The Ancient Magus’ Bride Season 2 Episode 18 Review

Hunting the Maiden

The Ancient Magus’ Bride Season 2 Episode 18 featured a big reveal. But, there are other things I want to go over before we get to that. And the first of those things is, “Why is someone hunting down Chise outside the college?”

At the start of the episode, we see an antlered, centaur-like creature arrive at the cottage. And riding on this creature’s back is a woman with long, black hair. The woman asks Silver if “the maiden” is around. And when Silver shakes her head, the woman and centaur-like creature turn into a bunch of crows.

Everything about this interaction seemed sinister. The woman’s wild hair made her seem like someone who can’t be reasoned with. And the centaur-like creature was wielding a long weapon. But, I don’t think this was actually as sinister as it at first seemed.

I’m pretty sure the woman was Titania, the Queen of the Fae. She has long, black hair (though, it’s usually straight). And, just like the woman we see here, she has pale violet eyes. Since she’s associated with the woodland fairies, that also explains the centaur-like creature.

Other than what she looks like, I don’t remember much about Titania. I don’t really remember how she views Chise. But, I do remember that Oberon, the King of the Fae, likes Chise. So, I’m going to assume Titania is also pretty friendly with her.

However, even if that’s the case, why did Titania show up at the cottage looking like that in search of Chise?

At this point, it doesn’t feel like we have enough information to answer that question. Can Titania sense that Chise’s in danger? Does she need Chise’s help with something? There’s nothing to go on based on this short interaction.

Curses and Hexes

I like learning about the different types of magic in this world. And in Episode 18, we got to learn about both curses and hexes. Curses are obviously relevant because of Chise’s arm. But, it’s unclear if hexes are immediately relevant to the plot.

In any event, what’s the difference between the two?

The main difference is that hexes are curses placed on people by humans. Though, when Alexandra says humans here, I think it includes similar species. For example, if a centaur placed a curse on someone, that would likely still be considered a hex.

I could be wrong about that. Alexandra may have only meant humans. But, either way, hexes tend to be less potent than curses because of their origins. However, that doesn’t mean they’re less dangerous, per se. Hexes can still lead to death.

Something I found interesting about hexes was when Alexandra mentioned the weakest kind. The weakest hex you can cast on someone is simply telling them they’ve been hexed. Once you do that, they may start associating bad things that happen to them with this “hex.” And if they do that, a real hex can develop.

Now, curses come from stronger magical sources than humans. You know, like how Chise’s curse comes from a thousand-year-old dragon. Additionally, curses are “alive” in a sense, in that they’ll spread if not managed. You can think of them like a virus. Hexes, by comparison, are more static.

Alexandra also mentions how hexes can backfire on their casters. If you hex someone and they break it, there’s a chance the hex will come back at you. This doesn’t appear to apply to curses. And, even if it did, that wouldn’t help Chise. The dragon that cursed her is dead.

Philomela and the Testament of Carnamagos

Alright. So, the big reveal of the episode is that Philomela is the one in possession of the Testament of Carnamagos. She was always the obvious suspect. But, that’s why I suspected other people instead. I thought Philomela was too obvious.

With that said, I still don’t believe Philomela sought out the Testament on her own. Instead, I’m convinced that it was the Testament that drew her to itself. It used Philomela to suck the mana out of other students. And it planned to use her to escape from within the college.

Is Lizbeth Sargeant also involved? I don’t know. I still think she might be. But, at the same time, it’s unclear how she would have planned this. And, she didn’t even want Philomela to attend the college in the first place. But, it’s still possible that this is all part of her master plan.

There are two interesting things I want to point out, though. The first is that Alcyone referred to Philomela as being “corrupted” by the Testament. Does that mean she was cursed by it? Or, is being corrupted by it something else?

My immediate thought is that “corrupted” and “cursed” are interchangeable in this instance. I believe Philomela has been cursed by the Testament. And one piece of evidence I’m using to back that belief up is how her appearance changed. Philomela’s skin turned all black, much like Chise’s arm. If Chise’s curse keeps spreading, this could be her eventual fate.

The other interesting thing is that Philomela was storing the Testament within Alcyone. Was Alcyone aware of this fact? I feel like she would have said something to Elias if she was. But also, how could nobody sense the Testament when Alcyone was nearby?

Final Thoughts

What do you think of The Ancient Magus’ Bride Season 2 Episode 18? Do you recognize the woman from the start of the episode as Titania? Do you expect curses backfiring to be relevant in the near future? Let me know in the comments. Perhaps Lizbeth hexed Philomela and it’s going to backfire on her.

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My review of Episode 19 is available now.