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Black Butler season 5 episode 3, titled His Butler, On Loan, was released on April 19, 2025. The episode primarily focused on Ciel Phantomhive and Sebastian Michaelis's dynamics as they went through a terrifying ordeal. However, Sieglinde Sullivan ensured they survived their cruel fate.
Furthermore, Black Butler season 5 episode 3 revealed interesting memories from Ciel Phantomhive's past. Since the Witch's curse weakened a person's mind and induced fear, Ciel couldn't maintain his usual composure. Overall, Cloverworks has done a fascinating job of portraying the iconic panels from Yono Toboso's manga in anime form.
Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers from Black Butler season 5 episode 3.
Black Butler season 5 episode 3: Ciel and Sebastian go through a purification ritual as they break the taboo
Picking up the events from the previous installment, Black Butler season 5 episode 3 begins with Sebastian Michaelis wondering why tears are flowing from his eyes. Since he's a demon, he's supposed to be incapable of harboring such emotions.
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Furthermore, Sebastian notices that his skin is starting to swell. Suddenly, he recalls the gruesome details of the Werewolf Forest victims the carriage driver told him about.
Sebastian then wonders whether he has been affected by the curse. He rushes to Ciel's room to find that the boy has also been cursed. Black Butler season 5 episode 3 then shows the Demon Butler quickly carrying Ciel to Sieglinde Sullivan. Sieglinde is puzzled to see Ciel and Sebastian's state. She hurriedly prepares a Purification Ceremony with Wolfram's assistance.
Sebastian and Ciel then take their clothes off and enter a large pot, where they keep their heads underwater. Meanwhile, Sieglinde chants a purification spell and gives them a medicine. The witch asks them to swallow the medicine and then spit it out. As soon as Ciel does this, the choking sensation reminds him of a vivid memory from when he was tortured in a cult along with many children of his age.
The boy recalls how the cultist forced him to eat food and stabbed his friend. Black Butler season 5 episode 3 reveals one of the haunting memories of Ciel Phantomhive. Soon, he wakes up in bed and finds his servants around him. Sebastian tries to approach Ciel, but he outrightly rejects his touch.
Ciel mentions that everything around him is dark and thus wants his servants to turn on the lights. Sebastian wonders what's wrong since it's not dark. As soon as he tries to grab Ciel's hands again, Tanaka stops him and says that Ciel's eyes have become momentarily blind.
Sometime after, the Phantomhive servants, excluding Finnian, are outside Ciel's room. Mey-Rin cries because of her master's condition. As such, Baldroy scolds her because he believes that crying will only bring bad luck. The situation perplexes Snake, as he feels that they are unable to take care of Ciel since he's distraught. Tanaka then wonders what they must do.
Sebastian Michaelis says if Ciel has truly ordered him not to touch him, he has no option but to obey him. Following that, in Black Butler season 5 episode 2, Sebastian re-enters the werewolf forest and notices that the weird sensation or miasma from the other day is gone. He wonders why a demon like him would be affected by such miasma.
At this moment, he breaks a tree branch and sniffs it. After observing for a while, he returns to the castle and prepares a sumptuous meal for Sieglinde as a sign of apology. During a conversation with Sebastian, Sieglinde reveals that Ciel's eye has been affected by the forest's miasma, which is emitted by the werewolf.
She adds that the Werewolf's Forest weakens one's heart and induces fear. Sebastian recalls a few terrifying memories from Ciel's past and realizes that his young master might just be rejecting "adults" due to the increased fear.
When Sieglinde asks Sebastian about it, the demon butler only says that a lot has happened to Ciel in the past. In other words, he doesn't elaborate much about the boy's memories.
At any rate, Sieglinde Sullivan reveals that only she can create the secret medicine to purify Ciel's condition. At this moment, Wolfram lashes out at Sebastian for entering the forest at night. The demon butler calmly states that he went to the forest only out of curiosity to find what sort of person a werewolf might be, considering he has seen many demons and Grim Reapers in his life.
Sebastian then brushes off the topic and urges Sieglinde to prepare the cure for Ciel. He promises to do anything for her. Black Butler season 5 episode 3 then shows Sieglinde Sullivan asking Sebastian to become her butler til Ciel's treatment is finished. Seeing no other way, Sebastian accepts her request.
Black Butler season 5 episode 3: Sebastian commences his duty as Sieglinde's butler
The next day, Sebastian Michaelis returns to Ciel's room. However, the boy frenziedly destroys his pillow and still rejects Sebastian's touch. He even shouts at him to go away. Without saying anything, Sebastian leaves the room. After that, Sebastian prepares himself to serve Sieglinde as per their deal.
He restores his skin to its previous state before it was scarred by the curse. Sebastian doesn't want to look unsightly when serving a young lady. Following this, the narrative for Black Butler season 5 episode 3 shifts to Sebastian serving Sieglinde, who asks Wolfram to take notes and learn from the butler.
Sebastian's duty as Sieglinde Sullivan's butler officially begins as he heads to the kitchen to prepare the morning tea. Interestingly, he notices a few unfamiliar figures in the kitchen. Wolfram then mentions that village women often help with the food preparations and taking care of the young lady. The three ladies introduce themselves as Hilde, Grete, and Anne.
Black Butler season 5 episode 3 then shows Sebastian assigning various tasks to the Phantomhive servants, including Baldroy, Mey-Rin, Snake, and Finnian. Tanaka, however, is free to do whatever he wants. Sebastian tells Finnian to look after Ciel Phantomhive, which surprises the boy.
The butler adds that Finnian should give Ciel some warm milk with honey if he refuses to eat. On the other hand, Sebastian Michaelis senses Wolfram's scornful looks as he prepares the morning tea. Black Butler season 5 episode 3 ends with Sebastian Michaelis heading to Sieglinde Sullivan's room with the bed tea.
Conclusion
One of the major highlights of Black Butler season 5 episode 3 was how Cloverworks injected life into Yana Toboso's manga to showcase Ciel Phantomhive's horrors as he experienced the Witch's Curse.
Moreover, the episode did justice to Sebastian's character, who went through an ordeal to ensure Ciel's safety. At the same time, the episode added a further layer of complexity to the Werewolf Forest's lore.
Also read:
- Black Butler season 5 episode 2 full highlights
- Black Butler season 5 complete release schedule
- Fire Force season 3 episode 3 full highlights
