046. The Butler, Dispensable

The Butler, Dispensable (その執事、不要, Sono Shitsuji, Fuyō) is Chapter 46 of the Kuroshitsuji manga.
==Summary==
Baldroy is observing Jeremy Rathbone, still suspicious of him. Jeremy, Charles, Arthur, and Ciel then go to investigate each of the corpses, starting with Siemens. Jeremy observes that there is only one external injury on Siemens ‒ a single stab that appears to have come from a sharp-edged blade. Jeremy deduces that Siemens was a violent drinker during his lifetime from noticing that Siemens' watch, which was very expensive, has several scratches around the winding keyhole, and that the strong smell of alcohol was proof that he had been drinking strong liquor right until his death. Jeremy also notes there is a faint smell of the sea, causing Charles to look seriously at Jeremy. Jeremy requests to borrow one of Arthur's handkerchiefs, placing it into Siemens' mouth, much to Arthur's shock and disgust. Jeremy looks at the handkerchief, but says nothing, and hands it back to Arthur.
Jeremy then investigates Patrick's body, and Arthur shares his theory that Patrick was killed by an injection of poison, but Jeremy does not comment. Jeremy then requests to see the room in which Patrick died, but, as they are climbing the stairs, Charles notices that Jeremy is not following. However, Jeremy appears a moment later, holding a handkerchief of his own and sweating from effort.
Jeremy investigates the room in which Patrick died in, and announces that there are several killers in this crime, and that it will be easy to capture Siemens' killer but that it will be troublesome to capture Patrick's. Jeremy then declares that there will be two requirements to capture Patrick's killer; one is to wait for nightfall, and the other is to have Ciel's cooperation. This confuses Ciel, but Jeremy assures him that he will reveal everything at nightfall.
Jeremy then goes to investigate Sebastian's body but, instead of removing the cloth that covers the body, he only lifts it up partially. At the sight of Sebastian's body, Ciel seems to feel distraught, diverting Charles' attention from Sebastian's body before he could look at it. Ciel claims that seeing Sebastian's body so many times is too much for him, to which Charles reacts skeptically, saying "Weren't you fine when you stripped the butler's corpse awhile ago?" Jeremy then declares that Sebastian died quite simply, surprising Charles by how quickly he finished.
Charles then declares that he is hungry, and leaves to rejoin the other guests. Jeremy tells Ciel and Arthur to go back as well, and that he will oversee the preparations for that night. Charles secretly rushes back to the room holding Sebastian's body and removes the sheet covering it, seemingly not expecting Sebastian to be underneath it, but he is.
The servants are in the kitchen worrying over the lack of food to serve. Jeremy arrives and suggests they make soy meat. Baldroy quickly agrees to cook the beans, and Finnian to pick the herbs. Mey-Rin volunteers to get wine, and remembers seeing the bottle full of dark red liquid in Irene's baggage, informing Jeremy about it. Jeremy is intrigued by this knowledge and says that he thinks that he can guess what the liquid is. He agrees to tell them what it is later, but that they should focus on making dinner at the moment.
Dinner is served to everyone's satisfaction, and Lau asks since they're all there that Jeremy tell them the truth about what happened. Jeremy says not to be too hasty, and that there are still some things that he wants to prepare before doing so. Jeremy then asks for Ciel's assistance, requesting Ciel to remove his clothes, much to Ciel's surprise.
Much later that night, Ciel recalls Jeremy telling him not to raise his voice or move, as well as to be patient and not open his eyes until he tells him to. If Ciel doesn't, then he will be "caught by the strings of death" before he can blink. Arthur remembers Jeremy assuring them that the killer will definitely come to Ciel's bed that night, but he didn't know where, so they would need to keep focused.
Jeremy and Arthur hear noises indicating that something is coming, and Ran-Mao reveals herself, having been hidden under the blankets in Ciel's bed. Ran-Mao manages to capture the killer under the sheets, and Charles moves in to kill the person, though he is stopped by Jeremy. Charles is shocked that Jeremy managed to stop his blade, and Jeremy tells him that "It's an important witness. We'd be in trouble if you killed them!" Arthur sheds candlelight onto the killer and is shocked, asking "This is the killer?!"
==Characters in Order of Appearance==
*Finnian
*Jeremy Rathbone
*Baldroy
*Ciel Phantomhive
*Arthur Conan Doyle
*Charles Grey
*Georg von Siemens
*Patrick Phelps
*Sebastian Michaelis
*Mey-Rin
*Irene Diaz
*Lau
*Ran-Mao
==Gallery==
Book of Murder.png|Textless version of chapter cover art
==Navigation==
es:Capítulo 46
pl:046. Ten kamerdyner jest zbędny!
it:Capitolo 46
Category:Chapters
Category:Phantomhive Manor Murders Arc