Roderick

Roderick (ローデリヒ, Rooderihi) is a mednoble apprentice scholar of Ehrenfest. His parents belong to the former Veronica faction.

After meeting Rozemyne in the winter playroom, Roderick begins to write and gather stories for her.

Roderick has an earnest, slightly naive personality. Although he tricked Wilfried into entering the Ivory Tower, he did it out of obedience to his parents, who told him it would help Ehrenfest. He is surprised and dismayed when he hears about the former Veronica faction's involvement in Rozemyne’s poisoning.

Roderick first encounters Rozemyne in the winter playroom with the other noble children. He is a friend of Wilfried’s and participates in karuta with the other boys.

Later, he helps to trick Wilfried into entering the Ivory Tower, which is considered a crime against the duchy. That betrayal, combined with Charlotte’s kidnapping and Rozemyne’s poisoning, causes Wilfried to ostracize all the Veronica children and treat them coldly while Rozemyne recovers in her jureve.

Roderick spends the next two years gathering new stories with Philine, as Rozemyne requested.

Like all other students who enrolled together with Rozemyne, Roderick manages to pass all the written exams of his first year at the Royal Academy on the first attempt, though he just barely scrapped by in geography. When the professor suggested he retake the exam at a later date after attending the course he delcines and instead accepts the barely passing grade so he can participate the registration for the library three days later.

Since Roderick likes stories and has submitted several to Rozemyne, she is thinking about taking him on as a retainer, but due to his parents belonging to the former Veronica faction, she can't do it right now.

Spoiler for Part 4 Volume 5 Despite Rozemyne's expectations that the close cooperation between the children of the Veronica faction would end the moment they were back home and under the influence of their parents, several of them are greatly impressed and inspired by Rozemyne's calls for duchy unity. When they learn that members of their faction are planning to ambush the grey priests on route for the marriage ceremony at the border gate to Ahrensbach, they gather around Roderick who sends a letter to the Florencia faction, warning them.

The conspiritors that warned Rozemyne and the archducal family of the ambush are rewarded for their actions, but Aub Ehrenfest is only willing to allow them to learn Rozemyne's mana compression if they name-swear themselves to the archducal family. Roderick is willing swear himself to Rozemyne at the earliest opportunity, but is cautioned against making such an immense decision on a whim and advised to think matters through very carefully before making a decision by both Matthias and Lady Rozemyne herself.