Episode 33

The Village Where the (a) Witch Lives (Part 1) (魔女の棲む村·前編, Majo no Sumu Mura - Zenpen) is the 33rd episode in the D.Gray-Man anime adaptation. It is part of the Second Filler Arc, and the first part of an adaptation of The Village Where the Witch Dwells. This is a filler episode.

Summary
On the way to meet Daisya and investigate clues about the General's whereabouts, Kanda is distracted by something strange going on. He ends up travelling through the Forest of No Return, and encounters a Finder named Gozu.

Kanda and Gozu get through the forest and find themselves in a town called Dankern, a place rumoured to be the home a witch. The two of them end up fighting Akuma in the forest, and investigating the rumors.

Kanda is faced with a feeling that something is wrong as the pair spends the night in town, that feeling solidified when Kanda wakes in the night to find Gozu missing. Kanda follows a trail into the forest that leads him into and Akuma, and the cottage that supposedly belongs to the witch.

Synopsis
The episode begins with Miranda unable to remember where her room is in the Black Order. As Miranda is about to enter a room Lenalee startles her and tells her that the room belongs to Kanda, then shows her to the correct room.

Reever enters the hallway and tells Lenalee that Komui is asking for her. The two have a short conversation about Miranda being scatterbrained as the scene changes. An hourglass full of lotus petals slowly drops a petal.

Kanda walks through a town called Mitterwald, he is following a map drawn by Daisya. The map states that Daisya has found a clue about the General's whereabouts and will be waiting for Kanda in Alfheim. Kanda is attempting to head towards and through Dankern Village.

The sign post that Kanda encounters does not point the direction to Dankern. An old woman appears and tells him that the sign was removed so that no one would go there by mistake. She tells Kanda that it is dangerous and no one should go there.

The old woman claims that there are rumours of a witch who inhabits the town, a witch who eats lost children and travellers. Kanda insists on going forward, and the old woman gives him directions to get to Dankern, but still warns him against going there. She claims the place he is headed is called the Forest of No Return, and that three men wearing white clothes entered but never returned from it.

Kanda ignores the warnings and continues on into the forest where he is attacked by an Akuma. He quickly destroys his attacker. Immediately afterwards he encounters a Finder named Gozu. Gozu relays that he is new to The Order, his team was killed by the demon who Kanda had slain. Gozu joins Kanda on the journey through the forest, to Kanad’s obvious annoyance.

Gozu tells Kanda that The Order had sent his team to investigate Dankern, and that The Order was supposed to dispatch an exorcist once the Finders had sent word back about the village. Kanda quickly corrects the assumption that The Order sent him for the Finders, but is instead here on an unrelated matter. He tells Gozu that he should go back to Mitterwald and wait for another exorcist to be sent out.

Back at The Order Komui tells Lenalee about the reputation of the forest near Dankern. People who attempt to get to the town never return, and he believes this may be caused by an Innocence fragment. He tells Lenalee that three Finders were sent there but hadn't made contact since. Komui worries there may be Akuma in the forest. He wants Lenalee to meet up with Allen after she finds out what is going on in the forest.

Kanda and Gozu walk silently through the forest. Kanda suddenly breaks into a sprint and Gozu keeps up. They stop running and are quickly surrounded by several Akuma.

Kanda easily evades their attacks and dispatches the attackers, but one Akuma has taken Gozu hostage. The Akuma pushes Gozu into Kanda, and Gozu's slow reflexes cause him to knock into Kanda and take them both to the ground. The Akuma escapes before Kanda finishes yelling at Gozu to move. The pair continues on through the forest.

Kanda and Gozu arrive in Dankern as the sun is setting, it appears to be devoid of demons. Townspeople close their curtains and doors as the two men pass, Gozu voices the idea that the people may be scared due to the blood that Kanda is covered in. Kanda doesn't think it matters, but Gozu ends up convincing him to wash the blood off in a nearby pond.

Gozu is worried that the villagers being scared will hinder the investigation, and Kanda quickly reminds him that he didn't come here to investigate the town. The pair see a cottage nearby, and Gozu remarks that it looks quite creepy.

A woman appears by the edge of the water. Gozu greets her and asks if she lives in the cottage, she replies that no one lives there. He remarks that it looks like a place a witch might live, but the girl claims there is no witch. Kanda asks if anyone suspicious has come to the village lately, once again the girl says no. She stares into the pond. It contains lotus flowers. She says that she's never seen them here before, despite the fact that she's lived in this town for her entire life. Kanda and the girl have a short conversation about the length of time a lotus may go without blooming.

Kanda and Gozu are given food and a room in town for the night. They learn that girl is named Sophia. The men question Sophia's father about the rest of his family, and he states that his wife died of an illness over 10 years before. Sophia asks why they are in town, and Gozu relays the fact that they are there to investigate the rumours of the forest. Sophia is unable to tell them if anyone new has come to town, because she herself had only returned from Mitterwald ten days before on a vacation from work.

As Gozu mentions the rumours of the witch Sophia's father drops his dinner plate. He quickly retires to bed with the excuse of his foot hurting. Sophia tells Kanda and Gozu that many of the townspeople believe in witches and old superstitions. She confirms that the cottage they saw was believed to be the home of a witch, but she herself does not believe this to be true. She says that up until a few months ago an old woman had lived in the cottage, and that everyone in town believed that woman was a witch. Gozu finishes his meal and Sophia offers him a bag of Jellybeans.

Kanda and Gozu head to bed for the night, with Gozu believing that the town has nothing of interest. He believes the Forest of No Return must have been caused by the Akuma they had encountered. Kanda lets Gozu know that he will be returning to his original mission as soon as he takes care of the remaining demon. Before Kanda sleeps he can't help but wonder what exactly is wrong in this town. Something is bothering him and he is unable to place exactly what.

Kanda dreams of Sophia sitting in a chair floating over a pool of rippling water, she is playing the harp. A flower blooms and all the petals fall. Kanda wakes up. Gozu is no longer in the room.

Kanda quickly leaves the building and begins following a trail of footprints and Jellybeans. It leads to the remaining demon in the forest. After dispatching the demon Kanda realizes that he is in front of the cottage again.