Benno (Anime)

Benno (ベンノ Benno) is a merchant who takes young Myne and Lutz under his wing, both to help them become merchants themselves and to profit from Myne's inventions as much as he can. Myne considers him the Gutenberg of plant paper.

His youngest sister Corinna is Otto's wife. He has a second younger sister (older than Corinna), who is married and lives in another city.

Benno has chin-length hair the color of milk tea and dark red eyes. He is of average height.

When working in the Lower City, he wears merchant clothing consisting of a long-sleeved undershirt, vest, and necktie, as well as trousers and boots. He sometimes wears a patterned overcoat. When meeting with nobles, Benno dresses in a formal tunic and a white cloak. He also secures his necktie with a gold fastener and slicks back his hair.

After his father was killed by bandits, Benno took over the operation of the Gilberta Company, abandoning his dream in order to protect his family’s store. At the time, his mother was bedridden with grief and Benno had recently reached adulthood. With the future of the company in doubt, the majority of lehange (darua) chose not to renew their contracts. Among those that remained, Mark assisted Benno in rebuilding the store, becoming his trusted right-hand man.

Around that time, Benno came into conflict with Gustav. Gustav proposed marriage to Benno’s mother shortly after she became a widow. He also attempted to arrange a marriage between his daughter and Benno shortly after the death of Benno’s lover Liz, and later suggested a marriage between his sons and Benno's two younger sisters, causing one of the sisters to flee to another city. Benno interpreted his offers as insensitive, thinly veiled attempts to take over the company and developed a lasting dislike for Gustav.

Because ownership of the Gilberta Company is traditionally is passed down to women, Benno intends for Corinna and her husband Otto to take over in the future.

Benno seems cold and menacing at first glance. However, he shows concern for his family and friends. Concerned about Myne's health, he paid her three small gold coins for information on rinsham, which was enough to buy a magic tool used to ease the symptoms of the Devouring.

Benno accompanies his brother-in-law Otto when he goes to meet with Myne and Lutz. His interest is immediately caught by Myne's hairpin and glossy hair. While she lets him examine the hairpin, she tells him the recipe for her shampoo is confidential, much to his disappointment.

After Otto discourages Lutz from becoming a traveling trader, Benno asks the two children what their plans are for the future. Lutz initially hesitates, but then says his goal is to make Myne's ideas a reality. For her part, Myne explains that if she can't become a librarian, her back-up plan is to make and sell plant paper as an apprentice merchant. She tells Benno that she can have a prototype ready before their baptism next summer.

Benno agrees to take them on as apprentice merchants if they succeed, dismaying Otto who wants to keep Myne as his assistant. He comments that Myne is quite strange, speaking and acting in a manner totally unlike an unbaptized commoner child. Otto informs him that the rest of her family is normal — Myne is the only strange one.

A moment later, Myne rushes back to ask a follow-up question: She wants to know whether either of them know of any illness characterized by sudden fevers. They both say they don't know, but after she leaves, Benno tells Otto that it sounds like the Devouring.

A few days later, Benno gives Otto a meeting invitation and asks him to deliver it to Lutz and Myne.

Benno meets Myne and Lutz for lunch at the Gilberta Company, where he scolds them for going behind his back to secure production materials. He explains that it's important for him to fund their research and development, since the Gilberta Company will sell the paper after their baptism.

Myne negotiates a contract that trades the recipe for her shampoo in exchange for the funds to procede with paper prototyping. However, she reserves exclusive production rights of plant paper for her, and exclusive sales rights of the paper for Lutz. Her intention is to ensure their job security after baptism, and Benno praises her for looking out for her own interests. However, once they sign the terms with a magic contract, Benno lets her know that she let her shampoo recipe go for too little.

Later, Myne collapses on her way to visit the lumber workers with Mark. He takes her back to the Gilberta Company, where Benno is extremely worried about her. He orders her to go straight home and recover, and forbids her from returning to the store without bringing Lutz to keep an eye on her. In private, he says that he is now certain that she has the Devouring, a disease afflicting commoner children who are born with mana. Unless she treats her illness with expensive magic items, she will soon die.

The next time Lutz and Myne come to the Gilberta Company, Benno orders Lutz to look after Myne's health as his number one priority. He also gives them a workshop at the south gate of the city.

When Lutz and Myne bring him their prototypes of plant paper, Benno is thoroughly satisfied their work. He especially likes the trombe paper, but is alarmed when Myne explains the production method. With his seal of approval, both Myne and Lutz pass their test and win the right to join the Gilberta Company as apprentice merchants.

Benno is relieved to hear that Myne's negotiations to join the cathedral went well. When Myne tells him that someone is gathering information about her in the lower city, he guesses that it's the same person who broke into the Merchant's Guild a few days before. He also begins working to suppress information about Myne's background and businesses.

After attending a pound cake tasting event hosted by Freida, Benno decides to train his own chefs to make Myne's recipes and keep up with his business competitors. Myne feels he is stretching himself thin by going into new business lines outside of his expertise, but eagerly begins thinking of Italian-style cuisine she could teach him.


 * His Japanese voice actor, Takehito Koyasu, voices Dio Brando from Jojo's Bizarre Adventure.
 * Benno's dream was to become a world-influential merchant.