The Ancient Magus’ Bride Episode 4

By: EyeSpyeAlex This week’s episode of The Ancient Magus’ Bride came just in time for National Cat Day! This episode didn’t leave me feline too good about Chise’s relationship with Elias. However, I’m trying to remain pawsitive about their situation. Okay, I’m done kitten around. Need to catch up? Check out my review of episode three here!Continuing their honeymoon, Chise and Elias head to the village of the Cat King. Located in the small countryside, the Cat kingdom is a haven for cats and their owners. The Cat King Molly, tells Chise that cats really do have nine lives. Furthermore, cats prefer the company of mages over sorcerers.A long time ago, when the first Cat King resigned over the land, a sorcerer killed many cats. The cats were finally able to retaliate, killing the man, and trapping his tainted soul on an island on the town’s lake. This spirit is currently trying to break free, and the cats asked the church to summon Elias for assistance.As the cats lead Chise and Elias to the lake, a mysterious woman swoops in and grabs Chise, then drops her in the lake. Underwater, Chise meets Mina, a deceased woman whose essence is trapped by her husband’s evil. The black ooze, the evil sorcerer, is Mina’s husband Matthew, who was driven mad by her death. Mina asks Chise to free their spirits, by killing them.Just at that moment, Elias rescues Chise from the water. Back on land, Elias tells Chise that he plans on having her perform the cleansing of the area. At nightfall, Chise prepares to begin the cleansing, but is interrupted by the mysterious woman and a sorcerer. The sorcerer, named Renfred, has plans to use Matthew’s spirit. Renfred accuses Elias of using Chise as a test subject, with her limited sleigh beggy lifespan creating a convenient expiration date to their partnership.This latest episode of The Ancient Magus’ Bride gave us a lot to think about, especially when focusing on the main theme: love. Molly admits on several occasions that she loves her human owner as if she was her own daughter. Molly feels pride over the woman her human is becoming, and admits she would do anything for her, even die, to protect her. This conversation causes Chise to reflect on her own mother’s suicide, but her thoughts are not made known. It does beg the question though: was Chise’s mother protecting her from something? If so, what could it possibly be?Chise’s relationship with Elias is also called into question. Renfred‘ accusation is a heavy one to make. While Elias did buy Chise, why would he put himself through so much effort if he was just waiting for her to die? Elias has treated Chise with kindness and respect. He never hesitates to rescue her from perilous situations. If he really viewed Chise as nothing more than a lab rat, I highly doubt he’d be this committed to her. Still, we won’t know until more episodes come out.The Ancient Magus’ Bride streams every Saturday on Crunchyroll and VRV platforms.