Ascendance of a Bookworm Episode 33

Ascendance of a Bookworm Episode 33

Devouring Dirk

At the start of Ascendance of a Bookworm Season 3 Episode 33, we learned that Dirk doesn’t have chickenpox. Chickenpox don’t appear and disappear as the spots on Dirk’s skin did. So, what’s wrong with Dirk? What sort of illness does he have?

Once chickenpox was disproven, my next thought was that Dirk had a goat milk allergy. After Myne mentioned the milk, I was thinking that the spots on his skin were hives. That could have been an interesting development considering Dirk has no other food. There’s nobody to breastfeed him, right?

Wrong. As I mentioned in my Episode 32 review, Myne’s mother also recently gave birth. She could feed both Dirk and Kamil. And so, I was expecting that to be the direction the series went in. But, that wasn’t the case. It turns out that Dirk doesn’t have a goat milk allergy.

Myne watching over Dirk as he sleeps from the anime series Ascendance of a Bookworm Season 3 Episode 33
Myne watching over Dirk as he sleeps

So, again, what’s wrong with Dirk? As Myne discovers, the problem is that he suffers from the Devouring. This means that unless he obtains a way to release his pent-up mana, Dirk will die young. But, the Devouring isn’t as much of a death sentence now as it was at the start of the series.

We now know that there are many ways to release mana. Using magic is one way, but that doesn’t appear to be viable. Even Myne can’t use magic at this stage. So there’s no way a baby like Dirk would be able to.

Another option is to pour mana into magic objects. That’s what Myne currently does for the church. And this is the way most people with the Devouring would survive. But, we also know that Tau fruit absorb mana. Tau fruit may be a viable option until Dirk gets older.

Fixing Agents

It’s time to revisit colors in the world of Ascendance of a Bookworm. Last time, we learned that creating colored ink wasn’t as simple as it appeared. The materials weren’t resulting in the expected colors. Even though Myne has knowledge of colors from her past life, it didn’t help.

Now, it’s time to test these colors on paper. The first thing Myne and her creative team learned is that the type of paper matters. Different kinds of paper produce more vibrant or muted colors. And when the ink dries, regardless of what kind of paper it’s on, it gets darker.

When mixing colored ink on paper, the result always ends up black when the ink dries. I’m guessing this doesn’t have to do with the weird nature of colors in this world. Instead, that seems more like the result of the mixed ink darkening when it dries.

Mixing ink on paper from the anime series Ascendance of a Bookworm Season 3 Episode 33
Mixing ink on paper

So, what’s the solution? Myne learns from her mother that there’s a liquid called a fixing agent. When combined with a color, a fixing agent will stop that color from changing. Myne’s mother mentions that dye shops use fixing agents to keep the color of garments.

Myne also learns from Wilma that Rosina uses fixing agents for her painting. And, this was a pretty interesting statement to me. I forgot that Myne had an artist as an attendant. So, why didn’t Myne consult Rosina when she was attempting to create colored inks? That seems like the obvious play.

Of course, Rosina doesn’t create her own paint. Specialty shops produce paint and keep their methods a secret. But, Rosina should still have an understanding of how colors mix together. Myne might ask Rosina about fixing agents in next week’s episode. Or, she might forget Rosina exists again.

Adoption by a Noble

Let’s move back over to discussing Dirk. I already covered a few ways for Myne to keep his mana in check. But, the option Ferdinand suggests is for a Noble to adopt Dirk. And at face value, this doesn’t seem like such a bad idea.

The plan is for Lord Karstedt to adopt Myne soon. So, what would be so bad about a Noble adopting Dirk? The big issue with adoption for Myne is that she already has a family. That’s not an issue for Dirk since he’s an orphan. Having a family would be good, right?

Unfortunately, Karstedt’s adoption of Myne wouldn’t be the norm. In most cases of adoption by Noble, the adopted child isn’t made a member of the family. Instead, they’re adopted only so that the Noble can make use of their mana. And that tends to look a lot like slavery.

Delia holding Dirk from the anime series Ascendance of a Bookworm Season 3 Episode 33
Delia holding Dirk

The bright side is that the adopted child would be able to survive. Since they’d be giving their mana to a Noble, the Devouring wouldn’t pose a threat. But, surviving isn’t the same as living. Myne knows all this, which is why she’s opposed to adoption for Dirk.

With that said, is adoption actually the worse option? If it’s between that and death, adoption may be better. That’s up to the individual, though. Some people may rather die than serve a Noble in that capacity. And considering we’re talking about babies and children, I’d suspect there’s a lot of abuse.

Toward the end of their conversation, Ferdinand points out that Myne could be the one to adopt Dirk. After Karstedt adopts Myne, she’ll be a Noble. And as a Noble, she’ll be able to form a contract with Dirk to siphon off his mana. That seems pretty good to me.

Conclusion

What do you think of Ascendance of a Bookworm Season 3 Episode 33? Did you suspect that Dirk had the Devouring? Do you think the use of a fixing agent is going to solve Myne’s color problems? And, do you expect Myne to adopt Dirk? Let me know in the comments.

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My review of Episode 34 is available now.

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