Prologue: The first appearance of Altagrazia Van Helsing
Context:
Set in the universe of Black Butler - after the Emerald Witch arc but before the Blue Cult arc
This episode would be a filler to introduce the characters that would later on have their own arch in the story.
Episode starts with the Phantomhive Manor in the morning; Ciel Phantomhive goes through his usual morning routine with his butler telling him about the tasks and appointments for the day, then reveals he's gotten a new letter from Her Majesty.
The letter lightly nags Ciel about 'dropping out of school' and goes about to say she worries the youth might be getting too rebellious, which may get them in danger. This serves as standpoint to describe the main topic: Three young women have gone missing during ball parties held at different nobles' households. The parties were not illegal, they were carefully planned, and the girls attended with chaperones or with their families, but seemingly vanished into thin air.
All three of them were found immediately eight hours after going missing, dead in the Thames.
Though the Yard is looking into it already, there are no leads, so Her Majesty requests the Earl of Phantomhive to step in, as she's worried more noble girls will die if they don't do something.
The letter introduces the Van Helsing family for the first time, briefly mentioning this case is so scary she's also written to the esteemed Baron Van Helsing, but since he's away for work, he's unable to investigate as well.
After reading the letter, Ciel Phantomhive has a small recolection of meeting the Baron Van Helsing once, and comments on the strange nature of that family. Sebastian makes a snarky comment about his title of The Queen's Watchdog being in danger because another cursed family of nobles are sniffing around, but Ciel responds by saying the only one worried about the Van Helsings should be him (as he's a demon).
The conversation, though lighthearted, sheds a little light on the context of the new characters.
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A time-skip; to his discomfort, Ciel Phantomhive finds himself dressed as a woman once more to attend the following party of the season, fully intending to be kidnapped again so his butler can take care of the villains.
He wears a lovely white dress and a fake ponytail, white lace and velvet gloves, baby-blue accents in ribbons and buttons, and a lovely lace hat small enough to be pinned to the side of his head. Sebastian accompanies him dressed as a priest and they pretend she's the young niece of some noble who just arrived to London and is under the care of her religious mentor.
In the party they encounter familiar faces such as Elizabeth Midford (Ciel's fiance), The Queen's servants, and even the Lady Sullivan, who is the only one to recognize Ciel from a distance.
A short dialog is exchanged between them, and Ciel explains he's on a mission (the Lady Sullivan, still not familiarized with the real world, had assumed Ciel simply was in drag because he liked it, and even makes a comedic comment about him 'playing for THAT team')
While the conversation takes place, Sebastian feels as if someone is staring very intently at him. He skims around the party and finds a group of young ladies timidly fanning themselves while observing him. Although he feels that's not entirely correct, He's busy and entertained so he brushes off the sensation and smiles to the girls.
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As they walk across the hall, they agree to go their separate ways to make it easier for Ciel to be abducted. While alone, Sebastian decides to investigate on his own and approaches several groups of ladies to ask about the dissapearances.
The incident of him feeling as if someone is observing him happens twice more, but every time he looks around, it's only a group of ladies staring at him.
The third time it happens, he finally manages to look past the group and finds what seems to be a small person (a woman, he senses immediately) dressed all in black, with a black lace veil covering her hair and face in the fashion preferred for Church and other religious gatherings.
He realizes he didn't notice her before because she's completely clad in black, and she's small enough that the other ladies standing in front of her completely conceal her.
He immediately understands she has been doing this every time, shielding herself behind a group of women who naturally stare at him (he thinks that with THOSE words too! Narcissist!)
He wonders if that's a child, but as he starts to approach, he immediately senses his contractor is in great danger.
Looking around the hall, he no longer sees his master, which means the plan has succeeded and Ciel has been abducted.
Growing suspicious of the woman he just saw, he turns towards her again (it's a big coincidence Ciel disappeared the moment he got distracted by her) but she's nowhere to be seen now.
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A change of scene. Ciel wakes up, as it often happens, tied up and surrounded by people. This time, however, it's not an illegal human trafficking ring selling girls to perverted nobles, and instead he's tied up to a table, surrounded by middle-aged women all clad in black.
The women stare at him curiously, and without another word start feeling Ciel's body up, which immediately triggers his memories from the past. He goes into a frenzy, calling for help in a childish and desperate manner while the women pat his body down.
Amid his frenzy, one of the women gasps and points out that he's a boy and not a girl. The women look at each other with horror, and turn towards the back of the hall, where a tall shadow with red eyes has been standing the whole time.
Dialogs are exchanged, and the women address the shadow as their master. They bow down to apologize for mistakingly bringing a boy and and not a girl, but the man shuts them up and approaches.
Ciel opens his eyes, willing to calm himself down, and looks up at the man, who turns out to be some sort of creature with a pale, rotting face and only a few patches of hair. It has a strange accent, and wears clothes that smell of rotten fruit, blood, and dust.
Dialog ensues, and the creature reveals itself a vampire, which Ciel finds hilarious and comedic even. It's revealed he has been looking for a bride, but the girls who have been brought to him before have not been virgins, and therefore their transformation has gone wrong, resulting in them having to kill them off.
The man/vampire approaches Ciel and comments even if it's a boy he "could be turned into a bride" but upon smelling him closer, he makes a face (this could be interpreted a lot of ways: either he sensed his contract to Sebastian, he sensed he's been through a lot of trauma, he disliked the smell of a male and realized he can't be a bride, or he sensed Ciel might have been abused and therefore is no longer a virgin either, brokoro)
While this happens, Ciel finally opens the contract eye and calls for Sebastian, who appears immediately by his side. He immediately kills the women around him with his silverware. Finally, he throws a knife that goes through the vampire's head.
Believing their mission completed, he turns towards Ciel to comment on how "bothersome" it is for him to have to rescue him again, when a massive Axe strikes him on the side of he head and opens his skull.
His human body falls to the floor with a big gush of blood, his expression truly shocked for a minute before he's holding his head back closed and launching a strong kick.
They fight, but despite Sebastian's superior powers, the creature heals fast and strikes faster each time, seemingly learning the fighting patterns Sebastian shows.
Although he's not forced to use his demonic powers as he had to do with Undertaker, he grows frustrated the creature is putting up such a fight. No matter how he kills it, Sebastian soon learns the creature will come back fast and attack him again.
At this point, Sebastian remembers the knowledge humans have gathered about vampires and destroys a wooden table to use a stake, which finally seems to defeat the creature, that falls back with a pained wail.
Rushing to release Ciel again, they discuss the existence of Vampires and Ciel comments it's going to be difficult to explain this to the Queen.
Suddenly, there's noise and Sebastian turns back on time to see the vampire back on its feet and tearing the stake out of its chest, ready to attack them again. Sebastian gets ready to fight, but a single gunshot can be heard, and a golden bullet appears, scratching Sebastian's left ear lightly and hitting the vampire in the head.
The creature starts simmering and melting with pained wails, asking what kind of weapon this is, cursing the Phantomhive household, the Queen, God, and everything it can before finally becoming a putrid pool of black charred blood and rotten meat on the ground. The smell makes Ciel gag and vomit.
Turning back, both Sebastian and Ciel see the small woman from before, still clad in black and with the veil on her face holding up a massive hand gun in her dainty hand.
Sebastian touches his ear, which simmers and burns very lightly.
Not seeing this, Ciel gets on his feet and brings out his own handgun, aiming at the woman. He firmly asks who she is and what's her relation to this case. Instead of replying, the woman moves her handgun towards Sebastian, but doesn't fire.
After a moment of silence, she informs Ciel Phantomhive this matter is officially under the Van Helsing family's jurisdiction, and the Phantomhive Household must relinquish all the information it has per her Majesty's orders. She then delivers a letter to Ciel Phantomhive, written by the queen.
The contents of the letter aren't read out loud, but Ciel immediately replies the Queen said the Baron Van Helsing was not going to be involved in the case. The woman replies he's not the only Van Helsing under the queen's orders, and if he has any complaints about this arrangement, to complain with the Queen.
Ciel is not pleased, but he orders Sebastian to retire as this chamber is causing him severe discomfort and he wishes to go home, get out of this dress, and have something sweet to eat.
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In the following days, Ciel keeps thinking about how the Van Helsing household essentially stole the credit from solving that case, despite Sebastian condescendingly saying technically the Lady had killed the vampire, as it had been her bullet.
They are in the middle of discussing the event when Meyrin informs there's a Lady who has shown here unexpectedly but she seems to be in a lot of pain and is asking if she can meet Sebastian outside. Finny overhears, and teases Sebastian about it. Baldroy also chimes in and asks if she's a beauty, if he can see.
Although no one says who she is, Sebastian makes a knowing expression and sighs, excusing himself and letting Ciel know it must be because he kept something, and it should be returned.
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Outside, in the garden, Sebastian arrives with his usual demeanor, asking directly if the visitor is there to 'pick up something'
Altagrazia's character is finally revealed. She wears a black dress with long sleeves, her hair is up, and a heavy white crucifix hangs over her chest. She looks tense, deadpan, but her eyes are glued to the butler in a way that shows clear interest. She's not admiring him or star struck, but rather she stares at him the way cats stare at birds far beyond their reach, waiting for the minimum chance to charge and kill them.
She doesn't say a word, and extends her gloved hand. Sebastian fishes the bullet from his breast pocket and holds it up as if to show it, mentioning he had been curious as what kind of material it was. He explains he's surprised such powerful blessed rounds can be fabricated.
Altagrazia simply says that doesn't belong to him, and to please return it, which Sebastian eventually does. They stare at each other for a moment, and the scene is cut to show Baldroy, Finny, Mey-rin and Tanaka staring from a window, commenting about the mysterious lady (Baldroy says she's too short but that's okay because she's a beauty, Finny says he thinks she might be Sebastian's secret admirer, Mey-Rin seems distressed hearing this)
Back to them, Altagrazia bows in gratefulness and stores the bullet, turning around to leave. Sebastian says they shall send their regards to the Van Helsing family for their help in the vampire case, but Altagrazia doesn't respond.
She goes into her coach and takes out the bullet to examine it. Her driver asks if it's really okay to just leave when 'that creature is just there', but Altagrazia simply nods, commenting that it's far too soon to take that one down, he will be a wonderful object of study, and she's curious to observe a contracted demon in its natural habitat.
The episode ends.
