Secrets of the Silent Witch

Episode 5

Despite her overwhelming power and brilliant mind, Monica's childhood tragedy molded her into someone unwilling to stand out. Terrified of saying the wrong thing, she wanted nothing more than to be overlooked, which is why it's so ironic that her attempt to do so ended up with her creating chantless magic and standing out far more than she otherwise would have. That said, her fame is something she runs away from. After all, despite becoming one of the seven strongest mages of the kingdom (likely the strongest), she elected to hide herself away in a remote cabin, only visited by a young local girl—i.e., the most non-threatening person possible.

However, the events of Monica's second school life have started to pull her out of this stagnation. Not only does she have two ride-or-die friends in La-na and Isabelle, but the student council has come to see her mathematical abilities for the wonder they truly are. In other words, she's found acceptance for the first time in her life and now is finally in a position to grow beyond the box she's made for herself.

In this episode's case, this means finding a club or two to join. Of course, she wants to avoid any magic clubs as 1) it's all too easy for her to be revealed as the Silent Witch and 2) she's already had negative experiences when it comes to being in a magic school. While this makes for some comedy, it's the two clubs she elects to join that are far more interesting: chess and horseback riding.

Chess is a club that makes total sense for Monica. As a mage with battlefield training and experience, she is well-accustomed to the myriad of variables and strategies in war. Distilling all that down into a game where all randomness is cast aside and all that remains is pure calculation—well, it's got to seem like the perfect game for someone in love with the beauty of numbers.

This also gives us a bit more insight into Elliot as a character. He believes that every person has their place in society and should not climb beyond it. As a noble, it is his role to rule responsibly and act fairly. However, when Monica begins beating him at chess, he finds himself in inner conflict. His pride refuses to allow a bastard child to beat a full-blooded noble like himself. However, to win, he needs to pull an underhanded trick (he never explained the castling rule to Monica, so her pieces aren't deployed in a way to counter it). Thus, he needs to break his values to protect his worldview—and he does so, much to his persistent guilt. Of course, to Monica, she sees it as her fault that she didn't know all the rules and feels no frustration at her loss.

The second club Monica joins, horseback riding, is one far outside her comfort zone. However, seeing the beauty of the world from horseback height, even for just a moment, expands her horizons. It's something she never would have experienced normally—something far outside the range of “what Monica Everett can do.” However, with a little encouragement, she can see that the box she has put herself in truly has no walls—and that she alone can decide what she is capable of. And that, simply put, is the most amazing thing that Monica has done in this series so far.

Rating:

Secrets of the Silent Witch is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

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