Laughter is Born From Madness

Chapter 97

"How should I know!!?" the other responded.

When the two returned to their large estate, they got off their horses and panted, shaking with fear.

"W-Was that-"

"A werewolf...?"

"Herr Reinald!" an old butler called out, scaring the two men as he greeted his master with a smile as a maid followed behind him. "Welcome back."

"Oh, it's just you!" Herr Reinald exclaimed in relief.

"How was the hunt?" the butler asked before his eyes grew wide at his master. "Oh? Herr Reinald. Your nose is bleeding."

"Eh?" was all the man let out before swaying and collapsing to the ground. "Ah..."

"Herr Reinald!?" the two servants exclaimed.

"Hey, what's wrong!? Get ahold of yourself!" the other man exclaimed, as he yanked Herr Reinald up into a sitting position. However, his eyes grew wide in terror when his friend wasn't responding and his face started to swell up drastically in different places. "Wh-What is this!? Reinald! Wake up!"

In a panicked tone, the butler shouted, "Herr Briegel! Your face is...!!"

"Eh!?" Herr Briegel exclaimed as his nose started to bleed as well and his face began to swell up.

The servants screamed when the man collapsed on top of his friend, laying there motionless without life.

"Noooooo!!!" the maid screamed out.

Meanwhile, on a train travelling past a German village, a certain young earl sat in a train car with his butler and maid (*COUGH COUGH* LOVER *COUGH COUGH*), holding a book in his hands with a bored look on his face.

"Ihhi furoy-eh mihhi jii kenen tsureru nen." Ciel spoke in German horribly, causing the red-haired maid to cringe and his butler to sigh. (Translation: "I am pleased to meet you.")

"That will never do. You are stressing the wrong syllables." Sebastian responded bluntly.

"Ich...Argh, I give up. I'm feeling sick!" Ciel complained, rolling over on the couch he sat on and laying his head in Red's lap, causing her to shake her head in disappointment and pet his hair. "Reading in a train makes me-"

"You simply lack discipline."

"German pronunciation is impossible. Being able to read it is enough."

One Week Ago...

"Germany?" Sebastian asked as Red walked in with the young lord's snack of the day, Coffee and Walnut Cake. "You will be going there?"

"Yes." Ciel responded as Red sat the tray down in front of him. "I must investigate a number of inexplicable fatal incidents that have occurred by order of her majesty, the queen."

"She has ordered you, her 'watchdog,' to go in person?"

"The duty of the Phantomhive house is to police the underworld of Great Britain. So why must I be sent all the way to Germany!?"

As Ciel tossed the letter onto his desk, Red picked it up and began to read it.

My Dear Boy,

There have been a succession of mysterious deaths in southern Germany. I am told those of sound body and mind become suddenly deformed and then expire. Germany is home to my late husband and mother. Many of my family members reside there. I would like to provide medical assistance if an epidemic has broken out, but neither the Kaiser, nor the German government have given me a straight answer. I am extremely concerned.

"She cannot dispatch an envoy without a formal answer from the Germans...so she has assigned that duty to you instead, young master..." Sebastian explained.

"I've left the country once before to investigate an incident." Ciel spoke as he ate his cake. "But I haven't the slightest idea why I'm being dispatched for this business."

"Why not ask for a more definitive reason?" Red asked.

"I know she'll dodge the question. The dog's duty is to start running gleefully when the master throws him a bone, after all. The underworld intelligence network of the Phantomhive house operates from Europe to Asia. Perhaps she is placing her faith in that...particularly since I inherited him from the previous earl."

"Who's him?" Red asked.

"I'll have Chlaus pay him a visit." Ciel continued, ignoring the red-head's question. "Get in touch with the old man, will you?"

"As you wish, sir." Sebastian responded, bowing to his master before leaving.

At dinner, Ciel and Chlaus discussed his visit to him, but he refused to see Chlaus. Chlaus did investigating of his own and went to the villages affected, only to find no trace of an infectious disease, and when asking about it the villagers only talked about how "The witch's curse had killed them all." All the victims were different in appearance, but the one thing they had in common was visiting a certain forest full of werewolves. After discussing about the Undertaker and how he could know more, Ciel sent Sebastian to get the train tickets, which takes us to where we are now.

Somewhere, in southern Germany...

"AAAAGH! Good grief! They bring nothing but trouble! Father and son alike!" a German voice shouted as he shuffled through many papers on his desk and grabbed a sandwich. "Anyhow...already fourteen, isn't he? He must be even more like his father now..."