Long ago,
Zhuangzi dreamed he was a butterfly,
fluttering hither and thither, for all intents and purposes, a butterfly.
He was conscious only of his happiness as a butterfly,
unaware that he was Zhuangzi.
Soon, he awoke,
and there he was, veritably himself again,
not knowing if he was a man who had dreamed he was a butterfly,
or a butterfly dreaming he was a man.
Between a man and a butterfly, there is a necessary distinction.
This is what is meant by the price.
Just kidding.
His Butler, Escaped
Beautiful!
If you plan to confess, it would be better for your health if you did it soon, Sebastian.
Well then, I will confess.
To tell you the truth, I was the one who spread the Black Death across Europe.
What?
That was during the reign of Edward III, if I remember correctly.
Don’t make fun of me!
That was 500 years ago!
Torment him all you want.
Yay!
I’m so happy.
If you had confessed,
my chance to have some fun would have vanished.
Oh, that eye… Should I stab it or scoop it out?
Burning it out would be fun, too.
No, no. That will be the last pleasure.
You should let me hear your lovely voice first, Prince Charming.
Here is some black tea for you.
Ciel?
You know, I once unloaded a tea clipper.
You? A police detective?
I am from the East End.
I had neither parents nor siblings.
I had to take any job in order to survive.
You’ve become quite a success, then.
Say, Ciel,
do you really have nothing to do with it?
Neither the drug incident,
nor Her Majesty’s personal correspondence?
So, the interrogation has finally begun.
No.
The Chief Superintendent only told me to keep you confined.
In that case, you shouldn’t get involved in this.
This is a game between me and someone pulling strings from the shadows.
A pawn should just follow its master’s orders, as befits a pawn.
That is the secret of a long and successful life.
Ciel…
Well, if you’re going to back out of your patch,
that’d be excellent news for the Ferro Family.
However, you are an underling of that dog boy, right?
And he has supposedly been caught.
Is it all right to leave him and run away?
A butterfly drinks nectar, and a flower has its pollen transported by giving the butterfly that nectar.
If the flower, as a natural consequence of being in full bloom, is severed,
will the butterfly grieve?
It will just search for another flower, will it not?
After all, there are flower beds all over the world.
It was your doing, wasn’t it?
And Stanley’s murder was yours.
I’d have done the same.
I guess you would, Signore Corallo.
Have a safe journey, Daren Lau.
Say, Lan Mao,
this is finally farewell
to those peaceful days of boredom.
Liar.
A tea clipper?
Tea, opium and the Chinese…
what a dreadful concurrence.
Reminds me of the Opium War.
How lovely, Sebastian.
Your devotion to your master is so strong,
it has led you into this situation.
That is due to the contract
between the young master and me.
Where are you going, Ciel?
I’ve had enough of groundless confinement.
I was just about to take a walk.
What will you achieve, going out on your own?
You should not underestimate my heritage.
How many years do you think the Phantomhives have wielded power in the underworld?
There are still a lot of pawns I can control.
Do you mean that lot who tried to contact you for several days?
But none of them have held out a helping hand to you.
Unless I am mistaken, Ciel?
That boy is probably gnashing his teeth by now,
painfully realising his own lack of power.
Yes, that may well be.
Relationships in the underworld only arise by way of fear and profit expectations.
The way you are now, you can exploit neither.
Nevertheless, I am going.
Nevertheless, my young master will go, even if…
Even if I am deprived of all my chess pieces,
and only the king remains on the board.
He will never give up.
That is how my master is.
How about giving in to lust like a good demon?
In reality, it must be hard for you.
You probably haven’t eaten a human… a human soul in quite a long time.
That is why you have so many wounds.
You must be so hungry you can hardly stand it.
Won’t you make a deal with me, Sebastian?
In due course, the true Doomsday will come.
When that happens, I will give you as many souls as you want.
Just abandon that child.
I must refuse.
I have grown weary of eating them one after another, tasting a little here and a little there.
The only one I truly desire is the young master.
I want nothing else.
I see.
Well, too bad. It would seem these negotiations
have failed.
Unclean, corrupted, impure being!
It should perish!
It should be purged!
This pain is God’s blessing!
Yes, this pain is the supreme spice.
Blood is an offering for penitence.
Blood is the finest sauce.
May the accursed soul be burned!
May this soul, stained with loneliness,
be blessed.
Even if I can’t depend on anyone’s strength, it doesn’t matter.
I was always alone from the start.
It is my fate, born into the cursed Phantomhive family.
Someone like you could never understand, Aberlain.
Weren’t your parents killed because of that?
I read it in your file.
I’ve also heard from Chief Superintendent Randall
about your past,
and about you controlling the underworld as Her Majesty’s Guard Dog.
So what?
Our conversation ends here.
Well, then…
Why are you so intent on fighting alone?
Why won’t you ask for anyone’s assistance?
I don’t need allies.
I am the one playing this game.
All I need are pawns at my disposal.
I will be your ally!
Yes. I will be your ally, Ciel.
Aberlain…
What a fool you are.
If this gets out, you won’t escape with a mere resignation.
The truth is, I am going to marry.
Don’t change the subject!
And I am soon to become a father.
That is why I want to make this country a good place, for the sake of my child;
a place where you can live even without the Queen’s Guard Dog.
You know, I’ve been thinking. Times are about to change,
in the same way as the time of tea clippers has ended.
Are you serious?
Of course.
The world is changing and tomorrow will be better.
It’s human nature to believe that everything will be good.
Wh—Who do you think you are?
Fred Aberlain, a police officer!
Abby, my boy!
Landlady!
I’ve found a boy who says he witnessed that incident at the Regent Dock the other day.
A Chinese girl?
Yes. She was very beautiful.
I thought she might be Cutty Sark at first.
A Chinese girl? Don’t tell me…
Did you speak about this to anyone?
Yes, to Uncle Havock, and afterward to a man in white.
He was really cool.
When I told him, he said I was a good, pure boy.
He gave me this.
Give it to me!
Are you from the Ferro? I’ll get the money later.
Please, for heaven’s sake!
Hey.
Tell me everything!
Well, looks like the whole East End is under my control now.
Hey!
Damn it!
Boss! Boss!
Corallo,
are you the one distributing drugs disguised as my company’s candy?
Well, I have no id–
Children are short-tempered, you know?
Yes, it was me.
Was the death of Stanley your doing as well?
No! Lau did it!
Stanley was my sponsor.
I acted at his request.
How stupid! Because you meddled in Lau’s business,
he was killed by Lau’s female lap tiger.
By the way, Lau said,
“The Phantomhives are done for”.
That’s why he’s on the run.
He seems to have obtained some treasure through Stanley’s murder.
Lau, you…
Ciel!
Phantomhive,
I’d heard you were a dog that uses whatever dirty tricks are necessary.
To think this is all you’ve got…
You’re right. This isn’t like me.
Ciel…
Indeed. Rules do not exist in this world.
And if there are rules, I am the one who makes them!
In my name, and by the name of my tainted crest, I order you:
come, Sebastian!
At last.
Kill them!
You’re late.
As are you.
You kept me waiting awfully long, Young Master.
It looks like I was somewhat contaminated by that good-natured simpleton over there.
That’s over now, though.
Sebastian, go after Lau!
I have no need of a pawn that disobeys the player.
Are you sure, Young Master?
This is not an order you can reverse.
Those standing in my way,
be they parent or friend,
will be removed.
Yes, my Lord.
Ciel!
Don’t come any closer.
You will die.
I am the back, and you the front.
We are walking incompatible paths, Aberlain.
Eh? That’s…
Fire!
I see. He’s finally here.
This is why I’m so fond of you,
Young Earl.
Go, Sebastian!
As you command.
I will face her.
Understood.
Foe of my brother,
I will kill you.
Allow me to be your opponent.
So, you have finally found your way here, Young Earl.
It feels strange to face each other under these circumstances.
However, I for my part always thought such a day might come.
Yes, Lau.
Before I forget, the item you seek is on that shelf.
Say, Young Earl,
what do you think is written inside?
It is a diplomatic paper intended for Germany and Italy, proposing a military alliance.
Your beloved Queen intends to rush Europe…
No, the world headlong into a war
beginning with an invasion of France through opium, or rather, “Lady Bran”.
Yes, in the same manner your country once invaded mine through opium.
Are you going to stay the Queen’s Guard Dog all the same?
Is that why you betrayed me?
No. Absolutely not.
Why, then?
I am your pawn.
The only bond connecting us is an expectation of profit.
However, Young Earl,
I was somewhat bored with being your pawn,
so I thought: why not try to play myself?
A game with my life at stake.
You have commendable strength in that tiny body of yours.
However, you are a human, after all.
Would you mind stopping at this point?
I cannot stop.
Sebastian!
To do this to Lan Mao…
I always wondered. It seems you really aren’t human, Mr. Butler.
Well, that might be the case.
After all, I am one hell of a butler.
Oh? This is interesting, very interesting, Young Earl.
Can a world this interesting actually be reality?
I sometimes wonder
if I haven’t been dreaming ever since that time,
not knowing if I dream of becoming a butterfly,
or if the butterfly dreams of becoming me.
Sebastian!
I won’t let you.
Aberlain…
Ciel…
Mr. Policeman, you are in my way.
It is magnificent, Young Earl.
It really is an inborn virtue.
Or should I say vice?
Lau, you…
This is the end of this ship as well.
You have won the game, Young Earl.
It seems I did not have enough strength to become a player.
Well then, Lan Mao, let us continue to dream.
This whole world is but a butterfly’s dream.
Hang in there, Aberlain!
Don’t give up!
Ciel…
I’m glad you weren’t hurt.
You know…
Back then, when I lost my family,
I, too, thought I would never be able to return,
never be able to get it back,
but that’s not true.
You can take it back.
You’re wrong. I…
You still have a chance to take back your future.
Don’t forget that.
There is no future for me.
In exchange for my future, I…
Young Master.
You erred, Sebastian.
Even though my life was in danger,
you did nothing.
You were profoundly safe at the time.
In fact, no harm came to you, correct?
I understood in that moment that Aberlain would be your shield.
Aberlain.
What an idiot you are.
Yes.
An idiot.
The secret, true face of the ever-cheerful employees.
The real mission bestowed upon them.
For real? I have to tell my friends!
Next time: His Butler, Recruiting.
Preview
His Butler, Recruiting
After all, I am one hell of a butler.