Yaad

Overview

A supporting character in Delicious in Dungeon, Yaad Melini is the leader of the Golden Kingdom trapped within the dungeon and the grandson of King Delgal. A Tallman by race, he has endured for over a thousand years under a curse of immortality inflicted by the Lunatic Magician. After crossing paths with Laios Touden and his companions, he aids their cause and eventually serves as the Prime Minister of the newly established Kingdom of Melini.

Appearance

As a Tallman, he initially exhibits the appearance of a young boy standing approximately 150 centimeters tall. Following the destruction of his original physical form under falling debris during the dungeon's collapse, his spirit takes over the mature adult body left behind by his grandfather, King Delgal.

Personality

Despite his initial youthfulness, Yaad demonstrates immense wisdom, calm authority, and a deep sense of duty toward his people. Having led the remaining villagers as most adults faded away, he possesses a pragmatic attitude toward life and death, frequently remarking with lighthearted detachment on the uncertainty of his own continued existence. Nevertheless, he remains warm, responsible, and capable of forming genuine friendships across species.

Abilities

Under the influence of the Lunatic Magician's immortality curse, he can sustain his life indefinitely without eating, though this has severely degraded his sense of taste. His soul exhibits the capacity to be bound into an inanimate object like a doll or transferred into another vacant physical body. Furthermore, his thousand-year lifespan has afforded him vast statecraft experience, making him uniquely capable of diplomatic negotiations with envoys from elf and dwarf nations.

Background

Born after the Golden Kingdom was sealed beneath the earth, Yaad spent over a millennium inside the dungeon without ever experiencing the surface world. As adult residents faded into spirits in attempts to escape, he assumed leadership of the remaining populace. After aiding Laios's party, he was punished by Thistle, who trapped his soul inside a small doll. In this state, he was picked up by Izutsumi, with whom he formed a unique pact. When his original body was crushed during the labyrinth's destruction, his spirit moved into King Delgal's empty shell. Surviving the fall of the dungeon due to the broken barrier, he fulfilled his grandfather's desire by appointing Laios as king and becoming Prime Minister.

Relationships

He is the grandson of King Delgal, holding his ancestor's wishes in high regard. Upon crossing paths with Laios Touden's party, he offers them guidance, later installing Laios as the monarch of the newly established Melini Kingdom and supporting him as Prime Minister. While trapped inside a doll, he was found by Izutsumi, forging an unexpected alliance and friendship over a shared pledge to stop the evil wizard. His entire life history is intimately tied to the actions of the Lunatic Magician, Thistle.

Trivia

Living for over a millennium without needing food caused his sense of taste to atrophy almost completely, leaving him unable to enjoy flavors. The constant lingering threat of the immortality curse wearing off led to his habit of casually declaring that he might turn to dust the next day. Despite spending his entire life confined beneath the ground, the massive span of time he accumulated gave him diplomatic leverage unparalleled by anyone else in the new kingdom.