ヴァニタスの手記 / Vanitas no Karute Series by Jun Mochizuki, 望月淳

Step once more into the imagination of Jun Mochizuki, creator of New York Times-bestselling PandoraHearts! A tale of vampires and curses set in a whimsical and dark steampunk Paris unfolds! On the streets, rumors abound of a clockwork grimoire said to sow curses among the vampires. Now, guided by the Book of Vanitas, the gears begun to turn, and the story of two men, Noe and Vanitas, takes shape...

Now installed at a hotel in Paris with the help of Count Orlok, Noé and Vanitas take their awkward partnership on the road...to a vampire masquerade ball! The order of the evening may be small talk and hobnobbing with fellow guests, but the mystery of the curse-bearers is never too far behind. The intrigue swirls as quickly as the dancers twirl, a blue moon ascends upon the guests...and all hell breaks loose!

The masked ball has ended, but the music plays on. As Noe and Vanitas return disgraced from Altus, the curtain rises on a new battle. News of kidnapped curse-bearers sends the pair to the catacombs beneath the streets of Paris, where a melody of intrigue echoes and a superhuman foe awaits! Humans or vampires: Who will be the hunter, and who the hunted?

Deep within the bowels of Paris, Noé and Vanitas race through the catacombs with an elite team of chasseurs, the Church's anti-vampire unit, in hot pursuit. Their search for the missing vampires takes the pair down a path all too familiar to Vanitas, bringing them face-to-face with not only an overwhelming curse-bearer, but also with Vanitas's past. Confronted by the horrific menace, what will Noé and Vanitas fight for, and whom will they save...?

Long ago, France was terrorized by The Beast of Gévaudan, who indiscriminately murdered hundreds. Before the creature could be stopped, the Beast vanished into thin air. Now, on the streets of nineteenth century Paris, news breaks of the Beast's gruesome return. As Noé and Vanitas rush to learn more about the Beast and its connection to vampirekind, none other than the Holy Knight, Astolfo, and Jeanne, the Hellfire Witch, stand in their way...

On the trail of the Beast of Gévaudan, Vanitas and Noé are led to the heart of the incident and the noble house of d'Apchier. There, they discover that a brave, heartrending wish to save a daughter from a vampire's fate became the haunting first cry of the Beast itself...

Despite the reveal of the Beast of Gévaudan's true identity, disaster still looms, threatening not only those involved but the townspeople below. With his book missing in action, Vanitas has only vain attempts at stopping the destruction...until an unexpected ally joins the fray. Even so, he has little hope of interfering in Chloé d'Apchier's catastrophic revenge...

The Beast of Gévaudan is put to rest once and for all as Chloé makes peace with her truest desire -- but Vanitas's troubles continue as both he and Jeanne are struck with certain... ailments of the heart! There's no time for him to dwell on this rather unwelcome development, though, as Domi is swept away in the machinations of a phantom from his past...