Riftan Calypse

Riftan Calypse is the protagonist of the Korean light novel Under the Oak Tree (Korean: 상수리나무 아래; RR: Sangsurinamu Arae), authored by Kim Suji (Korean: 김수지), and manhwa of the same title. Riftan is the commander of the Knights of Remdragon and the lord of Anatol. He made his debut in Chapter 1 of both the novel and manhwa as the continent’s strongest knight notable for defeating Sect, the Red Dragon, in an expedition in the Lexos Mountains. After this feat, he is bestowed the epithet “Rossem Uigru” (Uigru’s Incarnate/Rise of Uigru). He is married to Duke Croix’s elder daughter, Maximilian, in an arranged setup; though they have grown to deeply love each other eventually.

Riftan also appears as the main protagonist in the novel’s 44-chapter side story, "Riftan's POV", which recounts his life prior to the timeline of the main story.

Appearance
Described to have a more distinguished build than other knights, Riftan grew up skinny as a young boy due to his family's poverty; yet at the age of 16 he has already grown to 180 cm (5'11 ft) and looked older than his age. He is currently 196 cm (6'5) and has a muscular build, with broad shoulders and chest with a lean waist. As he is of a mixed race, Riftan has dark hair and tanned skin with dark black eyes. Despite being on the battlefield constantly, Riftan bears no visible scars and his skin is described to be smooth.

Despite being described as handsome by many, people are often intimidated by his cold gaze. Riftan was described as a person who looked like he was constantly on the battlefield, as he rarely smiles and often has a sharp and observant look on his face. This causes him to look more mature compared to his age, yet when he softens he is described to look like an innocent boy.

He is often seen in the standard Remdragon Knights uniform, with embellished silver armor and a blue cape. He is almost never seen without his sword. When it comes to casual and formal wear, Riftan despises complicated, luxurious clothing and prefers to wear simple tunics and fabrics. His style revolves around efficiency, and wears armor guards during training.

Personality
Riftan is a blunt, hot-tempered man who does not prefer to be idle. He gets straight to the point and does anything in his capacity to not let anyone take advantage of him. Growing up as a mercenary and sell-sword has led him to have excellent street smarts, as he is cunning with his transactions and is not easily gullible. He knows his capabilities and what he deserves in payment for his services. He is observant and calculating, as well as thorough with his decisions. Riftan values the portrayal of skill and proving one's self over boisterous statements.

He is horribly unsociable, as he is often cold and shuts down anyone who attempts to approach him for useless reasons. He also has no interest in sexual activities, as numerous women often try to seduce him only to get rejected (this, of course, changes upon his marriage with Maximilian). Riftan absolutely abhors the nobility and those who bathe themselves in luxury; he despises the pompousness of those who treat the lower class as dirt. He can be easily angered and won't hesitate to retaliate if threatened. Riftan is also brutal and ruthless, delivering punishment to those he deems fit. He often yells when his temper is tested, but he goes calm when he's at the limit of his anger.

Nonetheless, Riftan is a fair and just man. He does not harm the weak or innocent and is protective of those he cherishes. He refuses to let anyone suffer in his stead and puts the safety of his subordinates and fellow knights over anything. When he is with his wife, he is seen to be more teasing and light-hearted. Riftan likes to make Maximilian blush and he strives to make her laugh and smile. He is also a very caring lover as he likes to feed, bathe, and generally pamper his wife. Riftan's love for her is unconditional and he asks barely nothing of her, yet his love is not inconsequential.

Riftan is a man with a broken psyche, as his feelings for Maximilian Croix is overwhelming to the point it reaches as borderline obsessive. Riftan saw old memories of Maximilian as his only comfort in his difficult life, deeply rooting her in his heart until he couldn't look at any other woman who wasn't her. He often had dreams of her and fantasized about her despite being able to only see her from afar. Upon marrying her, Riftan's hatred for luxury contrasted with his need to give his wife the most comfortable and expensive life he could. He is fiercely protective of Maximilian and refuses to let even a sliver of danger or disrespect fall upon her. His obsession with her reached its peak when he was willing to give up his land and titles just to keep his wife by his side.

He has a deeply rooted inferiority complex, as he was taught by his stepfather to never look up and dream of a better life for himself. He believes he is not worthy of Maximilian due to his status and mistakes her anxiousness as hatred for him. Because of his inferiority complex, Riftan does not understand why someone would ever want to care and look out for his wellbeing. Therefore he has a difficult time trusting and opening up to people, even to his wife, and believes he can rely on nothing else but his own hands.

Story (Under the Oak Tree Manhwa)
Riftan is from a poor background, but after successfully winning the battle against the Red Dragon Sektor, he becomes a glorious knight. He rules a small land called Anatol and is the leader of the Remdragon Knights. It is revealed later in the spin-off how much and how long he was in love with Maxi.

At the age of 25, he was forced into a marriage with Maximilian by Duke Croix where he was immediately sent away to fight in the place of the Duke. When he came back three years later to retrieve his wife, he found her to be in an uncomfortable state where it seemed like she did not want to be married to him. On their journey back to his fief, he confronts her several times about why she seems so nervous to be around him. She fails to give a good answer until she brings up the Emperors marriage proposal to divorce Riftan and marry him to princess Agnes. He found out that she has extreme insecurities and didn't want to be divorced and sent back to her father. He also manages to bring up the fact that she never arrived at his land and he thought she was ignoring her duties as his wife, something that she knew nothing about since her father kept her on a short leash. While on the journey, they still have a few misunderstandings to clear up, their relationship improves and Riftan starts to dote on Maxi.

When they eventually arrived at Anatol after attacks by ogres and werewolves, the townspeople cheer for the knight that they are so proud of and refer to him as "Uigru's Incarnate Calypse" since they believe for him to be a reincarnation of one of the strongest knights.

Weapon
Knights Sword (Bastard Sword) - Previously wielded by Sir Khan Miguel one of the legendary 12 Knights of King Darian. Its made of steel mixed with adamant. It weighs heavier than normal swords and it is harder to handle easily. Its special abilities is it can absorb mana like Dragons breath that became crucial in the fight against the Red Dragon Sektor. Riftan won the sword in a tournament when he was 16 in Osiriya.

Relationships
Maximilian Calypse- Maximilian is Riftan’s wife. Despite his hatred for the nobility, Riftan has been in love with Max even before their marriage arrangement and is devoted to the point where he is put off by any woman who isn’t her. While they do not know much about each other, Riftan takes every opportunity to comfort Max, whether in luxury or emotional support. While he has been fawned over by many women, Max is the only woman Riftan is attracted to and can barely control his urges to be with her when around her.

Princess Agnes- Riftan and Agnes worked together to defeat the Red Dragon Sector. When Riftan was offered to marry Agnes by the king, Riftan did not hesitate to reject the offer as he was devoted to his wife. Riftan is also put off by Agnes as he describes her as snobby and someone as “ferocious like a foal with its tail on fire”.