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Young Master, he’s on the move.
Very well. Follow—
Take me with you!
You!
I know Agni has been sneaking out after I fall asleep.
I want to find out what he’s doing!
His Butler,
Extra
ordinary
Whose residence is this?
A man who imports all the Indian goods he can get his hands on; Harold West-Jebb.
His business is coffee houses and emporiums.
I met him once. He’s nothing more than a detestable rogue.
Some coffee houses were caught up in the inverted-hanging incidents.
However, no harm befell Mr. West since he was coincidentally away that day.
Coincidentally, huh?
Shall we take a look, then?
Understood.
How about relaxing with a Scotch?
It’s a high-quality Scotch I bought from Justin and Brookes, who hold a Royal Warrant.
The plan up to now has been perfect.
Well done, Agni.
You don’t have to cause any more incidents. I’ve rid myself of my main rivals now.
With your “Right Hand of God”, the Royal Warrant is as good as mine.
Royal Warrant?
So, that’s what this is about!
If I can complete this plan as you wish, can Meena…
Meena?
Who is that?
Prince!
Young Master, your face and mine are well known. Let us sit back and watch.
Agni, you knew where Meena was?
Ah, so that’s your master.
You’re the one who took Meena, aren’t you?
Agni, rough this man up.
Agni, what are you doing?
Well, for now, let’s get Prince Stupid out of here.
But they know your identities.
Leave it to me.
Agni, strike this “prince” and quieten him down.
What?
Agni.
Agni!
Deer
Deer?
Is this guy the abominable deer-man or something?
I have come to pick up the prince. I am Deer.
Agni! He might be an enemy spy!
No, I am merely one hell of a deer.
Kill him!
Do you want that promise to go up in smoke?
Do it!
I have only one god and master,
and I decided to swing my fists for no one but him.
Please forgive me for the sins I commit against you!
Agni, you aren’t…
No! The crystal glass I bought from Thomas Good!
The Royal Worcester centrepiece!
My Tiffany stained glass!
Looks like it’s getting a bit rough.
Let’s go on ahead and get out of here.
Hey! This uproar will draw attention. Grab the kid and let’s escape!
Understood.
He far surpassed the scope of a human back there.
That was the concentration technique known as Samadhi.
Once he gets like that, no one can touch him.
Samadhi?
It’s a type of trance state.
Through pure devotion to a master like Prince Soma, people are able to bring forth tremendous amounts of power.
It is something we lack; the power of faith, born of love and trust.
Then why would he betray me?
Why does everyone around me disappear?
You!
Why is it? Why?
Oh dear, I brought that Haviland tea set out because I thought it suited you so well…
It may be a good idea for him to be redisciplined.
You rude swine!
Just who is the rude swine?
This is the Phantomhive mansion in England.
In this place, you have no authority to order me to do anything.
You are nothing more than a brat.
Without Mr. Agni, you are nothing more than a powerless child,
and now Agni has betrayed you.
That’s right. I have nothing else left.
I’ve lost everyone.
Lost? My goodness, you have a most unbelievable imagination.
You haven’t lost anything.
You never had it in the first place.
Status given to you by your parents,
a castle, given to you by your parents,
servants, given to you by your parents…
From the very beginning, you never had a single thing.
Isn’t that right?
No.
And you were well aware that the same went for Mr. Agni,
but you lacked the courage to confirm it by yourself.
You’re wrong! You’re wrong! You’re wrong! You’re wrong!
I am not wrong.
Now that you have finally realised, you play the main character in a tragedy.
You really are an incorrigible brat.
They all said they’d be with me forever.
Quite clearly that was merely lip service.
There is no reason to serve someone for no personal gain.
In the slums, even a three-year-old knows that.
No one has ever loved you.
Let’s leave it there.
Young Master…
I might have been the same as him,
if not for that month.
What month?
I was forced to taste the humiliation of having my house burned, my family killed and being treated as less than a barn animal.
I was a powerless child,
but I returned here in order to bestow the same humiliation upon those who tortured me.
My parents were in the way of those who killed them.
If Phantomhives are a nuisance to them, if I continue to hold the reins of this household, they’ll probably target me again.
I am waiting for them to come for my life.
Why would you go that far?
What would come of sitting around sad and in mourning?
Even a dead person can stay still,
but I’m alive and standing on my own two feet.
If I’m going to end up dying one day, I’d rather do it with no regrets.
I wouldn’t call it something as grand as revenge.
It’s all just to make me feel better.
It’s a game between them and me to see who will win.
Even if I’m flung into the depths of despair,
if there is even a spider’s thread I can use to climb out, I’ll grab it and never give up.
We humans have the strength to do that.
However, whether to grab it or not is up to each individual.
Now, let’s stop this ridiculous babble.
Sebastian, I have something to discuss with you on the West incident.
Come.
Yes.
“Whether to grab it or not is up to each individual.”
Ciel!
I am almost 17, but I am totally idiotic and naïve compared to you.
I’ve been spoiled only because of who my parents are.
Even though I knew Agni was troubled, I didn’t hear him out,
but now I want to know.
I want to see them both and find out why they left me.
That’s why. Please, come with me…
Just like that
I refuse.
There’s no way I’m dragging around the weight of a naïve idiot like you.
I suppose the door to the living room isn’t locked, though.
Ciel!
I’m sorry for lashing out at you like that before.
Please forgive me.
I want to say sorry to you, too.
Don’t worry. This is quite interesting.
To think that West was after a Royal Warrant…
Well, I suppose that’s something a detestable rogue would think of.
What exactly is a Royal Warrant?
It’s an endorsement given by royalty to the shops they like.
A Royal Warrant is the British Royal seal of approval.
A week from now, there will be a curry contest conducted at Crystal Palace.
Curry?
Yes.
According to the rumours, Her Majesty – a famed curry lover – may also come and observe.
That’s just a rumour.
Since the death of her husband Prince Albert, Her Majesty rarely makes public appearances.
How is the curry contest connected to the incidents?
The main dish at West’s coffee house is curry.
If he secures the Royal Warrant, his sales will undoubtedly go up.
In other words, in order to reduce the number of rivals in that contest,
he had Agni carry out those incidents.
He then used the message to make it seem like the incidents were caused by Indians who were angry with England.
Agni probably went along with the plan in order to save Meena
for the sake of his “god”.
Speaking of gods, yours is the Goddess Kali with her tongue stuck out,
and since Agni was the one who wrote this, and his god is you,
it must have all been for your sake.
He’s probably written all his prayers and feelings of regret here.
Even though you’re apart, Mr. Agni still believes in you and lives for you.
You really do have a wonderful servant, don’t you?
Agni!
Oh, my. All’s well that ends well.
Well then, we shouldn’t get involved any further.
Let’s just leave it to Scotland Yard.
Hold on!
What will happen to Agni and Meena?
Who knows?
We’ve determined that there’s no underworld involvement, so it’s not our concern.
Indeed. This is my problem. I’ll think of a way to resolve everything by myself.
That’s an excellent resolution!
Well then, I shall be getting on with my own work myself.
I was called out to London in winter for this idiotic case.
Don’t you think I should be compensated for my expenses?
Luckily, all of the other famous curry shops have been knocked out of the competition by West.
If the Phantomhive Company participates and beats West, we’ll receive the Royal Warrant.
I’d been considering expanding into the food industry anyway.
If we become the supplier to the Royal Household in our first endeavour, it’s sure to create a stir.
But there’s only one week left, right?
Will you be able to get the specialists and machinery in time to make the curry?
I don’t need any of that.
Isn’t that right, Sebastian?
It is only natural for someone who serves under the Phantomhives to be able to do this.
I will obtain the Royal Warrant without fa—
That’s impossible.
There’s no way you can win. They have Agni,
and he has the Goddess Kali’s right hand!
It’s true that Agni’s prowess is formidable, but this time we are not dealing with martial arts. This is a contest of cooking skill.
That’s why I’m saying it.
None of you know Agni’s true skill.
Neither do you know real curry.
Real curry?
Curry is based on a selection of fitting spices.
The number of combinations is endless.
Finding the supreme combination from those infinite choices is like looking for a needle in a haystack.
It is akin to pulling the truth of the universe from thin air.
However, Agni is able to do it. He is able to imagine the world from nothing.
That power is truly of the gods’ domain.
That is why Agni is known
as the Goddess Kali’s right hand.
I have never eaten a curry more delicious than Agni’s.
I see. It truly is Kali’s Curry.
So he says.
My, my. That seems quite the challenge.
Y—You made them all by yourself?
Yes.
The only one who knows Mr. Agni’s curry is you, Prince Soma.
I ask for your co-operation in coming closer to the Goddess’s Curry, if even by a fraction.
V—Very well!
If by eating curry I can be useful to you, then I shall eat as much as you need.
Thank you very much!
For both Meena and Agni as well.
Thanks to you, all our rival shops have categorically refused to participate.
All that’s left is a third-rate brand I’ve never heard of,
and a toy company popular with children.
The Funtom Company has the prince…
Relax. There’s no one who can compete with your godly right hand.
Prince…
Excuse me.
Gateau Chocolat
Today’s teatime snack is a Gateau Chocolat.
Prepare a sabre fit for public display.
After insisting so absolutely that she wasn’t coming…
The Queen’s Guard Dog really is well trained.
Have you come up with a curry that surpasses Agni’s yet?
No.
According to Prince Soma, something is still missing.
Then you don’t have time to be making something like this.
Hurry back to the kitchen.
As you wish.
I’m not in the mood for eating chocolate. Why don’t you do something useful and crush it into the curry?
Yes, my Lord.
Before that day, I had never believed in the gods.
I was born into the Barmon household, one of the highest castes who serve the gods.
However, seeing my father with all his desires and vulgarities, I could not believe in them at all,
and just like that, at the end of all the sins I continued to commit…
The person you were before today is now dead.
You will be reincarnated with a new name and life.
I was made to realise that divinity existed within this person.
Listen, Agni.
I decided to use this right hand only for that god.
Is this outfit for Her Majesty as well?
Keep any unnecessary comments to yourself.
More importantly, you really can win against Agni, can’t you?
But of course.
On the name of the Phantomhives, I will bring the Royal Warrant to our household without fail.
Well then, I have preparations to make, so I must excuse myself.
Have fun!
Be sure to do a good job!
Sebastian!
Meena!
Prince Soma?
Meena! I’m so glad.
Agni got you back!
You don’t need to worry anymore. Let’s go back to the castle together.
Prince…
You’re such an idiot.
Go back together?
Don’t make me laugh. Who on earth would go back there?
I was finally able to escape from India.
I’ve seen people who haven’t worked a day in their lives, who play all day, just because they’re royalty.
Compare that with how I was forced to be a servant until my death thanks to my caste.
Living my whole life tied down by my heritage? Forget that!
So then, you went with West of your own voli—
That’s right!
Even a child could tell which is better between being a servant or a rich wife.
Also, I’d had enough of looking after your selfish needs!
I promised not to say a word, but after seeing your face,
I thought you were old enough to face reality.
The promise was that if I co-operated with West, she’d act like the old Meena around the prince.
If the pure prince knew of Meena’s true colours…
So, that’s how it was.
That’s why I cannot lose.
What a coincidence. Neither can I.
This flavour is nowhere near good enough to win.
There’s something missing.
Something…
It seems you’re quite troubled.
If you wish, please use this.
What is this?
Thank you for waiting!
Welcome to the Curry Festival for the pride of London’s curry shops!
Oh? He’s here again.
The show off.
Prince, even seeing my face must be detestable for you.
No! I need to concentrate on the competition!
Well then, let us begin cooki—
What?
This is…
Her Majesty!
Spice is spicy.
Excuse me. I was just talking to myself. Please pay me no heed.
If one who serves the Phantomhives could not make curry, then where would we be?
In my hands, both apples and honey are spicetacular and in love with spice.
Next time on Kuroshitsuji:
His Butler, In Competition
Preview
His Butler, In Competition.
After all, I am one hell of a butler.
We shall await you next time…