Grimoire of Zero Episode 3 Review

N’aww that’s so cute. 

Episode 3 of Zero Kara Hajimeru Mahou no Sho (Grimoire of Zero) is out,   and the episode opens with an info dump on the beastfallen like Mercenary, who are believed to have been the result of a past sin according to the Church (we know this isn’t true) and that has spread to where they are discriminated against but valued on the battlefield. Combine that with the fact that their heads are valued prizes among sorcerers, and you can probably understand the rough life those like Mercenary have had and why he wants to go back to being normal.

Since they close the gates to the town by nightfall, he gives Zero a lift and they arrive at a checkpoint. When asked about the two with him, Zero and Albus calls themselves sex-slaves, thereby ruining his reputation but getting free passage into the town that they find lively. Zero wants to explore, but first they need to get her some clothes.

She doesn’t have any money, but she has a couple of jewels that are worth getting mugged over. Mercenary, being the good guy he is, doesn’t take advantage and just tells her to sell the smallest one to get enough for clothing. She and Albus then pick out clothing for her, only for her to strip in public and bring the clothing shop owner to tears in happiness before he takes her old clothes like a creeper before they leave.

They then try to find lodgings, but none welcome beastfallen and we learn that occasionally they have a sudden impulse to eat humans as they run across one beastfallen messing with a slave girl. Mercenary scares him off before another comes in to reclaim the girl and then point out a place that would take him in. Everyone eats their fill before Albus goes to sleep while Zero and Mercenary go out drinking, and we learn she’s a mean drunk.

Then we get an introduction to the wolf-beastfallen, who likes Zero and then offers to trade her three of his women for her. Mercenary brushes him off and he leaves, only for  Zero to point out that those women weren’t witches and there’s a dark implication that he’s keeping them as actual sex slaves. It’s not played for laughs like before either.

Being the good guy that he is, Mercenary goes to free the women and confronts the wolf. The wolf wagers all the women on a duel, which Mercenary refuses since Zero is his employer and not his woman, but Zero accepts on his behalf since she has faith in him. It’s a short fight, with the wolf using  a fencing style while Mercenary has a big sword and isn’t afriad to use his teeth, pointing out that while the wolf may surpass humans, he isn’t able to fight a beastfallen in that manner.

So he frees the girls and the episode ends with Zero sleeping on Mercenary’s chest as per usual.

This episode was mostly slice-of-life and gives a little more insight into why the beastfallen had it rough, with Mercenary and the Wolfman showcasing two different sides. The Wolfman embraces it, doing what he wants because he knows others are afraid of him, while Mercenary just tries to live his life being the best person he can.

Zero is also shameless in how she approaches things due to her inexperience with the outside world. She calls herself a sex-slave, admits she doesn’t mind sleeping outside as long as she gets to use Mercenary as a pillow, and then strips down in front of everyone. However, she seems to have absolute trust in him despite only knowing him for a short-time and he has proven to be worthy of that trust.

Albus still feels like he’s just been added in there so he and Mercenary get in some good jabs at one another, but its obvious at this point neither Zero nor Mercenary consider him a threat. Good episode overall.