Nikolaus

Nikolaus (ニコラウス, Nikorausu) is the son of Karstedt and his second wife Trudeliede.

At some point between his baptism and his ninth year of life, Nikolaus becomes interested in serving Rozemyne as a guard knight, but his mother forbids it, unwilling to let her son serve someone who grew up in the Temple.

In the course of the purge enacted in Ehrenfest in Nikolaus' ninth winter, his mother is imprisoned for the crimes she committed in support of Lady Veronica and consequently the side-building in the Karstedt estate in which she lived with her son is closed. As a consequence, Nikolaus currently lives in the castle and has no home to return to. Since he is the son of a second wife, he can't move to the main estate without the permission of both the first wife Lady Elvira and his mother or being adopted by Elvira and neither woman is likely to agree to either. Likewise as an already baptized, but not yet adult noble, he can not be taken to the Temple's orphanage like the unbaptized children without his mother's permission, which she is sure to refuse to give.

At the end of winter, Sylvester approves Rozemyne's suggestion to allow the baptized children of executed and imprisoned nobles to live in the Temple, should they choose to. With Trudeliede still in prison, Nikolaus is one of the four children in this situation.

When Rozemyne takes her younger brother Melchior on a tour of the Temple in preparation for his move there, she also takes the four children along, so they can have a better picture of the place, before making their decision. Before they are allowed into Rozemyne's Highbeast, they have to pass through a Shield of Schutzaria to make sure none of them hold any hostile intent toward her, as a security precaution, which all four pass. Despite this, her guard knights are still keeping a close eye on the children.

On account of being unable to even talk to Rozemyne before, Nikolaus became worried that his sister might hate him because of his mother. At the temple, he takes the opportunity to ask whether this is truly the case and is relieved to hear that Rozemyne does in fact consider him as her brother. Her lack of communication with him is solely due to her adoption into the archducal family and the responsibilities that come with it. She explains that, as an archduke candidate, she can not show favoritism and has to keep even communication with her full brothers far below the level she would wish for.

After touring the Temple, Nikolaus expresses a desire to live there, rather than in the castle. This surprises Cornelius, who points out that this will very likely upset his mother, to which Nikolaus replies that Trudeliede "bothers me as much as does any of you," indicating that his relationship to his mother is rather strained.

Shortly after Rozemye returns from her Spring Prayer tour, Nikolaus is officially has his Religious Ceremonies, officially joining the temple as an apprentice blue priest. He shows some eagerness to go to the forrest with the children in the orphanage, but unfortunately it is not allowed for blue priests to go with the orphans.