Where'd you get that?
Isn't that the same one Elias has?
I'm holding on to it for Elias.
Ruth?
The sea.
Sea...
This all seems familiar.
Huh?
Stella?
Where's Stella?
I don't sense her nearby.
Ah, you're here.
It's been a while since I've summoned anyone.
I wasn't sure I did it right.
So I'm glad you made it.
Who are...
Hello, young lady.
My name is Rahab.
Mage, sorcerer, demon of the sea...
Call me whatever you'd like.
Um, I had a friend with me.
Don't worry.
She'll merely be lost in the fog for a brief time.
It seems to be authentic.
I sensed someone else wearing the necktie I'd given him.
I had my doubts, but...
Glad to see he's doing well.
And he's changed quite a bit, too.
Are you Lindel-san's master, by chance?
Lindel?!
You've met Lindel, too?
Fantastic!
Is he doing well?
Uh, yes.
So, who might you be to Elias?
Hey.
I heard you've started your new life.
I figured you'd have a lot of expenses,
so I brought this to celebrate.
Thanks.
Where's Chise?
She's with Stella right now.
Shall I call her?
No, it's fine.
She needs her quality time.
I see.
I'm glad she's doing better.
Yeah.
She gave you that necktie for Christmas, didn't she?
Yeah.
Where's yours?
Chise has it right now.
I see, I see.
I remember begging you for it way back when.
I thought I wouldn't mind letting it go, but I couldn't do it.
So why'd you give it to Chise?
Um...
He's teaching me magic.
I'm his apprentice.
You seemed a lot closer than just that.
Ah, um... well...
Chise's teaching him about being human.
About being human?
His bride.
Bride?
Was that his idea?
Er, yes.
Oh, dear...
Um...
Would you like to come inside to talk some more?
I'll need to thank you for being his student and teacher.
I'd love to.
But...
You needn't worry about time.
That's the kind of place this is.
Still, to think you're teaching him about being human... my goodness.
May I ask your name?
I'm in the mood to call someone by their name.
Have a seat wherever you'd like.
Is coffee all right?
Yes.
Sea breeze, damp rocks, old wood, and the scent of fire.
I'm sorry, I don't have any milk.
I'm not that much of a dog.
All right.
It's odd...
I'm sure this is our first time meeting, and yet...
Here you are.
Thank you.
Make yourself at home.
Just pretend you're visiting your grandma way back home.
Okay?
You do resemble them.
Resemble whom?
Lindel-san and Elias.
I suppose it's true that you become like the company you keep.
Those two came here when they were only this tall.
Elias, too?
Yeah.
He lived here for a while.
I thought he'd been traveling right after he parted ways with Lindel-san.
This place is disconnected from everywhere and everywhen.
And yet, it's joined with every place.
I was sure we'd meet again...
He arrived...
with his shoulders slouched, as though he'd been completely worn down.
Elias.
I thought you were with Lindel.
Teach me, Rahab...
There's so much I don't know.
There are too many humans.
They're all the same, yet far too different.
I don't know what to do.
I don't know who to imitate.
Elias...
So I want to follow your lead.
I'm certain that if I copy you, I'll do well among the humans.
You like humans, don't you, Elias?
I don't know.
But something in my body is telling me that I want to know.
I think.
For a few years, or maybe a few decades, Elias lived here and imitated me.
The way I ate, the way I walked, the way I slept,
the way I read, the way I plowed the fields, the I interacted with things...
But there were some things I couldn't let him copy.
Rahab.
How do you smile or get angry?
Do you need muscles to do it?
You don't need flesh to move.
If you enjoy an experience, that counts as smiling.
Enjoyment...
What is enjoyment?
And one day, he left for good.
I haven't seen him since.
I'm glad he's doing well.
That's why Elias is so much like you.
I couldn't even teach him to smile, though.
I'm a failure as a teacher.
I don't remember when, but I taught him about family.
At the time, I taught him that a family is a collection of people that help one another.
Grandfather, grandmother.
Father, mother.
Child.
This relationship makes them cousins.
And this?
A bride.
A bride?
What does that relationship entail?
It's... someone you want to be with?
Someone you want to be with?
Someone you want by your side.
Someone you think you should stay with.
It's not just brides, either.
They may be a wife, a spouse, a husband...
They're a partner.
A partner.
Someone you want to be with.
Do you mean someone to live with?
That's very literal, but you could say that.
Are you my bride?
Most certainly not.
You'll have to find a bride just for you.
Got it?
Okay.
I mean...
I tried my best to explain, I swear.
I get it.
I greatly appreciate your effort.
Thank you.
I see...
So that's what that was about.
You must be disappointed.
His idea of a bride might be different from what you have in mind.
If that's the case, it's my fault.
When Chise was asleep with her injuries after fighting Joseph,
I couldn't stop wondering...
Why does Chise continue to act even when it brings her harm?
You're worried.
I don't want her to get hurt.
At first, I was content as long as she didn't die.
Now, even the slightest cut or the mildest illness upsets me.
Ruth said once that nothing is important to Chise.
That even if Chise herself values something,
she doesn't expect to be valued the same way herself.
So when she's hurt, she doesn't consider that someone else
might also be hurt just by seeing her that way.
Nor does she have any intent of sharing her pain.
She believes her pain is her own to suffer.
So...
Chise.
Could you wear this?
This is...
I can't have it break.
So I'd like you to hold on to it.
But if it's important to you, I shouldn't be the one holding onto it—
You won't go getting yourself into trouble if you're holding this.
Since you don't know how to act without putting yourself on the line,
I want you to act in a way that won't allow this to be broken.
It's scary when you put it that way.
Good, it was supposed to be.
I can't have you getting a hole in your stomach again.
I understand.
I'll hold on to it.
That's right.
I can't have her break.
It frightens me when she doesn't take care of herself.
What?
Well.
What? Why are you smirking?
Bride...
I'm not really functioning as one, so I'm not particularly disappointed.
I see.
Besides, whether I'm his bride or not,
it doesn't change the fact that I'm at his side.
You said you couldn't even teach him to smile.
But Elias is definitely smiling.
He might not know it himself, but he's smiling for sure.
At least, that's what it looks like.
He gets angry, too.
Because you make him mad.
He gets frustrated, and even jealous.
I'm just guessing, but he seems to be giddy these days.
Giddy...
Really?
That's what you're seeing, is it?
How fortunate that he's met you.
I'm not sure how to explain it, but Elias isn't really interested in food or his home.
But he has a home he lives in.
He takes care of his yard.
He has a farm.
And he's a proper mage.
I'm certain it's all because he imitated you, Rahab-san.
And that's the Elias who rescued me.
So that was thanks to you, too.
The gods and the fairies are right there with you.
Even if no one will pay you any heed,
even if you're sad, and distraught, and lonely,
they'll always be watching over you.
So have confidence and work on saving yourself, Elias.
Thank you for helping me and Elias.
You mustn't scare an old lady like that, Miss.
I'm so glad you're Elias's partner.
I'll come back.
Would you mind not telling him that you've met me?
Why not?
It was out of concern, but I was technically surveilling him.
Besides, you ought to learn how to handle secrets, facts, and truths.
I thought mages were supposed to make an effort not to lie.
Conceal the truth without telling lies.
It's an important part of keeping the advantage
when you're negotiating with neighbors.
I can't give any more advice as a human, but Chise,
you'll be perplexed by many things you can see and many you can't.
You'll even have trouble choosing what to do.
Still, I trust that our arms and legs will know what must be done.
Chise!
Stella.
Did you see that crazy fog?
I did.
Chise?
No matter how many times I check, it's just tea imbued with magic power.
Elias.
Are you sure you shouldn't be in a little more of a hurry?
It'll be fine.
Remember how I said I'd take a back passage?
A back passage...
Looks like our guide is here.
Guimph?
Man, I'm so late.
I went back to my herd, and they wouldn't stop nagging me to get married and stuff.
Now, then...
There are back passages all over the place.
An old abandoned house, a yard gate...
Under a fallen tree, a cavernous root...
An unused little bridge, a footpath gate...
Even something like this.
A phone booth.
Not that I use special back passages very often myself.
Why not?
Because they aren't safe.
Don't let go of my hand.
There's no telling what'll happen if you get lost.
The back passages are channels through this realm.
Although we tend to call them back passages if there are no humans.
This place is a bit special.
Time and coordinates are quite twisted.
That's why the entrance and the exit can be quite close together.
In other words, we can travel in a short amount of time.
So we can commute to the College through here?
That's right.
Do the other mages use it often, too?
I'm not sure.
I wouldn't recommend it.
I have a contract with them, but it's still unpredictable.
"Them"?
See?
They've caught our scent.
These pesky guard dogs...
We call them the "hound dogs."
Dogs?
Dogs...
Hey, brothers.
I have a gentleman here who wants to get from where we entered
to where we're leaving every day.
We won't make a mess, and we've brought payment for passage.
Would you mind letting them through?
What did it say?
As long as we stay in this region.
And go nowhere else.
And if we do?
We'll chase you forever.
"We'll chase you forever."
You heard 'em.
Swallow that for me.
That's the worst of it.
Let's get out of here.
Try to use the same entrance and exit as much as you can.
To be honest, I don't actually know how much they'll tolerate, either.
They wouldn't stop nagging me to get married and stuff.
His idea of a bride might be different from what you have in mind.
Elias.
When we first met, why did you say you intended to make me your bride?
Any changes to your health?
I feel safe as long as I have my earmuffs and goggles.
Is there anything that's been making you more anxious lately?
Let's see...
Do you know of another new student here named Chise Hatori?
No...
No!
Awful.