Pandora Hearts 53

I guess I promised it by the beginning of October... The explanation is, I have a life - maybe too much of a one.
I'll conduct a sort of a survey in the comments - do you want me to translate 54, in order, or just skip to 55, and come back to 54...if I have time?

Page 1

“Hatter, I’ll give you an important piece of information.”

Pandora Hearts
Retrace: LIII Humpty Dumpty Sat On A Wall
– Humpty Dumpty –
Jun Mochizuki

“Nightray is studying a certain interesting Chain.”

Page 2

{......ah...}

{ah...}

...You’re saying... // That I’m...the Headhunter...?

Page 3

You’re...
Joking...!

You’re telling me that I...
Killed my own sister, Vanessa...!?

It would be a logical conclusion under these circumstances.
When I came here, you were the only presence ––––
...You were the only one here.

No!! I...

{pull}
!?
–––– If so, I’ll have to do this.

Page 4

Now, Gilbert-kun.

Could you check with your own eyes
Whether he has the incuse of an illegal contractor on his chest...?

Break...

Page 5

Oh... // There’s no need to be scared.

As I explained to you,
{clench...}
As long as I bind him like this,

Neither he

Nor the children of Fianna’s House

Can use the power of “Humpty Dumpty.”

Page 6

––– Hu–

Humpty Dumpty?

// What is that?

You know of Fianna’s House, don’t you?
The orphanage that Nightay is running in Sablier.

...Well, in reality, they’re probably just trying to lure Chains with those children.
Both Barma and Rainsworth are doing research similar to that. // I’m not trying to reproach them.

Page 7

....However, what does catch my interest
Is the “cheering spell” they use on the children there.

............

“Cheering spell”?

...They also call it “the spell that makes sadness go away.”
They make every child that comes to Fianna’s house go through it.

The child drinks “a certain liquid” // And they recite “the secret spell.”
When they do that, all children stop crying and start to smile.

Page 8

...That’s right.
{chuckle} {chuckle}
It sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

They “swallow the blood of the Chain” // And to prove their acceptance, they “say its name.”
That’s how illegal contractors are made.

They create the contract without even realizing it // And then, the Chain makes it so that in their minds, the sad memories had never happened.

Page 9

The other day
I got a letter from Daddy again!

...Fabrication // Of memory...!

Absolutely.
We don’t have many examples, but think of it as an extension of mind control... // It’s not impossible, is it?

{snap...}
It only gets more interesting from here.
In that cheering spell or whatnot...
Every child says the same words.

Page 10

.........
Don’t tell me...

The children of Fianna’s House // All have a contract with the same Chain ––––!?

Page 11

“Humpty Dumpty!”

–– I’m sorry, // But it already happened once.

Arthur Barma tried to get information about the Abyss from the Baskervilles.
{flip...}
He wrote about the same Chain that is plaguing Fianna’s House.

Page 12

“Humpty Dumpty.”
This Chain
Splits itself, and they each find its own contractor, // Dispersing the burden of the incuse.
(*Incuse, is the clock seal thing. It’s the official English, according to Mochizuki. It’s an actual...English...word.*)

Put another way,
The more contractors there are, the slower the progress of the hand.

{chuckle} // After a Chain loses its contractor for some reason, // What if it appears back here after being pulled into the Abyss...? // {chuckle}
{chuckle}
(*Not entirely sure if this is correct*)

Page 13

............!!

That’s right.
{chuckle}
The name of a certain illegal contractor comes into mind, right?
{chuckle}

A year has already passed since its name has been known.
Still, it has eluded damnation to the Abyss ––––

The Headhunter ––––!

Page 14

I will not say for sure. // However, the truth is that the evidence is too relevant to be ignored.

Therefore,
I make the “conjecture” that the Humpty Dumpty is the Chain that we have named the Queen of the Heart.
(*Or maybe Queen of the Hurt. They have the same spelling in Japanese...*)

Page 15

Hatter.
If you ever come to face that Chain, // Find the original contractor, who harbors its core.

If you find any one of the clones, the main body it is linked to should be close by.
Destroy it.

............
{the sound of Break’s head against the bookcase, gently}
Why do you tell me this?

Isla Yura.
Since he came here, I haven’t been able to read the movements of the Nightrays.

Page 16

He is my kin.
He finds ways to sabotage my sources of information.

...So you want me to stir things up a bit, yes?
{roll...}

Exactly.
I’ll leave it up to you if you want to inform anyone else.

But if you mistime it,
{Break’s taking a long time... I wonder what they’re talking about?}
{Oz...all that was just an act? You’re not hurt, are you?} {Don’t pull, stupid rabbit!}
{pull}
Raven...and especially the young Vessalius will become no use.

............
Aaaah, how exciting. // How exciting!!

Page 17

Someone who has ties to the Nighrays threaten the heads of the Nightrays.
{A ha ha} {ha ha} {ha ha}
I can’t wait to learn the reason!!

–––– My predictions were wrong.

The children of Fianna’s House were here, too... // If I knew, I would have told you immediately...

.......Wha

Page 18

What... // You’re kidding...
Those shrimps of Fianna’s House... are illegal contractors...?

...Then... what about...Leo...!?

...If I were you, I wouldn’t be worrying about others.

Now, hurry, Gilbert-kun.
If you wait, the incuse will disappear.

{shudder...}
No!!
{do}
I’m not an illegal...
Be quiet.
{do}

Page 19

You’re just trying to buy time.
You are ––––

Break!!

............
Let go of Elliot...!
(*Wait...one l? Two l’s?*)

............ // Were you even listening to me?

Page 20

Elliot would never become an illegal contractor...!

If so, it’s simple. // Just check ––––

That’s not it!!

Why are you trying to make me do it!?
............

{clack...}
You’re...acting a little strange...

I know you’re worried about Reim, but this...!

Page 21

...You
{clench...}

Don’t talk // As if you understood me...!

......!

Wait!

............ // I understand...
If so,
I’ll check myself...!

Page 22

...So...
...Not at // A time like...this...

{twitch...}
{ah}
{stomp stomp}
–––– A
{stomp}

Anyone! // Is anyone there!?

Page 23

{grab}
He
Help meee!!

He...he’s going to kill me.
(*Or she, for that matter.*)
{!?}
He // Suddenly

St... // Started
{clack...}
Be- // Heading

!!
{turn}
Aiee!?

Hey ––––!?

Page 24

{slash}

{!}
{bump...}

{bump roll roll...}

{thud...}

Page 25

{clack clack clack...}
!

Break! Why are you spacing out?
{clack clack}
The murderer is upstairs!

{shove}

{slide...}
Elliot! // You stay here!

Page 26

{...ah}
{hah...}

{......ha...}
...The smell of blood...

{ugh...}

...Damn // Damn! // Damn it!!

What’s going on...!?

{d a s h}

Page 27

Break.

You were saying // That if you held Elliot down, the power of Humpty Dumpty wouldn’t be used.

{...}
Duke Barma // Said that the clones were linked back to the original body.

Page 28

So when I find that contractor, I’ll suppress that person with the Mad Hatter.
Then, the power of the other contractors should be inhibited, as well ––––...

But the Headhunter appeared.
That means // That Elliot had nothing to do with it, right!?

{unbuttoning}

{ha...}

{pull}

Page 29

.............
{sigh...}
.....

Well...
Break.

What’s your scheme this time?

Page 30

I’m talking about you. // You had a reason to say those things to Elliot, right?

Then, explain it!
I can’t be pushed around like this!

If you would only tell me... I could help you ––––!

{ha ha ha ha ha ha}

...You actually think // That you could help me?
{building tension}

Page 31

You’re a baby who can’t do anything unless Oz-kun is around. // You’re full of yourself...!
{building tension}

{flare}
You!!

{dash...}
{hah}

{whack...}

Page 32

{totter...}
...........
!?
Huh...!?

{swack}
{gahff...}

......
{shake shake}
{swipe}
I’ll chase down the contractor. // You will go look for Oz-kun and Alice-kun.

...Wait, Break.

Page 33

Hey!!

{dash...}

{dash...}

...Is he coaxing me?
(*Or she...*)

–– All right, then.

Page 34

I’m on.

Elliot... Are you all right?
..Yeah.

...Gilbert
There was no incuse on my chest.

There wasn’t.

{crumple}

{crumple crumple}

Page 35

...Is everyone else all right?
Yeah... // I left Miss Ada with Sharon.

Miss Ada was worried that we haven’t seen Vincent...

..But he’ll be fine.
He’s much faster than me with his mind and his gun.

But... Oz...

You can’t send me to Oz!? // Why, Sharon!?

I do not know.
Eques is not responding to my orders...!

Page 36

Eques...
Eques!!

{bang}
!?

–– Sharon said // ...Some sort of power ripped Eques away from Oz’s shadow.

A space where the power of Chains can’t reach...
There was something like that in Rytas’s mansion.

...I think

Page 37

Oz is at the place where the stone of the seal is kept ––––!

{throb...}
{ah...}

{hu...}

{throb}
{throb}

Page 38

{gah... // ah...}

Come on, Reim!
How long are you going to be sleeping?

Page 39

{slash}
Hey!

{slash slash}
...

I’m talking to you!
{slash}

–––– Aah

As she says...I have to get up...
{slash}
Tell Mister Rufus...of important information about the Baskervilles.
{slash}
And
And...

Mister Oz and everyone else...are they all right...?
{splatter splatter}
Miss Sharon
{slash}
And...aah...him ––––

“I heard that you volunteered to go to Yura’s mansion?”
“Honestly – You can’t even fight, what are you thinking –?”

That’s right...
I need to...

Page 40

Help...
Xerx...––––––...

Play with meee!!
Reeeiimm!!!

{metal on metal}

Page 41

Fang...!

............No more, Lily-san.
{d a s h}

Page 42

He is
Already dead.

{cla}{ck...}

!?

Page 43

Reim...?

Answer me.

Reim.
{motion...}
The Mad Hatter... // Xerxes Break...!
!

He’s...
Reim’s... friend...

Rei...
It’s useless, Mad Hatter.

Page 44

You can see, clearly.

He is...
Already...

Aah ––––

Page 45

I can’t believe...
That foolish...

Because of you, my plans are all messed up.

{zaah}

!!

...What?
You wanted a playmate, didn’t you...?
{o o o o}

Page 46

Instead of him, I’ll play with you.
...Come!

The death of a friend like none other
Beyond the grief, the sword howls...!