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.

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.

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. He takes Lutz on as a leherl (dapra) while acting as a guardian and co-signer for Myne.

After attending a pound cake tasting event hosted by Freida, Benno decides to open an Italian restaurant with Myne’s recipes. . Myne feels he is stretching himself thin by going into new business lines outside of his expertise.


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