Secrets of the Silent Witch

Episode 8

As I mentioned two weeks back, it was rather obvious who the culprit of “The Mystery of the Missing Tea” was. The real mystery wasn't who did it (Casey), but why she did it. Even in this episode, her motives aren't directly stated, but there is enough information shared for us to fill in the blanks

Simply put, Casey is an assassin. Like Isabelle, Casey's fief is located in an area struggling with dragon attacks. However, unlike Isabelle, her people weren't saved by the legendary Silent Witch at the eleventh hour. Instead, they were approached by a neighboring nation that asked only one thing in return for secretly sending troops: the death of the second prince.

What's interesting about the political intrigue going on is how realistically complex (and tragic) it is. The Kingdom of Landor has not been harmed by Felix or the Kingdom of Ridill. However, the issue is what Landor fears will happen should Felix become king. It is well known that Felix's uncle, Duke Clockford, wants to go to war with the neighboring Empire—and that Landor sits right between the two powers. As Felix is seen as his uncle's puppet, Landor has decided to get rid of him proactively before a succession crisis even begins. Casey is happy to take on the task—she's more loyal to Landor than Ridill at this point for the aid they provided. 

So how does all this tie into her relationship with Monica? Basically, Monica looks to be an easy mark. She's timid, unassuming, and, most importantly, a member of the student council alongside Felix. Even if a relationship with Monica wouldn't get her close to Felix directly, Monica would be a fantastic source of information about Felix's comings and goings—and this turns out to be the case. The “Mystery of the Missing Tea” was just a bit of manipulation on Casey's part. She would put Monica in a social bind and rescue her—just like she did when the horses went wild (though whether that was staged as well or not remains to be seen).

Now this is not to say that Casey didn't like Monica—but you can absolutely like a person and use them. However, Monica was first and foremost a source of information and an alibi. Casey even had several layers to explain her actions if some part of her involvement was discovered—be that her being Monica's friend or her secret bully. 

However, Casey was so far into her own plans and head games, it never occurred to her that Monica could be more than she seemed. But here's the big difference between Casey and Monica. Casey is an assassin pretending to be an affable student with a sunny disposition—always playing up her backwater noble status to make her seem harmless and disconnected from politics in the capital. Every action is a manipulation. 

Monica, however, isn't pretending at all. While she is hiding that she can use magic—that she is the Silent Witch—she acts just like she would if everyone knew her identity. She's neither duplicitous nor manipulative. She's exactly what she appears to be—and, yet, so much more.

Rating:

Random Thoughts:

• It's telling that, even after watching Monica cast magic twice without chanting, Casey can't comprehend the idea that Monica is the Silent Witch until Monica literally announces who she is. To put it another way, it's not the glasses that keep people from figuring out that Clark Kent is Superman. It's the fact that no one can imagine that someone as powerful as Superman would choose to live as such a meek and mild-mannered man, much less that said personality isn't an act but his true persona.

• You can tell that Monica knows Casey is right—that she and her family will all be killed for her treason.

• Felix's lizard appears to be a familiar like Nero, which implies that Monica isn't the only one hiding magical prowess.

• I wonder if we'll get to meet The Witch of Thorns this season or if they're a character from later stories.

Secrets of the Silent Witch is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

---

Disclosure: Kadokawa World Entertainment (KWE), a wholly owned subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation, is the majority owner of Anime News Network, LLC. One or more of the companies mentioned in this article are part of the Kadokawa Group of Companies.