Souji Lester

Souji Lester (ソージ・レスター, Sōji Resutā) is a character of Genjitsu Shugi Yuusha no Oukoku Saikenki series. He is a bishop of the Lunarian Faith and was elected as leader of the Lunarian followers in the Kingdom of Friedonia.

Appearance
Souji Lester is described as slovenly-looking with priest robes cut off below the knees and at the sleeves.

Personality
Souji has a carefree, laid-back personality. Though he does preach the Lunarian Faith, he actually 'broadly interprets' the teachings of his religion. For example, the faith decrees that if the clergy does not live in poverty, then the believers will not follow. However, Souji insists that his appearance fits the criteria of looking poor and his lack of fat shows that he does not use the followers' donations to fatten himself. He will drink, while insisting that wine is sacred, and will even partake of the local brothels but according to prostitutes he has not been visiting recently.

Biography
After the establishment of the Lunarian Faith as one of the religions that can be practiced in Friedonia, the Saint Mary Valenti offered to take the position as leader of that religion in that country. However, Kazuya Souma and Hakuya Kwonmin decided to instead elect Souji Lester as the leader, much to disapproval of Mary and the Orthodox Papal State of Lunaria in general.

At that point, Souji was subjected to an inquiry by the cardinals in the capital of Yumuen. This was their attempt to have Souji excommunicated for his perceived sins. If they had succeeded, Souji could be ousted from the church and therefore could be done away with. That would allow them to elect a new representative to send to Friedonia.

Since Souji was under the protection of Cardinal Gold, the cardinals couldn't censure him without running the risk of being censured themselves. However, Souji couldn't depend on that protection forever and was later met by the Black Cat member Inugumi. He was offered the opportunity to be the bishop of the Lunarian Faith in Friedonia. Seeing that he had a better chance of survival there, he accepted the position and was secretly moved out of the Papal State.

It is also noted that he had taken in Merula Merlin, after she had been declared as a witch for seeing the holy artifact, the Lunalith. She too was also taken under protective custody to Friedonia, partially at the request of Souji. Souji frequently spends time with Ludwin Arcs, as the pair tend to observe the research work of Genia Maxwell and Merula together. Souji has even been the occasional unwilling test subject of a handful of experiments.

Since coming to Friedonia, Souji has worked at the request of Kazuya and Hakuya to sever the Lunarian followers in Friedonia's devotion to the Papal State, not the Lunarian faith itself, to moderate success thus far. As Souji is likewise disillusioned towards the hierarchy, not the Lunarian faith, he willingly cooperates with these movements. An example of one such severance is the permissions granted to the faithful to participate in other religion's festivals.

Souji was sent to Van when Kazuya and the Friedonian military went to the Union of Eastern Nations during the demon monster wave to serve as a buffer against any movement the Papal State mmight try during Kazuya's absense. During his time there, he was approached by Mary, who saw a growing conflict within the Lunarian hierarchy. She requested that Souji ask Kazuya to shelter Lunarian refugees, especially her fellow sisters, in the event that they were in danger. Souji would go on to petition Kazuya and the groundwork was laid. When Fuuga had unified the the Union of Eastern Nations under his control, Mary and a number of other Lunarian moderates fled the Papal State, utilizing the shelter provided by Kazuya and Souji.

Due to the changes within the Orthodox Papal State of Lunaria and the growth of Fuuga's popularity, Kazuya deemed it necessary to further expedite the separation of Friedonia's Lunarian faithful from that of the rest of the Lunarian faith. As such, he promoted Souji to archbishop, despite Souji's protests, so as to grant him greater autonomy over the faith within Friedonia. Souji had Mary assigned to assist him in this task, to which he is skeptical about how eager she appears to be with this prospect.

Ex-Adventurer
Souji was previously an adventurer before a substantial injury ended his tenure. He still has displayed a heightened awareness of his surroundings and those within them.

Archbishop
Souji was a bishop for some time in the Orthodox Papal State of Lunaria before being sought out by Hakuya to serve as Friedonia's bishop. While he believes in the Lunarian faith, he is not a hardliner believer and more often did his own thing. He has a more down-to-earth reputation with those he interacts with and does not express many of the judgments of the Lunarian faith on other races and religions. He has recently been promoted by Kazuya to the position of archbishop to further the goals of an independent Lunarian faith.