"The Witch and the Beast" is a series currently running in Monthly Young Magazine, and is scheduled to be adapted into an anime series starting in January 2024. The story follows Gido, a beast who has been transformed into a human (a beautiful girl) by a curse, and his magician companion, Ashaf, as they travel the world in search of the witch who cast the curse on Gido, solving cases involving witches and magic. In this article, we'll be introducing Ashaf, one of the main characters and Gido's companion!
Ashaf is a top magician who belongs to the Magic Sound Cult!
Ashaf is a skilled magician who belongs to the Magical Society, a "magical organization for magic, by magic, of magic." He is the other main character of the story and works alongside his partner, Guido. The Magical Society is dispatched to solve cases involving witches and magic. Each member is a powerful and eccentric character, including witches. Witches protected by Guido and Ashaf sometimes join the cult. It's an organization shrouded in mystery, and even those who belong to the cult don't fully understand its structure or lineage. Ashaf is a member of this notorious organization.
Ashaf: A gentlemanly, yet somewhat shady, man!
Ashaf is tall, with slicked-back hair, always wears a black suit, and enjoys smoking. He's a gentle gentleman, but he's also shrewd, always on guard, and often works behind the scenes to solve crimes without Guido's knowledge. Furthermore, he is often seen as a suspicious character because he regularly carries around a coffin containing Gido's body. In fact, Ashaf himself is a very mysterious character.
Is Ashaf Gido's watchdog?! He stops Gido from going out of control!
Since teaming up with Gido, he has played a key role as a watchdog, stopping Gido's rude and reckless behavior. Additionally, when infiltration is necessary, he also plays a vital role as a brain, supporting and assisting Gido, who has no regard for common sense or local customs. However, since there's a high possibility that Guido will go out of control in witch-related cases, it seems that he's prepared for this.
Ashaf is dispatched to a witch-related case by order of the cult!
Ashaf is primarily in charge of witch-related cases by order of the cult. It seems he had been investigating witch-related cases even before meeting Guido, and he met Guido three years ago during a witch-related case. If the witch is harmful, he will neutralize and detain her, but if the witch is not hostile, he may protect her and even recruit her to the Magical Echoes Cult. However, cases do not necessarily involve witches, and if the case is outside the group's expertise, it may be handed over to another member.
Ashaf is a knowledgeable and intelligent detective!?
Ashaf has a wealth of knowledge about magic and is well-versed in the hidden circumstances surrounding it. His intelligence allows him to quickly discover the full extent of magic-related cases, and even if he doesn't uncover the full picture, he never neglects to prepare for emergencies. Information gathering and negotiations are Ashaf's job. He also has excellent insight and judgment, and when paired with Guido, Guido is usually in charge of the heavy lifting, while Ashaf is often in charge of information gathering and preparation.
He's a first-class magician, so he's pretty strong, right?
Ashaf is a first-class magician, proficient in a variety of magical arts. This makes him quite adept in combat. Although Ashaf is far stronger than the average person, the foes he faces often far exceed his power, such as witches, the pinnacle of magic, and those who wield forbidden weapons, forcing him to face foes he could never defeat in a simple test of strength. However, even if he cannot do anything about it himself, it is undoubtedly Ashaf who creates the conditions in which Gido can demonstrate his strength, and creating the situation in which this is possible is also his role as his partner.
Ashaf is a versatile magician who can do many things!
Ashaf primarily uses his crow familiar to share his vision with others to gather information and conduct reconnaissance. He also specializes in controlling his crow familiar in violent situations, using spells to confuse and capture enemies. He also has no problem manipulating liquids, and is capable of performing barriers, compression spells, and healing spells, though he claims this is not his forte. He also possesses a secret trick: he can mechanize the minds of cult members in order to circumvent the contract spells cast between them. His magical abilities are quite versatile.
Does he have a give-and-take relationship with Guido?
Ashaf and Guido met three years ago and teamed up to rescue a witch from the Executioner. This led to Guido joining the cult and becoming a buddy. Guido's goal is to find and take revenge on Angela-en-Fur, the witch who cursed him. It's a give-and-take relationship between them: Ashaf and the Magical Cult provide Guido with information in exchange for solving witch-related cases. Guido has also made some threatening remarks, saying that once he finds the witch he's after and is no longer needed, he'll be the first to kill her.
These two have a mutual trust
Although their relationship is one of use and being used, Ashaf does not treat Guido like a pawn. Even though he does some roundabout things, they are all in line with Guido's goals and he doesn't see him as someone to be used. Furthermore, despite what he says, Guido understands that Ashaf is someone who doesn't do anything unnecessary, and despite what he says, they trust each other.
[The Witch and the Beast] Ashaf Summary
Here's an introduction to the other main character of The Witch and the Beast, the magician Ashaf! The two main characters are Guido and Ashaf, and they are particularly important characters in this work, which has episodes with strong suspense elements. The fact that Guido himself is shrouded in mystery is very interesting. It's a dark fantasy with battles and suspense, and the world view and story are both interesting, so I'm personally very excited about this work. If you're interested, please check it out!
