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The Ancient Magus’ Bride season 2 episode 4 was released on Thursday, April 27. While the episode primarily focused on Chise and Elias outside the context of the College, fans do return to the shady learning institution in the series’ final moments.
The Ancient Magus’ Bride season 2 episode 4 seems to serve as the start of the season’s darker, overarching plot, given the sudden tonal shift in the final moments. While this is still speculative, fans are waiting with bated breath to see what happens in next week’s episode.
The Ancient Magus’ Bride season 2 episode 4 highlights Elias’ past and the significance of his proposal to Chise
Meeting an ex…?
The Ancient Magus’ Bride season 2 episode 4 begins with the previous episode’s final scenes. Afterward, fans see Ruth beginning to warn Chise about the fact that they're suddenly by the sea. She then recognizes Rahab’s house nearby before asking where Stella is. Rahab then calls out to Chise, glad to see her here and sharing that it’s been so long since she summoned anyone that she thought she did it wrong.
The former introduces herself as “mage, sorcerer, demon of the sea” while telling Chise not to worry about Stella, who is completely safe. She then looks at Chise’s necktie, calling it one that she gave Elias and sharing that she sensed someone else wearing it. She says she’s happy to see him doing well and commented on how he’s changed quite a lot.
The Ancient Magus’ Bride season 2 episode 4 sees Chise ask if she’s Lindel’s master, which she confirms while commenting on how happy she is that they’ve met. She asks Chise how he’s doing before inquiring who she might be relative to Elias.
The episode then plays its opening sequence, shifting its focus back to Elias upon returning. Elias is seen washing the rest of the pumpkins in the same spot Chise was previously. Angelica Varley then arrives, asking Elias where Chise is after saying she “brought something to celebrate.” Elias says she’s with Stella and asked if he should call Chise back. However, Angelica says this is fine.
The Ancient Magus’ Bride season 2 episode 4 sees her ask Elias if the necktie he has is what she gave him for Christmas, which he confirms. He explains that Chise has his right now, while Angelica muses on how Elias begged him for it “way back when.” Elias comments on how he was wrong about his thoughts on ambivalently letting it go, prompting Angelica to ask why he gave it to Chise.
The episode then returns to Chise and Rahab, where the former explains that she’s Elias’ apprentice. Rahab says they seem a lot closer than that, which causes her to blush, prompting Ruth to explain that she’s his bride and is teaching him about being human. Rahab asks if that was his idea, seemingly disappointed upon learning it was.
The Ancient Magus’ Bride season 2 episode 4 then sees Rahab invite Chise and Ruth inside, while explaining that she doesn’t need to worry about time in this place. Rahab is seemingly smitten with the idea of Chise teaching Elias to be human, asking Chise for her name afterwards. The two then head inside, where Rahab prepares coffee for them.
Chise looks around the house as Rahab makes the coffee, eventually sitting by the open window. She takes in the sights and smells around her while Ruth attentively watches Rahab make the coffee. Chise says it’s odd that this is their first meeting, beginning to explain a feeling she has but not finishing it.
The Ancient Magus’ Bride season 2 episode 4 sees Rahab serve the coffee and sit at the table, telling Chise to pretend she’s visiting her grandmother back home. Chise responds by saying she resembles Lindel and Elias, causing Rahab to laugh. She comments on how its true that you become like the company you keep, calling Elias and Lindel much younger and shorter when they first came to her.
She reveals that Elias lived there for “a while,” prompting Chise to respond that she thought he’d been traveling since right after parting ways with Lindel. Rahab calls this place “disconnected from everywhere and everywhen,” but still being joined with every place. She says she’s sure they would’ve met again, as a flashback showing when the two first reunited begins.
The Ancient Magus’ Bride season 2 episode 4 then sees Rahab comment on how he seemed completely worn down upon arrival. He asked her to teach him, saying there’s so much he doesn’t know. He says that there are too many humans who are all the same yet far too different, saying he doesn’t know who to imitate as a result.
He says he wants to follow her lead, explaining that if he copies her then he’s sure he’ll do well amongst humankind. She asks him if he likes humans, to which he says he doesn’t know, but something in his body tells him he wants to find out. Rahab explains that for “a few years, or maybe a few decades,” he lived with and imitated her.
The Ancient Magus’ Bride season 2 episode 4: A teacher and a friend
The Ancient Magus’ Bride season 2 episode 4 sees her recount all the ways in which Elias studied and imitated her, before adding that there were some things she couldn’t let him copy. Elias is then seen, in the past, asking Rahab how to smile or get angry, asking if one needs muscles to do it. She responds that if he enjoys an experience, then it counts as smiling.
Elias questions what enjoyment is, while Rahab silently watches. She then explains that one day, he left for good and she hasn’t seen him since. In the present, Rahab once again comments on how happy she is to hear that he’s doing well, while Chise comments on how alike the two are. Rahab laments not being able to teach him to smile, calling herself a failure as a teacher.
The Ancient Magus’ Bride season 2 episode 4 then sees her recount when she taught him about family. She explains that at the time, she taught him that a family is a collection of people that help one another. Back in the past, Elias is seen studying a family tree, with Rahab explaining relationships and how families are related.
Elias then asks about a bride and what that relationship entails, with Rahab explaining it as someone you want to be with, want to have by your side, and you think you should stay with. She then explains how it’s not just brides, likening the various terms for marriage companions to essentially being a partner.
The Ancient Magus’ Bride season 2 episode 4 sees Elias ask if this means someone to live with, asking Rahab if she’s his bride. She laughs and says certainly not, adding that he’ll have to find a bride just for himself one day. Back in the present, she dejectedly explains that she did the best she could as a straight-faced Chise and Ruth say they understand.
Chise then remembers when Elias first proposed, while Rahab apologizes for the disappointment she must be feeling. She explains that it’s her fault that Chise and Elias have such different perceptions of the term “bride” and apologizes. The episode then cuts back to Elias, who is discussing his thoughts following Chise’s fight with Joseph.
The Ancient Magus’ Bride season 2 episode 4 sees him explain his past thoughts, having questioned why she continued to act even if it brought her harm. Angelica says he’s worried, prompting Elias to say he doesn’t want her to get hurt. He even says that he used to be fine as long as she was just alive, but now even the slightest injury or illness upsets him greatly.
Elias recounts Ruth’s past words that nothing is important to Chise, elaborating that even if she herself values something, she doesn’t expect to be valued the same way herself. Likewise, when she’s hurt, she doesn’t consider that someone else might also be hurt just by seeing her that way, let alone the possibility of sharing her pain with others.
The Ancient Magus’ Bride season 2 episode 4 sees him comment on how she believes her pain is her own to suffer, as the episode flashes back to when Elias gave Chsie the necktie. He explains that he needs her to wear it since he can’t have it break. She counters that if it’s important to her, she shouldn’t be the one holding it.
However, Elias ignores her and spins her around before putting it on. He explains that she won’t get herself into trouble while wearing it. He adds that since she doesn’t know how to act without putting herself on the line, he wants her to act in a way which won’t allow the necktie to break. She calls it scary when put that way, causing an angry Elias to counter that it’s supposed to be so she doesn’t get a hole in her stomach again.
The Ancient Magus’ Bride season 2 episode 4 sees Chise agree, while the flashback ends with Elias commenting on how he can’t have her break. He explains to Angelica that it frightens him when she doesn’t take care of herself, causing Angelica to laugh and smirk. Elias asks what she’s smirking about, but she doesn’t answer.
The episode then returns to Chise and Rahab, where the former explains that she’s not really functioning as a bride, so she’s not particularly disappointed. She adds that regardless of words, it doesn’t change the fact that she’s at his side. She brings up how Rahab said she couldn’t teach him to smile, but that Elias is definitely smiling, even if he himself doesn’t know it.
The Ancient Magus’ Bride season 2 episode 4: Growth highlighted
The Ancient Magus’ Bride season 2 episode 4 sees Chise add that he even gets angry, which Ruth says is due to Chise making him mad. She continues saying that Elias even gets frustrated and jealous too, speculating that he even seems giddy as of late. Rahab is seemingly amazed by this, laughing and calling it fortunate that he met her after the shock wore off.
Chise says she’s not sure how to explain it, but he’s not interested in food or his own home. However, he has a home he lives in and maintains, as well as a yard and farm he attends. She adds that he’s a proper mage, and says that she’s sure it’s all because he imitated Rahab, adding that this is the Elias who saved her, which means it’s thanks to Rahab too.
The Ancient Magus’ Bride season 2 episode 4 sees Rahab remember a conversation she once had with a very young Elias. She explains to him that the gods and fairies are always with him, and that even if no one pays him any heed and he’s sad, distraught, and lonely, they’ll always be watching him. She then gives him the necktie and tells him to have confidence and always work on himself as the flashback ends.
At present, Chise thanks Rahab for helping both her and Elias. She responds by saying the former shouldn’t scare an old lady like that, adding that she’s glad to see Chise is Elias’ partner. Chise then prepares to depart, promising to return while Rahab asks not to tell him that they met. She explains that even if it was out of concern, he was technically surveilling him.
The Ancient Magus’ Bride season 2 episode 4 sees Rahab add that, as a mage in training, Chise should learn how to handle secrets, facts, and truths. Chise brings up how she was taught that mages are supposed to make efforts not to lie, prompting Rahab to say she should conceal the truth without telling lies.
Rahab explains that it’s an important part of keeping advantage in a negotiation with “neighbors,” likely meaning the world’s various magic creatures. Rahab then gives Chise a final piece of advice as she departs, essentially saying that even if she’s perplexed by what she can and can’t see and has trouble choosing what to do, trust that her body will know what must be done.
The Ancient Magus’ Bride season 2 episode 4: The world’s darker side reappears
The Ancient Magus’ Bride season 2 episode 4 then sees Chise and Ruth transported back to Elias’ house, where they reunite with Stella. Chise smells Stella for some unknown reason, before looking up and seeing Elias and Angelica approaching. She runs to meet them as the episode shifts perspectives back to the College, showcasing various locations before honing in on Philomela Sargant.
Philomela is analyzing the medicine Chise gave her, saying that as far as she can tell it’s simply tea imbued with magic power. The episode immediately bounces back to Chise and Elias’ house, where they seem to be getting ready for another day at the College. Chise suggests that he be in a bit more of a hurry, but Elias reminds her of his intent to take a “back passage.”
The Ancient Magus’ Bride season 2 episode 4 then sees their doorbell ring, with Elias saying their guide has arrived. The two are then shown being guided by a centaur, who explains that back passages are all over the place and can truly be anywhere or anything. The trio then come upon a phone booth in the middle of the forest, seemingly the back passage they’ll use.
The guide says he doesn’t use back passages too often himself, as he and Elias both answer Chise’s question of why by calling them unsafe. The trio then enters, with the guide warning them not to let go of his hand. Elias explains that the back passages are channels “through this realm,” while the guide explains that this passage in particular is “a bit special.”
The Ancient Magus’ Bride season 2 episode 4 sees Elias explain that the back passages twist time and coordinates, allowing them to travel long distances in a short time. Chise asks if they could commute to the College through here, which Elias confirms. She asks if other mages travel through here often, to which the centaur says he wouldn’t recommend.
As he explains that he has a contract with “them” but it’s still unpredictable, several wolf-like creatures are seen walking the back passages. The group is then surrounded by these beasts, who’ve caught their scent. The guide calls them the “hound dogs,” beginning negotiations with them by explaining what Chise and Elias want to use the passage for.
The Ancient Magus’ Bride season 2 episode 4 sees the hound dogs seemingly agree as long as they stay in this region and go nowhere else. The guide then throws them a bag of raw steaks, while Elias asks what happens if they do go somewhere else. As Chise stares at one of them, it seemingly speaks, telling them that they’ll chase them forever if they go elsewhere.
It’s revealed that Chise is actually saying the words out loud as she hears them in her mind, while the hound dogs offer them a crystalline part of their bodies to swallow. The group reluctantly does so, with the guide happily saying that’s the worst of it while adding that they should get out of here.
The Ancient Magus’ Bride season 2 episode 4 sees him suggest using the same entrance and exit as much as they can, adding that he has no true idea of how much they’ll tolerate. The group is then shown arriving at the College’s cover building, with Chise and Elias eventually making their way down into the College.
Chise muses on the various words and talk of marriage she’s heard throughout the episode, asking Elias why he said he intended to make Chise his bride when they first met. Fans unfortunately don’t see his answer to this question, instead being taken to a meeting between Alexandra Heath and Zoe Ivy.
The Ancient Magus’ Bride season 2 episode 4 sees Alexandra ask if anything has been making him more anxious lately, prompting him to bring up Chise. As this happens, Philomela is seen reaching for the door to the room they’re in, but pauses after hearing him bring up Chise.
Viewers are then shown a dream of Lucy’s, seemingly showcasing a younger her in a paper-making room. She shoots awake in her bed shortly thereafter, calling the dream, or possibly the past life experience she was dreaming of, “awful” as the episode comes to an end.
The Ancient Magus’ Bride season 2 episode 4: In summation
The Ancient Magus’ Bride season 2 episode 4 is, overall, an exciting episode which provides some interesting and exciting details on Elias’ past. While fans weren’t sure to expect once Chise met up with Rahab, it ended up being an incredibly wholesome sequence which highlights how Elias and Chise are both student and teacher to each other.
The episode also gives some intense worldbuilding in the form of the “hound dogs,” who are terrifying both in character design and in their role in the story. While speculation nonetheless, it seems as though this season is finally starting to show viewers the darker side of the story it has to tell, especially given the episode’s closing moments.
Be sure to keep up with all The Ancient Magus’ Bride anime and manga news, as well as general anime, manga, film, and live-action news as 2023 progresses.
