Ep 11. The Witch and the Sorcerer

Grimoire of Zero season 1 episode 11, titled "The Witch and the Sorcerer," presents an episode filled with conflicting emotions and decisions. As the journey to find the Grimoire book continues, the group faces a new challenge when they encounter a sorcerer who broke one of the laws of the magical community. They soon learn about the sorcerer's past and intention, leading them to consider their moral stand on the matter.

The episode begins with the group making their way through the forest on their journey to find the Grimoire. They soon encounter a strange magical presence and upon investigating, they come across a sorcerer named Albus. Upon meeting him, Albus reluctantly comes clean and admits to having broken one of the laws of the magical community. The law stipulates that sorcerers aren't allowed to interact with witches. As heretic sorcerers believe witches to be a source of magical power, sorcerers aren't allowed near them to prevent them from being corrupted. The group promptly debates whether or not they should trust and aid the sorcerer despite his actions, with the weight of their decision possibly leading to dire consequences.

Throughout the episode, the character of Albus is further explored. His past is explained, including his relationship with witches and his ideological view towards magic. The group learns that Albus was once a scholar of witchcraft, although he was fiercely ostracized from the magical community after he began to experiment with dark magic. Albus became obsessed with wanting to create a way for magic to be used by anyone, but his goal was frowned upon by the community. The group is left questioning their morals and beliefs as Albus' past, and his current intention is revealed.

The episode is centered around the dynamics of the characters. The group is presented with a difficult choice, as aiding Albus could compromise their mission, but at the same time, letting him die would be morally wrong. Zero, who is pro-witch, believes they should aid the sorcerer, as his actions were justified, but the Beastfallen is adverse to sorcerers and the cat person is apathetic to the situation. As they continue to debate the issue, tensions begin to rise between them, which causes Zero to consider making the choice to save the sorcerer alone.

"The Witch and the Sorcerer" masterfully presents the emotional state of each character. The script does a good job of presenting the sorcerer's story without revealing his intentions too soon. It keeps the viewer guessing as to what Albus is up to and how his plan will affect the journey of the group. The characters' reactions to Albus' story and intentions are well planned and logical, making the process of debating his decision to save him feel authentic, with no character being out of place.

As an episode that took a change in pace from the previous episode, "The Witch and the Sorcerer" does a good job of moving the plot and providing enough character development to keep the viewer engaged. Overall, the episode is a heavy yet important chapter in the first season of Grimoire of Zero.