Lutheran Barnett

"You say you don’t fear opposing the entire world as your enemy? Mighty arrogant of you, Shadow!"

- Lutheran to Shadow

Lutheran Barnett (ルスラン・バーネット) was the Assistant Principal of Midgar Royal Spellsword Academy and Sherry's adoptive father. In actuality, however, he was a member of the Cult of Diablos, alias 'Sir Gaunt' (痩騎士) and the former 12th seat of the Knights of Rounds. To reclaim his position, he attacked the Academy to acquire the a cure for his terminal illness whilst framing Shadow Garden, only to be thwarted and killed by Shadow.

Appearance
Lutheran was a middle-aged man. He had black slicked-back hair with grey streaks. In the light novel, he has a beard.

In his guise as "Sir Gaunt", he hides his face with a mask and dressed jet-black cloaks on the novel and manga. While in the anime, he wears a full suit of menacing-looking dark plate armor with a red cape that conceals his identity and voice.

Personality
"That’s why I had to kill her. I started stabbing her from her extremities inward, until I impaled her heart and twisted my blade."

- Lutheran reveals his true nature when he explains how he kill Lukreia to Cid Kagenō

While Lutheran viewed as a being humble man in the public with a close relationship with his stepdaughter, Sherry who he always tried to support her in her activities and encourage her to interact with others, this was all a façade to cover up his true nature as the real Lutheran was a power-hungry yet also a pitiful person.

Having at one point been the 12th Seat Knight of Rounds before he was demoted due to his illness, he is completely obsessed with regaining his former glory. He is also highly manipulative as he using Sherry and her late mother as means to achieve his goals. He even expressed his pride in having killed Sherry's mother, making him a true psychopath which makes even Cid disgust him as he called his action "unpleasant".

Despite all his evil and selfish side, Lutheran had a bit of his honor and respect for the handling of the sword, and that of the others, since when he is in front of Shadow, he confesses that he must understand, that just like others, when one goes the way of the sword, cannot stop, when he obtains, that sensation of power and glory, which leads Lutheran to do anything, in order to recover his glory, regardless of who he manipulates, or come to kill selfishly and sadistically.

Background
Lutheran used to be a knight known for being a master of both literary and military arts. He won a previous Bushin Festival tournament, which propelled him to the top of the swordfighting world. Even the Cult of Diablos took notice of him and secretly recruited him into their ranks, which he agreed to in order to reach further heights. Afterward, he would rise through the Cult's ranks to become the 12th seat in the Knights of Rounds. However, just as he had reached the "peak of the swordfighting world", Lutheran misfortunately contracted a sudden terminal illness which crippled him as a fighter, resulting he relinquish his 12th Seat position and was forced to retire with him being demoted to a 2nd Children.

With his strong desire to restoring his former glory position before someone else could occupy it, Lutheran began to desperately search for a way to cure his illness, even trying out to use various dangerous and illegal methods. During his search, Lutheran met Lukreia, a brilliant research scientist who was a genius at deciphering ancient things and languages. Since then, Lutheran decide to using her for his own ends by working together with her under the guise of being a friend and funding her research. Lutheran eventually stumbled upon an artifact known as the "Eye of Avarice" that is capable of sucking and accumulating magic from its surroundings, which he was sure that the artifact could cure his illness. However, after studying it, Lukreia concluded it to be too dangerous and decided to hand it over to the Midgar Kingdom for safekeeping. Upon learning of her intend, Lutheran sadistically murdered Lukreia by stabbing her in the back before taking the Eye and fleeing the scene.

Afterward, Lutheran attended Lukreia's funeral where he met her daughter, Sherry. With the girl having inherited her mother's intellect, Lutheran took her in and supported her education with the intend to use her to complete the research into the Eye of Avarice and cure his illness. Until then, Lutheran become the Assistant Principal of Midgar Royal Spellsword Academy and he hiddenly stored the Artifact away at the Cult's base in the Midgar Kingdom. However, this would lead to the Eye being confiscated by the government after the location was discovered following Shadow's fight with Zenon, leading to Lutheran's introduction into the story.

Midgar Academy Terrorist Attack
Lutheran and Sherry Barnett are visited by Princess Iris Midgar and Alexia Midgar. Iris gives Sherry an artifact belonging to the Cult of Diablos and asks her to decipher the text on it. Lutheran encourages her to do so, stating its a rare opportunity, which she accepts and Iris decides to assign the Crimson Order to keep watch on them. Lutheran hears that's the new knight order that Iris formed and she confirms that it's a small order, but it made by people she trusts and he went to question her about Iris distrust about the Knight Order, which she gave silent answer. Lutheran allowed it under the condition that he takes only two guards to secure Sherry in her lab, so Princess Iris chose her most trusted men: Glen and Marco Granger.

Later, he sees Sherry having a chocolate and she explains a boy gave it to her. He tells her that its hard to obtain such good chocolate, so the boy must really like her and she must consider well what she will reply. Next day, Lutheran notice the boy named Cid Kagenō after Sherry tell him that they are going to be friends and he joins them to do some small talk, even he advice Cid to take care of his injuries before he decide to leave.

For his ambitions to reinstated his position into the Knights of Rounds with knowing he doesn't have much time left because his illness is getting worse, Lutheran disguised himself under the identity of a "Sir Gaunt" and ordered his Cult's henchmen to commit misdeeds throughout the Midgar royal capital while claiming to be from the Shadow Garden, so that this organization would earn the contempt and enmity of the world. When he heard the lost contact report of his men, he states that its fine because he located the item he need which is his priority to retrieving the item.

The Cult forces under Lutheran took over Midgar Academy by creating the magic blocking field using the artifact, also rounded up all the students and killed anyone that opposed them, in order to frame and discredit Shadow Garden as a public enemy number 1. Then, he ordered Rex to go find the catalyst for the Eye of Avarice, but failed to retrieve it. After hearing this, he threatens Rex to go and find the artifact or he will kill him until he heard Rex's reports that some of their men had been taken out by someone skilled and guesses that they manage to get the Shadow Garden's attention before Rex and his men immediately went out to search for the artifact, unknowingly that Rex is already killed. When the magic blocking field around the Academy suddenly disables and the students start fighting back. As the fight starts, the Shadow Garden organizations arrives and engages the Cult forces.

Lutheran decides to flee the auditorium as he leaving his minions to their death, but activates a system that causes the auditorium and the rest of the school to burst into flames and sneaks into his room to burns some books to cover his track. He decides to leave, but unknowingly Cid appear at the room and tells him that he already knows who he is, which surprised Lutheran and praises Cid for his perception as he took off his disguise. Cid asks why he decided to abide by the academy and Lutheran replies that he did everything to reach the top he once was, confessing to Cid by describes in detail on all his misdeeds, as well as the murder of Sherry's mother and the manipulation of Sherry. Cid He tells him that despite all this, he didn't know how to answer him after hearing everything, but he tells him that even if it's a little bit, it bothers Cid, which causes Lutheran to strike him down with his sword.

When he decides to leave after killed Cid, Shadow appears before him. Lutheran knows that he is at disadvantage against Shadow because his experience with strong fighters and using the Eye of Avarice to its full potential, acquires an immense magical power and his disease has been cured. Lutheran then starts attacking Shadow, but seeing that even with all the magical power he has, he is not able to making a scratches on Shadow and still continues to attack him. Lutheran acknowledge Shadow's strength and explains to him that he will fail, because he already devised the plan so that the world will despises him and his organization, but Shadow tells him that doesn't matter to him, because they will continue on the same path they choose. Lutheran claims that Shadow isn't afraid of becoming the world enemy is an arrogance and prepares to kill him. But, Shadow then disarms Lutheran and proceeds stabbing his limbs. He then recalls how Lutheran stated he killed Sherry's mother and Shadow stabs him the same way he killed her and also discovers that Shadow identity is actually Cid before he dies.

Legacy
After his death, Lutheran succeeded in framing Shadow Garden by blamed them for his crimes of the attack on the academy and all over the kingdom, resulting in them being viewed as the "enemy of the world" and the Midgar Kingdom are already trying to hunting them down. Even worse, Lutheran died a martyr to his stepdaughter, Sherry now holds a grudge against Shadow for killing him, unaware that her supposed "adoptive father" was her mother's murderer.

Powers & Abilities
Being the former 12th Seat Round Knight, Lutheran was considered the strongest Cultist and also one of the Cult of Diablos executive leader before his demotion, but he still possessed an authority as a superior within the Cult. Lutheran even acknowledge that his current strength is not enough for him to fight against Shadow, so he discarded his little honor that he had left with the sword and intent to use the "Eye of Avarice" artifact, which was finally improved to recover all his strength and curing his illness, in order be able to duel against Shadow.

Physical Prowess
Lutheran current state has the strength at least of a "Second Children" of the Cult of Diablos. Having an experience with strong fighters, Lutheran knows that with his current state, he is at disadvantage against Shadow until he forcefully had to use an "Artifact" against Shadow.

Multitalented Warrior
As a Bushin Festival champion and used to be the Round Knight, Lutheran was highly skilled in both swordsmanship and magic that he has a standard-level expert in handling the sword, even after becoming ill, he did not neglect his practice, although it hurt a little to continue exercising it.

Despite his illness left him severely weakened, Lutheran is shown to have enough strength and ability to take on ordinary magical swordsmen and magical teachers. But, in a regulated way so that the disease does not do more damage.

Equipment

 * Sword
 * Red Pills (in the novel, he uses the pills to make himself more powerful before activating the artifact)
 * Eye of Avarice (By combining the artifact with the control unit, he was able to cure his disease and regain his powers in a way that was too great to last for a short time, though Shadow made no effort in the fight they had. In the end, Lutheran dies at the hands of Shadow while he realizes who his true identity)

Manipulator
TBA

Quick Flash
TBA


 * Fast Flash Empowered

Trivia

 * Though only realizing it in his final moments, he is the only Cult member to have discovered Shadow's true identity and also the first person that make Cid, who is only interested in himself feel "uncomfortable" on his action.
 * It is unknown exactly what seat he previously occupied, but it has been speculated that the position he occupied was the 12th Seat considering that position currently is still vacant until now.
 * After the death of Zenon Griffey who was the prime candidate for occupying the 12th seat, it is speculated that Lutheran took the opportunity to reclaim his "Seat" before another candidates emerged.
 * His first name was originally named as "Ruslan" in Japanese, but the official Yen Press translation renamed him as "Lutheran".
 * Lutheran shares a few characteristics with Darth Vader, being a menacing black knight with a cape as he using a deep voice and does not take failure well, suffering from an ailment that weakens him, and being the (step)father of the character.
 * Unlike Vader, though, Lutheran does not feel remorse for any of his misdeeds and holds no true love for his adoptive daughter.