take her curse from her.

Ferris

He accompanies Crusch, therefore they know each other very well. Ferris knows about his past, even though Wilhelm does not like to talk to people. Ferris also finds listening to Wilhelm talk about his wife and flowers somewhat annoying due to its repetitiveness and frequency.

Emilia Camp

Natsuki Subaru

When Wilhelm first met Subaru before the Royal Selection, he at first saw nothing special in him and didn't like him, yet what intrigued him was that Subaru's eyes said he had crossed the line of death multiple times and returned, which sparked his curiosity. That said, after Subaru’s outburst during the Royal Selection Ceremony, he was willing to train him with the sword, though he recognized that Subaru wasn’t really trying to train and had no talent with the sword. Despite all this, when Subaru provided him with his chance to slay the White Whale, Wilhelm was very grateful to him for setting everything up, and he thanked him. Before the fight, he spoke with Subaru about his wife and her love for flowers, and the two entrusted each other’s backs to the other.

With the fight over and his vengeance taken, Wilhelm began to refer to Subaru as Sir Subaru, and he went on to assist him in the fight against Sloth. In one failed loop, when Subaru became depressed after failing to protect everyone from the Unseen Hands, Wilhelm was the one to tell him to keep his head high and look forward, giving Subaru the encouragement he needed. In the same loop, he was greatly saddened when Subaru asked for his allies to kill him when his body was taken over by Sloth, and he couldn’t even raise his sword to him. In the main timeline, he made sure to keep their enemies away from Subaru, believing that they should not come between a man and the one he loves. Soon after the fight was over, he helped Subaru maintain the alliance between their respective camps, and he also trusted him enough to show him the wound left to him by his wife, claiming that they both had enemies in the Witch Cult.

Approximately a year later, the two met again in Priestella. He spoke to Subaru about his relationship with Reinhard and his wanting to repair it, and he was grateful to Subaru for the inspiration that he gave him, going so far as to say that he sees Subaru almost like a grandson. Later, when it came to fight the Witch Cult, Wilhelm believed that Subaru’s presence was needed to reclaim City Hall from Lust. Furthermore, he was inspired by Subaru’s speech to Priestella, and he spoke with Subaru at length about people from the past, including information from the Demi-Human War. Similarly, he showed concern about Subaru meeting the cursed Crusch, realizing how he might react. That said, he was grateful that Subaru respected her wishes and that he attempted to save her since it was within his capability.

When everyone prepared for the final battle against Wilhelm, he requested that Subaru not tell Reinhard about his grandmother, and he even requested that he be sent to handle her, which Subaru accepted. After the fight was over, Subaru requested that he visit Theresia’s grave when she was buried, which Wilhelm was grateful for. As he left, Wilhelm even wanted to request something of Subaru. However, he believed that he was unworthy to ask Subaru his question.

During Al's schemes in Arc 9, aside from it being one of his duties as the former commander of the Royal Guard to not let the world collapse, one of the motivations pushing Wilhelm to act was that the matter concerned Subaru, who he considered his benefactor, and to this end, he even fought the Divine Dragon.

Felt Camp

Felt

Despite their minimal interactions, Wilhelm and Felt respect each other. Felt was amazed by his display of strength while Wilhelm acknowledged her position as a participant of the Royal Selection. After seeing how the Divine Dragon responded to her being in danger, Wilhelm now has an idea of her true identity.

Valga Cromwell

During the Demi-Human War, Valga was one of the leaders of the Demi-Human Alliance, putting him at odds with Wilhelm. As he is one of the main people responsible for the near-complete annihilation of the Zergev Squadron, that made Valga one of the worst enemies he ever confronted. Not long after the overwhelming defeat, however, Wilhelm was one of the people responsible for bringing down the giant. As of the present, it is unknown if he is aware of Valga, now Rom’s, identity as his bitter foe.

Priscilla Camp

Al

After Priscilla's death, Wilhelm sympathized with Al as one who lost the person he loved, and he understood how it could have affected him. Despite this, Wilhelm was willing to stand against him as his scheme threatened the world.

Yae Tenzen

Though the two clashed in Arc 9, Wilhelm held her skills and split-second judgment in high regard, and he recognized her as one of the strongest shinobi he had ever faced. On the other hand, Yae recognized how dangerous he was and even compared him to people like Rom and Olbart.

Royal Family

Gionis Lugunica

Wilhelm respected Gionis as the king, and Gionis was very accommodating to him and Theresia, being the one to say that he could allow Theresia to retire if they wed. Gionis even made sure to secretly attend his wedding.

Council of Wise Men

Bordeaux Zergev

Though he initially didn't care much for Bordeaux, he respected Bordeaux's strength. Though he treated him as coldly as everyone else, he got used to Bordeaux's jovial demeanor. After Pivot's death, however, he noticed Bordeaux's change and hatred, something he didn't like. Despite this, the two trusted each other greatly, and they had each other's backs. His trust was great enough that he made Wilhelm both the vice commander, and later, the commander of his squadron. Likewise, he made sure to attend Wilhelm's wedding.

Miklotov McMahon

When they first met, Wilhelm was extremely wary of his, noticing his gaze was much more dangerous than others'. Later on, he remembered his name, and the two spoke about Wilhelm returning to the army and Theresia's retirement, giving him advice to speak to others for help. Later on, Miklotov was the one to officiate his wedding.

Royal Army

Pivot Arnancy

During his time in the Zergev Squadron, Pivot was his superior. Though he treated Pivot as coldly as everyone else, Pivot seemed to respect Wilhelm and what he brought to the playing field. Over time, Pivot came to realize how important Wilhelm was to the Kingdom, to the point that he gave his life to protect Wilhelm. His actions caused Wilhelm great turmoil, and he ended up feeling guilty and confused for why he gave his life for him. Later on, he visited his and the other fallen members of his squad's grave. During his conflict with Stride, while under the effects of Melinda's Evil Eye, he hallucinated Pivot from his own trauma, and he would at times turn to him for advice until he was free from the eye's effects.

Conwood Melahau

Conwood was one of Wilhelm's comrades in arms in the military. They both respected one another, and once Grimm resigned and the Zergev Squadron was folded into the Royal Guard, Conwood was the one selected to take on the role of deputy commander.

Six Tongues

Orphe

When the two were in the Prison Tower, they were surprisingly able to get along, having been put in jail for similar reasons. Later on, Wilhelm came to him for advice regarding his rejoining the army and Theresia's retirement, and Orphe pushed him in the right direction. Later on, he recommended to Bordeaux to free him and put the man to use, resulting in the creation of Six Tongues.

Demi-Human Alliance

Libre Fermi

During their time in the war, Libre challenged Wilhelm to a duel and managed to even corner him. Because Libre was subsequently responsible for the death of most of his squadron, Wilhelm was deeply enraged at Libre and nearly fought him to the death, with Libre willing to kill him in response to recognizing how dangerous he would become. This said, their battle went unresolved due to Sphinx interfering and killing Libre.

Lugunicans

Grimm Fauzen

Initially, the two did not get along, as Wilhelm despised Grimm's cowardliness, and he often picked fights. However, he was the one to give Grimm the push he needed to overcome his trauma, and he trusted Grimm's sense for danger and shield skills. Over time, Grimm would trust Wilhelm's decisions and follow him, and he was even willing to risk his life to save him, which resulted in Grimm's throat injury. Eventually, the two became friendly enough to share drinks and to tease each other about their respective love lives. Grimm later became Wilhelm's vice commander, and even later on, he decided to serve House Astrea with Carol.

Carol Remendis

He and Carol have had an antagonistic relationship for a long time. That said, Carol came to respect his strength despite this, and she entrusted Theresia to him. This being said, she still often chastised him, sometimes leading to physical spats that she would ordinarily lose. Presently, she still serves House Astrea, and in turn, Wilhelm.

Roswaal J. Mathers

During the war, despite her flirtatious behavior, he treated her coldly and did not like her company. However, she often fought alongside him and the Zergev Squadron during the war, and at times, she would assist them when people such as Leip treated them with disrespect. When his lands were threatened, it was Roswaal who told him, and during the years that Wilhelm was missing to train, she would visit him often, telling him of the goings on of the war and capital. She was also responsible for telling him of Theresia's ceremony, which he was grateful for. Despite his initial attitude towards her, he trusted her, and he was shaken by her untimely demise.

Witch Cult

Stride Vollachia

Wilhelm and Stride held a hostile relationship with each other after the duel of Picoutatte and its Silver Flower Dance. Wilhelm even went as far as to claim that Stride was his mortal enemy after all the bloodshed and tragedy he incurred on the Astrea family and the kingdom of Lugunica. 

Capella Emerada Lugunica

Though the two have technically encountered each other at City Hall, neither Capella nor Wilhelm have actually met. That said, Wilhelm does recognize the name she is using as Emerada Lugunica, leaving him perplexed to her true identity. Still, seeing as she has cursed Crusch, she is officially an enemy of the Crusch Camp, including Wilhelm.

Witches

Sphinx

As one of the leaders of the Demi-Human Alliance, she and Wilhelm were bitter enemies. In particular, he absolutely detested her use of corpse soldiers, which is what earned her the moniker of a Witch. Thanks to her interference with his battle with Libre, he survived that battle, but because of the deaths of his allies and the manipulation of their corpses, he came to despise Sphinx.

Others

Volcanica

When Wilhelm first witnessed the Divine Dragon, he was awed by its might. Later, when Al started his scheme, Wilhelm immediately recognized that the Dragon that he was facing felt different than when it appeared during the Subjugation of the Blight Dragon. Also, while he understood the position that it held as a being of worship for the Kingdom, Wilhelm was resolved to face and even kill the Divine Dragon if necessary and traded blows with it.