Secrets of the Silent Witch

Episode 13

This final episode of Secrets of the Silent Witch feels like two stories in one. The first is Monica's aerial battle against the magical artifact. What I love about this fight is two-fold. To start, we have an example of how Monica's second school life is helping her become a better Silent Witch—by learning how to ride a horse, she now knows how to balance while riding a flying broom. Then we get a great fake-out where it looks like Monica is going to calculate the trajectory of hundreds—if not thousands—of magic arrows surrounding her to dodge them. And then she simply shuts off her flight magic, making all the spells suddenly come from the same, easily blockable direction as she falls. It's a great “work smarter, not harder” kind of joke.

The back half of the episode, on the other hand, is a more personal story. Last week, Felix learned that his noble charm—based on the rules and expectations of high society—doesn't really work on Monica. To connect with her, you don't buy her a pretty bauble; you engage her interests. And so Felix takes a gamble and shares one of his personal, hidden passions by taking her to a rare book store and revealing his admiration for the Silent Witch. While Monica, of course, does not share that exact passion, a bookstore is a great place to take her. And it's there that she finds an unexpected treasure: a remaining copy of her father's work.

This is the same book she tried to memorize as its pages burned—that she spent days reciting, huddled in her abusive uncle's house. Yet, she always knew that much of it was lost, that she only had a fragment of her father's life's work. But with this book, it's as if her father's soul has been returned to her. She may not be able to communicate with him in the real world, but through the book, she can commune with his ideas and mathematical formulas—likely with much greater understanding than she had at the time of his death.

Felix buying this book for her means more to her than basically any other possible gift. But what's interesting is that it's not quite enough for Felix. He bought that book for her. And for himself, he buys a jewel for her to wear. Now, whether it's a magical jewel, a way of marking her as a friend to those in the know, or simply a gift more akin to his normal way of giving, we can't tell. However, after getting the book, Monica is more than happy to wear it.

And then this season of Secrets of the Silent Witch ends on a bittersweet note—despite the festival being saved, her night out with Felix, and her finding a copy of her father's research. In the closing moments of the episode, she declares that, for now, she is Monica Norton—not Monica Everett, the Silent Witch. While the swelling music and happy montage make this seem like a good thing for Monica, it is actually the opposite. It reveals two self-destructive facets of Monica's current thought process.

The first is the implication that she believes that the personality she has as Monica Norton is not the same personality she has as Monica Everett—that all the changes and growth she has made while acting as Monica Norton are tied to that identity. This would mean that when she either finishes her mission or is found out, she would revert to the young woman living alone on a mountainside.

The second is the idea that Monica believes those with whom she has formed friendships would not accept her as Monica Everett—that they would not treat her as they do now. But honestly, none of her friends seems that immature. Lana would be the most surprised (as her closest friend), but would ultimately forgive Monica—and the rest of the cast are all either high nobles or their supporters. Monica revealing that she is the legendary Silent Witch would mean they are on near equal footing socially—that, instead of facing the difficulty of trying to remain friends with a bastard after leaving school and entering high society, they would be able to interact normally. After all, being a classmate and lifelong friend of the Silent Witch has got to be one hell of a piece to play politically if nothing else.

Of course, with her trauma still hanging over her, Monica can't see any of this. And that is why, despite all the positive steps she has taken this season, Monica still has a very long way to go.

Secrets of the Silent Witch is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

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