The Case Study of Vanitas (ヴァニタスの手記)

Naenia!

Get away from her, now!

Naenia?

Oh my, is that your name?

That's simply what they call me.

Is it now?

Never mind that. Sit.

The food is here, Noé.

What is this?

She...

No, that thing...

It took Louis from me!

Mademoiselle Chloé.

Are you the Beast of Gévaudan?

Rumor has it, the Beast is a curse-bearing vampire.

If so, then that thing, Naenia, has robbed you of your true name.

How can you sit right next to her with a smile?

Because it is what I wanted.

What?

It was the price for my wish.

I became a curse-bearer of my own free will.

For a wish?

That's right.

There are some names I'm just dying to have.

But with vampires as powerful as Chloé,

I can't simply take their names by force.

So I politely ask,

"Would you give me your true name if I grant you a wish?"

The same is true for you, Noé.

I've tried so many times but have failed to obtain your true name.

You're quite the challenge.

That is why I must ask you too.

Tell me, Noé.

What wish is worth the price of giving me your true name?

Did you...

Did you say the same to Louis too?

Louis, is there something I can do?

What can I do to help you?!

Noé...

I... am...

What the hell are you?!

What do you want?!

Why are you doing this?!

Why steal true names?!

Stop this!

Stop stealing them!

Give him back. Now!

Give Louis back to Domi and me!

Listen to me.

I don't care for children who waste food.

"Don't get complacent"

Or maybe, "don't fall apart"

This world's future is torn toward conflict

Amidst a headwind it'll all come to a bloom

The eyes, the voice, they're quivering

What is right?

The days scream out in a blur

Even still, my accumulating feelings come to mind

I'll listen close for signs of hope

It must be more than desire

It must be more than a vow

I wonder what it truly means to love and be in love

I'm sure if I could just manage to put it into words even once

That might just be that and it'd all work out

My story

The Case Study of Vanitas

The Case Study of Vanitas

Why'd you have to do that?

Forgive me.

Chloé gets scary when she's mad.

Remember that.

Where is Mademoiselle Chloé now?

She's with that black shadow.

You should stay away for now.

I know, but we cannot allow her to remain with that dangerous—

You dump food on the floor, yet your stomach growls?

I truly am sorry.

This was left over.

You can help clean up.

Did you make this?

I did.

And you mended my clothes too?!

That's right.

How extraordinary!

You're extraordinary, Jean-Jacques!

Is there nothing you can't do?

This is so delicious! It truly is!

R-Really?!

There's nothing extraordinary about it.

I've simply been tending to Chloé's needs all this time.

I can't cook or sew to save my life.

Hat's off to you!

Listen, I wish to thank you, Jean-Jacques.

You saved Murr and me, but I never expressed my gratitude till now.

I must beg your forgiveness once more.

I'd like to make a proper introduction.

My name is Noé.

What's the hand for?

Huh?

If you want more soup, get it yourself.

I wanted to shake your hand.

No one's ever asked to shake my hand.

How much do you know about the House of d'Apchier?

Only what was in the dossier you gave me.

Their family line died out in the aftermath of the Beast's rampage.

Yeah, but there's more.

The d'Apchiers were conducting research on the World Formula, even though the church forbade it.

Their work produced the Alteration Engine, a device for altering the World Formula.

That is what gave rise to the Beast of Gévaudan.

So the question is what should or can be done?

Is that why both vampires and humans are so interested in this?

Most likely.

So, where did you hear all this?

Whose orders are you acting under?

Sir Francis Varney,

aka the Clockwork Fiend Marquis Machina.

I see.

Marquis Machina tasked me with getting you involved in this,

no doubt because you are a member of the Blue Moon Clan.

He also wants to know whether the Alteration Engine really exists.

And, if possible, I'm to find it and bring it to him.

Herman d'Apchier, the last head of the family,

his wife, their children, and his siblings...

They are all dead.

The only remaining member of the d'Apchiers is Chloé.

Jean-Jacques, how long has Mademoiselle Chloé been here?

She was always here.

Long before the Beast of Gévaudan reared its head,

Chloé was here watching over each generation of the d'Apchier family.

Why are you and your people here?

Are you here to do Chloé harm?

My enemy is Naenia, not Chloé.

Yet you seek to take that black shadow away from her.

Naturally!

Who knows what might happen to Mademoiselle Chloé if nothing is done?

Van—I mean, my traveling companion may have the power to restore Chloé's true name.

I will bring him here and—

To do what?

Are you sure it's a good idea to leave Noé and that boy together?

Yes, it is a rare opportunity.

Jean-Jacques should have a friend or two.

Chloé said it was her choice to have her true name taken.

She had been crying every day until that shadow appeared.

There was nothing I could do.

I absolutely can't stand when someone touches what's mine without asking.

You're very mature, aren't you?

Not at all.

If that is what Chloé wishes, and it keeps her from weeping, I'll make peace with it.

I shall be with Chloé till the very end, even if it means oblivion.

You may not see it, but I am a terribly jealous woman.

The scars left by Babel finally began to fade in the latter half of the 16th century.

Listen to me, Chloé.

No one outside these walls must ever learn that you are a vampire.

Yes, Father.

I awoke one day to find that I was a vampire.

I believe once Babel rendered the World Formula unstable, it began having an effect on this world too.

Don't worry.

Everything will be fine.

I will make you human again.

Yes, Father.