Chapter 48

## Chapter Guide

**Birds of a feather flock together. III** (羽毛の鳥は一緒に群がる。 III, *Umō no tori wa issho ni muragaru III*) is the 48th chapter of *The Ancient Magus' Bride* manga written by Kore Yamazaki.

## Synopsis

Chise helps Philomela, showing her skills in medicine that Elias has taught her over the past year.

Classes continue at the College for Chise, and Elias teaches his first class. Chise receives her first physical examination to help figure out her curses and how they effect her.

Elias teaches his course on Magecraft, but not without issues. Rian seems determined to learn the ways of being a mage.

## Summary

Chise Hatori cares for Philomela Sargant who had fainted at the very end of the last chapter, giving her an herbal tea and some potpourri to help calm her nerves. Chise leaves just as Veronica Rickenbacker appears and questions Philomela who she was speaking with, to which Philomela lies and says no one.

Chise meets up with Elias Ainsworth who takes her to the examination area where Alexandra Heath, head of the medical quarters at the College is. She is a muryan, which are a type of shapeshifter. We learn that there are five levels of transformation and Alexandra is currently a level three. Alexandra takes Chise into a side room away from an obviously uneasy Elias, who expresses his feelings of worries and fears about being caught sneaking into Chise's shadow to a questioning Ruth just outside the examination room.

After her thorough physical and mental examination Chise and Alice Swayne continue to the next class of the day, which is a Magus class taught by Elias, who is still in his female glamour. Elias' lesson is how to work with the fae in order to use magic to complete a task. The fae around the College show themselves to the young Sorcerers/Alchemists in the class to make working with them easier. The first task is to light and extinguish a candle with the assistance of the fae. Elias asks Chise and Alice to assist in demonstrating which goes mostly without a hitch. Alice is angered by the whispers of rumors among the students and Will o' The Wisp feeds off of her anger to make her flame large and aggressive. Chise flame is delicate and beautiful, showing properly how to interact with a fae you are unfamiliar with. Elias continues with the lesson by having the students attempt to light the candle with one of the fae in the class, with a warning not to push the fae into doing something they do not want to do. One of the students ignores this warning and angers one of the lizard fae which grows very large and angry and attempts to attack one of the students, only to be saved by Elias who transforms back into his usual refined form. This ends the lesson as Elias is dragged off by Renfred to be scolded for reckless endangerment.

Alice and Chise are standing in the hall discussing what occurred in the class when they are approached by Rían Scrimgeour who asks Chise to teach him how to use magic. Earlier the fae refused to work with Rían due to the fact that he smelled like iron/rust, which the fae detest.

## Character Appearances

* Elias Ainsworth
* Chise Hatori
* Philomela Sargant
* Veronica Rickenbacker
* Ruth
* Alexandra Heath
* Alice Swayne
* Mikhail Renfred
* Beatrice Baan
* Rían Scrimgeour
* Sofia Healey
* Roy Truman
* Kevin Forbes
* Jasmine St. George
* Violet St. George
* Will o' The Wisp
* Torrey Innis