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Introduction
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The Teacher, (
This article contains plot and/or ending details for The Case Study of Vanitas.
Read at your own risk.
One of the oldest known Vampires, Teacher was the first Vampire to serve Queen Faustina, and stayed as her vassal the longest. Despite this, he never accepted a position in high society, though he was being given land and power by the Queen. Instead, this was passed onto his adopted son, the Count de Sade. He moved deep into the country, to the town of Averoigne, where he lived with little interest in Vampire political affairs. Circa 1869 A.D., his adoptive son sired twins, a boy and a girl. As twins were a taboo in Vampiric society, they chose one child to keep and the other to kill to preserve the de Sade family's reputation. However the Teacher interfered and took in the to-be-executed boy to raise himself.
A few years later, the Teacher bought a child Noé off an auction who was being sold as an Archiviste survivor, raising him as a student alongside the boy Louis and his sister Dominique, whereupon the trio became dear friends with one another. The Teacher raised Louis under the impression that he was older than Dominique and disowned from the de Sades due to harboring an illness. Due to the deceitful machinations designed by the Teacher, Louis came to believe that he was a curse-bearer and doomed to lose his sanity before painfully dying. In their teens when Dominique and Noé's lives were found to be in danger, Louis was tricked into actually contracting a Malnomen, begging for Noé to take his life in place of a stranger. Noé could not and the Teacher instead decapitated his own grandson.
Appearance[]
The Teacher usually takes the form of a tall, thin, pale skinned man with short blonde hair. His appearance is otherwise ambiguous, and it is implied by August Ruthven that he frequently changes physical form. The Teacher is often seen wearing a long black coat over a white shirt with a mandarin collar, along with a top hat. He also carries a walking stick with two six-pointed star charms, which he seems to use as a weapon. Earlier in the story, on the rare occasions when the Teacher’s face is clearly visible, his eyes were usually not drawn. After the reveal of his face, he's shown to have a jovial face, small eyebrows and droopy eyes. Also, The Teacher has heterochromia, his left eye being the same blue as Vanitas', and the other is purple, just like Murr.
Personality[]
The Teacher is a mysterious and contrary vampire. He seems to prefer a peaceful life in the country over the wealth and fame of a position at the Queen’s side. He frequently shapeshifts and changes his name, and nearly kills anyone who calls him by the wrong name. Most vampires fear the Teacher and refer to him as a monster.
The Teacher is a highly observant person who wants to study and know more about the behavior of both humans and vampires. He’s intrigued by cursebearers and the Book of Vanitas. One of his observation subjects was his grandson, Louis, who frequently described Teacher as a man with horrible and sadistic taste.
The Teacher raised Noé to not have any biases towards vampires or humans, which suggests that The Teacher shares this opinion— he seems to see all humans and all vampires as information to observe and gather.
History[]
Also known as "The Shapeless One" due to the frequency with which he changes his name and form, Noé's teacher was the first vampire to serve the Queen and did so for the longest duration. Nothing is known about his life prior to serving the queen, and the Teacher is known as one of the oldest and most mysterious vampires in existence.
After serving the queen (presumably following the end of the war between humans and vampires), the Teacher gave his titles and land to his adopted child, Count de Sade, and retreated to live in the country. Despite living a life out of the spotlight the Teacher retained a huge amount of authority in the vampiric world. Vampires largely fear him and see him as a monster. At some point before adopting Noé, the Teacher developed an intense hatred towards August Ruthven.
The Teacher seems to have had little interaction with his oldest two grandchildren, Antoine and Veronica. When Dominique and Louis were born, the Teacher decided to keep Louis at his estate rather than let the infant be killed. It seems as though the Teacher did some sort of strange experiment on Louis, making him into a cursebearer. The Teacher also made Count de Sade let Dominique interact with her brother monthly, most likely to give Louis a close bond with someone (to exploit) and to use as a control for his experiments on Louis.
The Teacher later bought Noé at a slave market and brought him to live with Louis at their residence. He treated Noé as a student and taught him about various aspects of vampire culture and history. He also taught Noé how to reverse gravity and how to fight.
When Louis finally gave in to Naenia and fully transformed into a cursebearer, the Teacher observed his actions for a while and stepped in to save Noé once he judged Noé was in mortal danger, beheading Louis.
Following this, Noé fell unconscious for a time. After this, Noé continued to live at Teacher’s estate, while Domi’s visits seem to have become less frequent. A short time before the start of the manga, the Teacher sent Noé a letter asking him to investigate the Book of Vanitas and discern its true character.
Plot[]
Bal Masqué Arc[]
While Noé is asleep after collapsing at the end of the Bal Masqué, he sees Teacher. Noé tells Teacher that he needs to apologize to Vanitas for forcing his own ideals and hopes onto him. The Teacher reassures Noé and tells him to engage with the tale and the people surrounding the Book of Vanitas. Noé wakes up from his unconscious state and notices that the chair he saw Teacher in is still warm.
Amusement Park Arc[]
Coming soon!
Powers and Abilities[]
See also: Vampires
- Shapeshifting: The Teacher has the ability to shape shift, and seems to do so frequently
Quotes[]
- “Listen well, mon chaton. You must never let anyone steal your ‘True Name.’ Your True Name is the formula that shapes your very being. In other words… it is your life itself—”[1]
- “Mon chaton, I wish you to fly to Paris immediately. I hear it’s been discovered there. It really exists—the Book of Vanitas! Find it without fail… and see for yourself… with your own eyes… the true character of the Book of Vanitas—!”[1]
- “I’m sure from now on… things will be much, much more fun.”[2]
- “I don’t want you to do anything in particular. You’re free. Do as you please. I simply want to observe the process and result of whatever your well leads you to do.”[3]
- “Engage with the tale of the people surrounding the Book of Vanitas. Once you’ve done that, how will you define the Book of Vanitas for yourself? That… is what I want to know.”[4]
- “Well! That was magnificent. I thought perhaps I should stop you sooner… but I’m glad I didn’t. This was good. Yes… you’ve shown me something excellent.”[5]
- “—The kingdom of dreams has fallen. Whether they’re as gentle as a cradle… or nightmares that eat away at you… in the end, dreams are only dreams. Inevitably, there will come a time when you must wake and face reality. When it does, let’s meet again, mes chatons.”[6]
- “Curiously, simply changing what you say makes you feel as if your existence has undergone a significant change. Names… dredge up memories and revive them.”[7]
- “You and I are both ‘observers.’ However, our disparate natures make it interesting. We can observe the same story, but form different interpretations.”[7]
- “The color of yesterday’s sky. The brand of tea we’ll drink tomorrow. Vampires, humans, Dhams… anything will do. Let us talk… to pass the time. We’ll speak of the stories, the worlds, we’ve witnessed—”[7]
- “Strict imitations are dull things. Fugues change flexibly, developing freely. They’re the most suitable accompaniment for the tragedy of Garnet. Don’t you agree?”[8]
- “What I’m doing is thinking. I’m constantly… calculating… the route that will grant ‘our’ wish. For world peace.”[9]
- “…But those who’ve lived too long do experience character shifts along the way to some degree.”[10]
- “I liked your eyes back when you’d tired of life as well, but… The current version of you—the one brimming over with vitality—is appealing too.”[10]
Appearances[]
- Mémoire 1: Vanitas — In the Event of Rusty Hopes* (First Appearance)
- Mémoire 2: Noé — In the City of Flowers (Mentioned only)
- Mémoire 4: Femme Fatale — Love*
- Mémoire 5: Archiviste — Fangs That Reveal Blood (Mentioned only)
- Mémoire 6: Altus — Other World*
- Mémoire 7: Bal Masqué — Night of Sneering Masks*
- Mémoire 9: Réminiscence — Friends*
- Mémoire 11: Deux Ombres — Point of Departure
- Mémoire 12: Pause 𝄻 (Mentioned only)
- Mémoire 13: Glissando — Glissando (Mentioned only)
- Mémoire 15: Chasseur — Those Who Hunt Crimson*
- Mémoire 19: Serment — Spell-bound*
- Mémoire 20: Serment — Promise (Part One) (Mentioned only)
- Mémoire 23: Au Pas Camarade — Pace*
- Mémoire 24: Forêt d'argent — Chance Encounter (Mentioned only)
- Mémoire 38: Naenia — She Who Harbors Death (Part One)
- Mémoire 46: Un Autre — Scar*
- Mémoire 54.5: La nuit sans lune — Dark Night (Part Two)
- Mémoire 55: Après la pluie — His Wish (Part One)
- Mémoire 55.5: Après la pluie — His Wish (Part Two)*
- Mémoire 58: Observation — The Darkness in Between
- Mémoire 59: Fuga — What the Organist Plays
- Entracte: Couche — On Clothing (Mentioned only)
- Mémoire 61: Jeu de paume — Court Tennis (Part One)
- Mémoire 61.5: Jeu de paume — Court Tennis (Part Two) (Mentioned only)
- Mémoire 62.5: Bourdonnement — Wingbeats of Scattered Thought (Part Two)
- Mémoire 63: Quelqu'un — Someone*
- Mémoire 1: Vanitas -In the Event of Rusty Hopes-*
- Mémoire 2: Noé -In the City of Flowers- (Mentioned only)
- Mémoire 3: Archiviste -Fangs That Lay Bare Blood- (Mentioned only)
- Mémoire 4: Bal masqué -Night of Mocking Masks-*
- Mémoire 5: Réminiscence -Friends-*
- Mémoire 6: Salvatio -Questions-*
- Mémoire 7: Femme fatale -Love- (Mentioned only)
- Mémoire 12: Deux Ombres -Point of Departure-*
- Mémoire 21: Un Autre -Scars-*
- Mémoire 24: Après la pluie -His Wish-
(*) - Denotes that the character did not appear physically, but as a part of another character's memories.
Trivia[]
- The Comte de St. Germain is known as a historical figure who was an avid adventurer as well as a skilled philosopher, with interests in science, alchemy, and the arts. He used a variety of different names and titles, and made purposefully far-fetched claims of himself such as being 500 years old. He has managed to obscure his true identity so thoroughly that still his background is totally obscured and his real name remains unknown.[11]
- It is implied he brought the recipe for tarte tatin to Altus, as mentioned by Luca.[12]
- His Japanese voice actor previously provided the voice of Xerxes Break from Pandora Hearts.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Mémoire 1: Vanitas
- ↑ Mémoire 7: Bal Masqué
- ↑ Mémoire 9: Réminiscence
- ↑ Mémoire 11: Deux Ombres
- ↑ Mémoire 54.5: La nuit sans lune (Part Two)
- ↑ Mémoire 55: Après la pluie (Part One)
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Mémoire 58: Observation
- ↑ Mémoire 59: Fuga
- ↑ Mémoire 61: Jeu de paume (Part One)
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Mémoire 62.5: Bourdonnement (Part Two)
- ↑ Wikipedia: Count of St. Germain
- ↑ Mémoire 12: Pause