Yes, he did! Elias Ainsworth has admitted his cannibalistic actions in The Ancient Magus’ Bride series. No matter how hard he tries to resist it Elias always has the urge within him for human flesh and he almost even got consumed with these urges by trying to eat his beloved sleigh beggy, Chise Hatori. But, do these urges makes him a bad person?
Elias Ainsworth is not your typical main character in a series which comes in and always saves the day. Despite his immense magical powers, he has never been portrayed that way. This is because of him always making sure that he is not being noticed by the public through his inactiveness as a mage for decades.
But through these years of keeping a low profile, Elias might have had a valid reason. Elias Ainsworth is still an unidentified creature who was both the characteristics of a fae and a human. Even he himself knows little about his history, mainly where he came from. Strong magical powers are not the solution for everything because even if he is held as one of the strongest mages, Elias still lacks in plenty of aspects, mainly in life and in fighting his urges to devour some human flesh.
When Did Elias Try to Eat Humans?
It’s hard to say the exact date when Elias did such heinous crimes due to his past. However, he did actually do it. Lindel is one of Elias Ainsworth’s few friends in The Ancient Magus’ Bride. He has been there for him for as long as he can remember. And from the looks of it, Lindel might be the first person he actually interacts with throughout the entire series.
Like Elias, Lindel is also a very powerful mage and the person who gave Elias his name. He served as Elias’ master in terms of honing his skills as a mage and was the first person to whom Elias admitted his sinful crime. Lindel met Elias during the winter seasons decades ago when he suddenly appeared in front of him and collapsed. Since Elias did not have anywhere to go, Lindel decided to take him to his master hopefully to find answers regarding Ainsworth.
Sadly, even someone as knowledgeable as Rahad didn’t know a thing about Elias. Hence, Lindel had no choice but to take Elias with him on his journey as a nomad, and in this journey, Elias spilled the beans. In episode eleven of season one, when Chise accepted his invitation to visit him. Lindel told the stories about how he met Elias and what happened during that time they were on a journey together. He also used it as an opportunity to test Chise if he will still accept Elias despite the stories he will tell.
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Elias has always followed Lindel wherever he would go. However, since his appearance can cause fear to others he usually hides in the shadow of Lindel. One day when they ran out of food to eat, Lindel decided to ask for some from the village in exchange for healing. How lucky they were that a villager let him in. But was also unlucky because a child from that home was gifted with the sight.
The sight allowed the child to see the scary-looking Elias which caused the villages an uproar. They all went after them and tried to capture or kill them. This incident made Elias recall one of his memories in the past. The sight of humans ranging in anger or just the mere look of them made him remember that he once tasted human flesh.
Some people would have judged him quickly due to this and may also reach the point of abandoning him because killing is not a joke, especially since he admitted to having the thought of doing the same thing to Lindel. But since his master had always been the bigger person almost every time in the series, he accepted him and still continued his journey with him. Lindel was relieved and happy to know that Chise feels the same way.
Did Elias try Kill Chise?
No! He would never go so far as to kill her. Chise Hatori has a very soft spot in Elias’ life. However, this did not mean that he didn’t also have the urge to devour her flesh. The revelation from Lindel made Chise remember how Elias treated him before visiting Lindel. In episode nine of season one, Elias didn’t come out of his room for days because of still being in his reptile form. When Chise had the chance to enter, he locked her up inside with him. Sure, he wasn’t that violent at first but it was during his uncontrollable situation that made Chise almost fell as one of his victims.
However, the talk with Lindel made Chise braver in bringing it up with Elias. After finding out Chise was awake at that time, Elias was determined to remove it from her memory. Elias has formed a deep connection with Chise. Thus, the act of almost eating her might have brought him the fear that Chise will possibly leave him. But, Chise is no ordinary girl who’ll get scared by these things.
Elias, do I look tasty? I thought it was a dream until Lindel-san told me about it. But I was just curious.
Chise Hatori to Elias Ainsworth (Season 1: Episode 13)
She insisted on keeping the memory because it is about someone important to her, no matter how scary that memory is. This signifies the sincerity of Chise to be with Elias and remain loyal to him. Elias always expressed his intention to be with Chise even in the future and considered her his family. It is rests assured that after this heart-to-heart talk between the two, their bond became much more than it was before. Never forget that these two are in the process of healing and growing together.
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Is Elias’ Cannibalistic Actions Worth Forgiving?
Yes? No? YES! I mean it’s hard to decide. But, Elias Ainsworth is not the only character in the anime world that have committed similar crimes. I’m not saying to let his crime pass; however, one should also take into consideration that we still lack knowledge as to how it happened and why he did it in the first place. Having little knowledge about Elias’ whole identity means that we too shouldn’t judge him too quickly. Why? Because he has proven many times that these crimes can never be forgotten, but still can be forgiven.
He Granted a Slave the Freedom She Deserves
Elias Ainsworth may have a cruel history related to human beings. But, his interest to know more about them did not push him to treat them differently. This interest of him led him to Chise Hatori who is also a sleigh beggy. Chise was sold off by the black market for millions of pounds. Hence, it was expected for people to react and assume that he might do something to her.
Even the sorcerers, Mikhail Renfred and Alice Swayne went to rescue her even though she didn’t need it. But, Chise knew Elias from the very beginning and chose him regardless of what other people said. Freeing Chise from her chains, literally and metaphorically speaking, allowed her to live a life that was robbed of her after losing her family. Either she is his apprentice or bride, the important thing is that Elias gave her the family she wanted and needed.
Elias Ainsworth Perceive Everyone as Equal
Equality is a very significant thing to possess especially when it involves beings from different races. In The Ancient Magus’ Bride, Elias Ainsworth has never considered himself higher than the other people around him despite his immense abilities and knowledge. Elias has been treated differently by those around him. He had been called names and was basically treated as an outcast by everyone, particularly in the world of faeries.
You can always observe the negative side comments they always throw at him even if he was just passing by. However, never once did he try to defend himself from them and just ignored them. This might be because he isn’t the kind of person who would make a big deal out of these things and start a fight. In most scenes, we have always seen Elias being calm and reserved regardless of who he is talking to. And He never showed that is superior to other beings, they may be humans or faeries.
A Polite and Kind London Boy (or Magus)
The ancient magus from London is also a gentleman. Since the beginning of the series, Elias has been nothing but polite and kind to all the people around him. From how he treats Silver, Chise, Ruth, and even Angelika’s family. He has never intentionally hurt or shown aggression to anyone aside from when Chise is in danger or when he cannot fully understand himself. In addition, Elias Ainsworth’s difficulty in understanding human emotions never gets in the way of forming friendships with them.
Elias might not have fully grasped how human emotions work. But, he sure knows how to blend himself with them. This proves that he is truly a kind person regardless of all of his flaws. Even before meeting Chise, Elias already made a bond with Angelika and her family, Simon, Lindel, and Silky. I mean, even with his weird-looking skull head, Elias definitely gives us the London Boy vibes especially when his drinking his tea or just reading a book in his warm and cozy house.
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