Zanoba Shirone

Zanoba Shirone (ザノバ・シーローン) is a doll loving prince.

Appearance
He is a tall, thin, oval-faced man, with his cheekbones clearly visible. He wears round glasses.

Personality
He is impulsive and cares a lot about dolls to the point of disregarding life. He has utmost respect towards Rudeus his master. Although he used to think of other humans as nothing more than dolls made of flesh, after meeting Rudeus and due to the influence Rudeus had on him he slowly accepted other people. While not usually showing, Zanoba harbors a deep gratitude for his country and a fondness of warfare. He is highly intelligent and specialised in military tactics, capable of rally and ambush against tremendous odds.

Due to his intellectual level, he has been conducting research and producing several inventions for Rudeus.

It's later revealed that his patriotism, fondness for warfare and his love for Pax were simple attempts to act more like a human being, learning from Rudeus and people around him. Even though he does not fully understand such emotions, he feels like they are the right things to act on.

Background
Born as the Third Prince of Shirone. When he was three years old, he killed his brother, the Fourth prince, as if his brother was a doll. When he was 15 years old, he killed his wife, as if she was a doll.

Volume 6 - Juvenile Period - Homecoming Chapter
He helps Rudeus and becomes his disciple.

Volume 7- Youth Period - School Entry Chapter
He is reunited with Rudeus and accompanies him throughout the school

Volume 8 - Youth Period - Special Student Chapter
He could not learn how to make dolls from Rudeus, so he bought a young dwarf slave girl, Julie to make her learn doll-making techniques from Rudeus. Later he tells the story of how Roxy's figure Rudeus made was destroyed and accompanies Rudeus who completely wiped the floor with Pursena and Rinia who were criminals behind that crime. He could not beat them by himself.

Volume 20 - Young Man Period - Zanoba Chapter
Zanoba received a draft notice sent from Pax who had successfully seized with backing from the Dragon king Kingdom. Despite many warnings, including Rudeus', Zanoba decided to go back, as he feels indebted to his country for tolerating and funding his whims. Using his friendship with Perugius, he managed to ask for his permission to use the magic circle as a shortcut back for both him, Rudeus and reluctantly, Roxy.

Along with a worried Rudeus and Roxy, Zanoba came back and got assigned to the front line fort against a nameless north country. Despite many worries, they successfully held against he invasion with Zanoba setting an ambush and capturing the enemy's commander. With the hostage, they successfully forced a truce with the north country for 3 years.

However, Ginger came with a message from the capital. A warlord called Jade, backing a minor-known 11th prince, had turned coat and surrounded the capital. Arrived at castle in a secret passage, Zanoba and co. confronted the Death God, with him they fought to a draw. However, it was a misunderstanding and Death God simply defended Pax instead of being an apostle of Hitogami.

Zanoba tried desperate to save Pax as he attempted suicide but failed. Tearfully, he let go of everything, including his royal title to go back to Sharia, leaving the castle to rebel force. Afterward, he resolved to become Orsted's follower in order to extract vengeance against Hitogami who manipulated the events leading to Pax's death, as revealed by Orsted's investigation.

Magic
Earth Magic - Intermediate

Miko Power
Zanoba is abnormally strong, capable of standing off with a demon king, as far as raw strength goes. Any hit from Zanoba is potentially fatal even with touki. This power does not include stamina, however, as Zanoba is described to be unfit for long travels.

Trivia

 * He's able to use Zariff's Prosthetic arm for 3 hours.
 * He successfully became the closest friend to Perugius the Armored Dragon King as they have the same interest in art. This friendship was enough to make Perugius offer his assistance in retaking Shirone for Zanoba, despite his blatant hatred for power struggles.
 * Apparently, beside Rudeus he unexpectedly enjoyed Cliff and Julie's company.