Belkar's Character Development?

[RatElemental]

I'm of the opinion that the reason Rich had Belkar get a protection from evil item is to prove whether or not he's evil every time he uses it.

Whether or not we'll ever see it not burning him, I can't say, though I still hold hope that it will happen. It will likely be while in the process of making a heroic sacrifice, or directly after doing so, if it ever comes to pass.

Or it could still burn him, even as he does make such a sacrifice, just to drive home the point of how hard it is to come back from the type of evil Belkar has engaged in.