Lester is one of the partner characters of Sword of Mana.
Story
Lester was born to unknown parentage, and presumably raised by his older sister, Amanda. He is a minstrel who makes his living traveling from town to town, spreading his message of peace through song. His ultimate goal is to reach Granz Realm and sing praises of Lord Granz.
Lester is singing in Wendel when he first meets a boy and a girl traveling together, as well as a grey-haired man. He is praised for his songs, but when he speaks of his journey to Granz Realm, the gray-haired man advises against it, saying that it "could cost [him his] life". He then explains further, saying that Dark Lord, the current ruler of Granz Realm, dislikes Granz. Despite this danger, Lester still plans on singing at Granz Castle.
Shortly after this, Granz Realm airships appear over Wendel and commotion ensues at the cathedral, ending with Hero rendered unconscious and Heroine captured. Lester watches over Hero at the local inn until he regains consciousness. Lester leaves the inn to speak with Devius, the grey-haired man from before. After his recovery, Hero joins in their conversation. Lester decides to travel with Devius to the town of Jadd, a popular meeting place for minstrels. Along the way, Lester and Devius cross paths with Dark Lord, but nothing seems to come of it.
Unfortunately, upon reaching Devius Manor in Jadd, too late does Lester find that Devius led him into a trap: Devius gets his mother, Medusa, to turn Lester into a bird, and he is made to stay in Medusa's room, singing his song to keep her calm. Later, Amanda arrives looking for Lester, unaware of his new form. Shortly afterward, Hero arrives, having followed Amanda. Lester begins singing his song, and Hero realizes that the bird is Lester. Amanda attempts to free him by attacking the birdcage, but this distresses Medusa who attacks Amanda with magic, but she is pulled out of the way by Hero, leaving a nearby Rabite to take the hit, transforming into a bird. A pair of maids enter the room to calm Medusa down, but she knocks them unconscious and leaves the manor, heading for the Altar of Time, hidden in the Prickly Desert. Hero obtains the key to the birdcages from one of the maids and frees Lester, who makes to follow Medusa, with Hero and Amanda following him in turn.
Lester follows Medusa to the inner sanctum of the Altar of Time and is made to witness the battle when Medusa transforms under stress and attacks Hero and Amanda. After her defeat, Medusa regains control over her mind and, through Heroine's healing, is able to say her last words, including that her blood can be used to restore the birds to human form, but can't actually do so before dying. Devius and Dark Lord enter the scene at this point, and are horrified to find their mother dead. Devius gives Dark Lord the Mana Pendant and says that he will be waiting at his manor to take his revenge before leaving. Amanda was bitten by Medusa during the battle, which transforms her into a medusa. Amanda attacks Heroine, but Lester's song lets her regain control of herself. She begs Hero to kill her before she becomes a monster, and Hero reluctantly does so. Heroine heals Amanda, who is able to restore Lester with her blood and apologize to Hero for breaking their promise before dying. Lester calms a distraught Hero by saying that when he (Lester) was reunited with his sister, he (Hero) is all she would talk about.
Back in Jadd, Lester joins Hero/Heroine to confront Devius, who waits in a room atop the manor's clock tower. After defeating Devius, the party gather outside the manor to mourn the lives lost. Lester plays a song, using Granz's lute at Hero's request, which echoes throughout the land. The melody disspates the poisonous mist flowing through the Misama Glen. Lester joins Hero for the journey to Granz Castle, where they continue together until reaching Granz's room, when Hero and Heroine team up for the confrontation with Dark Lord.
Dark Lord is defeated, and, after finding that Julius is the true villain, the party meet up in the town of Ishe, home to Sarah, one of Bogard's old friends, whose home they use as a base. Here, Lester rejoins Hero on his journey to the Subsea Volcano to find the Sword of Mana, after which he remains in Ishe while Hero and Heroine head for Dime Tower and, from there, the Mana Sanctuary to stop Julius once and for all.
Combat
In battle, Lester comes equipped with a bow and Dryad magic. He joins in both Hero and Heroine's storylines, and does so twice in the former and once in the latter:
Hero
| Joins | Leaves |
|---|---|
| Jadd | Granz Castle |
| Ishe | Ishe |
Heroine
| Joins | Leaves |
|---|---|
| Jadd | Jadd |
Gallery
