Milich Oppenheimer

Milich Oppenheimer (ミルイヒ・オッペンハイマー, Miruihi Oppenhaimā) is a supporting character in Suikoden who makes a cameo appearance in Genso Suikogaiden Vol.2. Milich is one of the Five Great Generals of the Scarlet Moon Empire, who is also known for being the series' original narcissist.

Appearance
Although Milich Oppenheimer owned a great deal of ostentatious outfits, the costume most associated with him consisted of a blue and white striped shirt with large puffy sleeves and a white vest. The garishness of the outfit could have easily been in bad taste, but his white jacket was said to keep it just within the realm of tastefulness.

His riding pants, which are puffed out at the bottom, have the same blue and white stripes as the shirts. The collar is open to the third button, and inside is a yellow scarf. His red hat, adorned with flowers, and yellow cloak complete the ensemble.

Always meticulous, he always had his outfits for the week planned ahead. His wardrobes in Gregminster were brimming with collections of outfits. He also owned a peppermint blue hat with feather trim.

He wielded a slender one-handed sword, thought to be a rapier, but no accurate records have survived to corroborate this.

Personality
"It is one of my duties to the nation that I, Milich, should always be as beautiful as a flower, as befits my title of Flower General. In order to maintain a beautiful appearance, it is essential to be particular about the way one dresses."

- Milich Oppenheimer

Whether he was in battle or in ceremony, there was never a time when Milich was seen without an elaborate outfit.

His title of "Flower General" originally stemmed from his ostentatious fashion and love of art and gardening. He felt it was his duty as the "Flower General" to live up to that ideal, much as Emperor Barbarosa projected the ideal of the Golden Emperor with his golden armor.

Although given to fastidiousness, he was not overly formal. When Mille Feuille gave birth on his new hat, Milich's reaction was one of delight for Mille Feuille and Ruth Demongeot, not despair over his hat. However, when he unknowingly attended an audience at Gregminster Palace covered in the hairs and fluids involved, he was so horrified when he realized that he fell ill for two days.

His two cats, Mille Feuille and Ruth Demongeot, are both rescue animals, taken into his home. Milich was also a passionate botanist. Besides the monstrous Antoinette, Milich also bred the beautiful White Amour rose and the striking Madame Borgia flower.

Milich's preferred breakfast consisted of a freshly baked croissant, half-boiled egg with truffle, salad with hot vegetables, Rikon-style, and royal milk tea. He wore a cone nightcap to bed and a clip over his beard. He could be slothful on occasion, especially when presented with inconveniences such as poor weather but was nevertheless a dutiful Great General of the Scarlet Moon Empire, often beginning his day before dawn.

During the Gate Rune War, he would spend much of his time with Vincent de Boule and Esmeralda, the atmosphere for their time together completely removed from the stresses of war.

History
"How do you do. I am the most renowned of the Five Great Imperial Generals, Milich Oppenheimer, the Flower General."

- Milich Oppenheimer

Milich is a talented swordsman who was one of the Five Great Generals of the Scarlet Moon Empire. Milich became well known for his creative tastes, redesigning Scarleticia Castle.

In the past, he had a faint love for Claudia, and even bred the White Amour for her grave on her passing. His true loyalty, however, was to Emperor Barbarosa who he had served since the War of Succession. Barbarosa once questioned Milich's attire but when Milich explained it was important for him to project himself as the Flower General much as Barbarosa did as the Golden Emperor, Barbarosa relented.

On one occasion, Milich rushed to a summons at Gregminster Palace just after his cat, Mille Feuille had given birth on his hat, leaving him in a quite an undignified state. Upon realizing his appearance upon his return, Milich fell ill for two days.

During the Sun Rune War, Milich would serve as the Scarlet Moon envoy for the marriage of Lymsleia Falenas and Gizel Godwin, traveling to Sol-Falena for the ceremony.

In the early stages of the Gate Rune War, Milich Oppenheimer was given command of the Kunan region. Windy also gave him a Conqueror Rune. Under the influence of the Conqueror Rune, Milich began to make many changes: changing the names of the towns in the area to ones he found more suitable, cracking down on remnants of the Toran Liberation Army, and creating biological weapons such as the highly poisonous rose, Antoinette.

Milich remained one step ahead of the Liberation Army as they attempted to gain control of Kunan, using Antoinette to rout the rebel forces during the First Battle at Scarleticia Castle, then kidnapping Liukan, the only man capable of creating an antidote.

When the leader of the Liberation Army sneaked into Soniere Prison to free Liukan, Milich unleashed a rare vial of the Spores of Agony, a man-eating spore, on his party; despite suffering casualties, the Toran Liberation Army rescued Liukan.

Without his poisonous flowers, Milich lost the Second Battle at Scarleticia Castle. Milich's Conqueror Rune melted, and he returned to normal, no longer remembering events when he was under the Conqueror Rune's influence. Though many members of the Toran Liberation Army wanted to kill Milich in order to avenge Gremio, McDohl believed that Milich was not at fault for Gremio's death.

Milich became a member of the Toran Liberation Army, in order to warn Emperor Barbarosa of Windy's evil intentions. He was determined to aid the emperor in this way, even if it meant breaking his oath to the empire and serving in a force that resented him. He harbored a deep anger against Windy for twisting Barbarosa's pure love for Claudia, whom he also held great affection for.

Later, he helped to convince his former colleague, Kasim Hazil, to join the Liberation Army by arguing it was Kasim's duty to help Emperor Barbarosa realize the errors of his ways.

Following the formation of the Toran Republic, Milich retired from the military and spent his days protecting the memorial of Barbarosa and Claudia, continuing to reside in Gregminster with his two cats, Mille Feuille and Ruth Demongeot.

The retired Milich devoted himself to his passions; botany and making cosmetics. He also continued to take tea with his like-minded friends; Nash would accidentally end up at one such gathering due to a Viki-related mishap. Such intrusions did little to upset the unflappable former-Flower General, with Milich even composing an impromptu poem for the occasion.

Milich also became a writer; his famous work, For Love of the Empire, became a best-seller and was adapted into a play, although the historical accuracy of this work, dealing with the Gate Rune War, is questionable in parts, it was nonetheless viewed as a valuable historical record of the period.

Music
Milich Oppenheimer's theme is "The Narcissists". He shares this song with both Vincent de Boule and Esmeralda. It first plays at Liukan's Hermitage when Milich arrives to take Liukan away and reprises when Milich appears in Soniere Prison to block the resulting escape attempt.

Following recruitment, the song will play whenever the player speaks to Milich at Toran Castle and will continue playing until the player either returns to the center of the castle or speaks with Kasios. It is song 28 on disc 1 of the official Genso Suikoden Original Game Soundtrack.

Trivia

 * When Milich changes the names of towns under his command, he renames Antei as Bier Blanche, Rikon as Premier L'Amour and Teien as Lac Viriginite. Milich's love of renaming thing to be more elegant extends to people, including his servants Pierre and Andre.
 * If Milich is brought to the bath with a party of all men (no women), he will bathe in the women's section instead of the men's.
 * In true tribute to his nickname, "the Flower General", all three of Milich's weapon names - Rose, Marguerite, and Orchid are that of flowers.
 * If you pay close attention to Milich's battle stance, you will see that he is left-handed. He stands with his right hand slightly behind his back, with his left hand and sword pointing forward.
 * The surname Oppenheimer merely means "one from Oppenheim". One of the most famous bearers of the Oppenheimer surname is J. Robert Oppenheimer, a physicist who helped to create the first atomic bomb.