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Introduction
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Endroit Approprié — Melee is the twenty-fifth chapter of Jun Mochizuki's The Case Study of Vanitas.
This article contains plot and/or ending details for The Case Study of Vanitas.
Read at your own risk.
Summary[]
In a busy corridor full of clanking machinery and their chattering colleagues, Olivier and Roland walk together. They discuss the coincidence, of “this” happening right after they had talked about the Beast of Gévaudan just the other day. Olivier attributes this to Roland’s talent for attracting trouble, which Roland takes as a compliment rather than a sarcastic insult, annoying Olivier. Roland brings up that Astolfo has already arrived in Gévaudan. Olivier adds that Gano will soon join him after an incident in Carcassonne is finished being dealt with. Roland notes that as odd, which Olivier agrees with. The two of them look at each other. They wonder why the Church would send out “a boy like Astolfo” before anyone else when any misstep will give extremists excuse for reigniting the war with the Vampires.
In Gévaudan, the howling of wolves fills the air. Astolfo listens to this chaotic, dissonant noise and scratches at his own arms, expression twisted with ecstasy. Noé standing off against him asks why Astolfo killed those dragoons. Astolfo stares at him. If Astolfo truly is a Chasseur, Noé continues, then why attack humans like them? Astolfo answers: those men mistook him for a woman. Noé goes blank with surprise. When Astolfo had encountered the dragoons, they had surrounded him and began groping and harassing him despite his protests. And so, such a massacre ensued, which Astolfo calls “justified self-defense.” Noé takes a step back as Astolfo continues: he’s mistaken about the job of a Chasseurs, as it isn’t to protect humans—it’s to hunt Vampires. Astolfo wields his spear with a sly smile and asks if Noé understands. Noé’s eyes are wide.
Astolfo attacks. His spear hits a tree trunk, Noé having jumped out of the way at the last second. Astolfo is ecstatic; Noé’s red eyes appeared at the sign of danger, and he laughs with glee at having found a Vampire. Astolfo’s wild laughter continues as he continuously slashes at Noé’s retreating figure, missing only by inches every time. Astolfo admonishes his opponent for only running away and nothing else. Noé is astonished as he realizes: Astolfo is truly enjoying himself, staring at the boy’s flushed and elated expression as he fights and kills. Noé remembers the other Chasseurs he’d encountered before—Roland, Georges, Maria, and the way they interacted with him. Noé grits his teeth, because while Roland, Georges, and Maria may be Chasseurs, none of them were even close to anything like Astolfo. Nearby one of the dragoons moans, still alive despite his injuries. Noé turns to him in surprise—but then Astolfo whips his spear and slices the man across his back again. Noé’s eyes are wide. Astolfo, darkly with intense anger, berates the man for interfering with not only his work back then but also his fun right now. He stomps on the man repeatedly, furiously, completely wild and deranged.
Astolfo stops with a sigh to inject another dose of the Chasseurs’ serum into his neck. Noé stares at him in total astonishment. His eyes red and fangs bared, he angrily shouts what is wrong with him and lunges for Astolfo. Astolfo turns, expression euphoric when he hears that Noé is ready to properly fight. He lunges with his spear towards Noé, striking repeatedly with such speed and force that several shallow cuts erupt on Noé’s arms. Astolfo whips his spear back, and Noé makes to take the opening to subdue him—but his spear clangs as Astolfo stabs upwards and slashes Noé right across the chest. Noé falls onto his back in shock. Astolfo advances on top of him and raises his spear high above his head to prepare to strike down, and calls the name of his weapon—his “pillar of justice,” Louisette.
A boom resounds. The Beast of Gévaudan and Jeanne wielding her Crimson Gauntlet emerge from the woods, locked in a fierce battle. Astolfo and Noé stare up at them in shock.
Vanitas yells Noé’s name. Astolfo stiffens and waves his spear to defend against the bullets shot at him. He leaps backwards off of Noé, who looks up and sees Vanitas running towards him and Dante aiming with his gun. Noé makes to stand up, but is thrown backwards by the force of the Beast running past. Dante tends to Noé while Johann approaches from far behind. Vanitas runs forward and yells at Jeanne to not kill the Beast yet. Jeanne does not heed his words; she leaps high into the air above the Beast with her Crimson Gauntlet posed and ready. The Gauntlet charges up its energy, and she fires downward, unleashing an enormous wave of heat and fire onto the forest below. The force of the attack knocks Vanitas onto his back, has Johann and Noé reeling, and makes Dante yell to her in alarm lest the rest of them die.
Noé is shocked to find Jeanne here, then stiffens when he hears the Chasseurs’ reinforcements arrive. Astolfo’s Vice-Captain, Marco, comes running to the boy, fussing over him going off on his own. He remarks about the Beast and how terrifying it is, but Astolfo knocks the butt of his spear into Marco’s gut, making him double over in pain. Astolfo observes the grand battle occurring before his eyes: not only the Beast of Gévaudan but also the Hellfire Witch. He laughs in elation for being able to not only see the Beast but also the infamous Bourreau of Lord Ruthven. Marco admonishes his Captain that the Beast takes priority, but Astolfo seems to not hear him. Johann, still fussing over Noé, identifies the young Chasseur as “Astolfo of Garnet,” the youngest Paladin among the Chasseurs in all of history, having become one at only fifteen. He worries over the wounds he caused on Noé, but Noé brushes off the concern. Vanitas looks at Noé, then back where he’d come from where the dead dragoons laid. Noé angrily gears himself up to return to battle, prepared to once more face off against Astolfo—
Vanitas smacks him in the face and tells him to calm down. Dante and Johann stare, and Noé doubles back and looks to Vanitas with offense. Vanitas asks if Astolfo was stronger than Roland. Noé, still all worked up, vehemently denies this and remembers Roland being a much, much scarier and tougher opponent than Astolfo. Vanitas then asks why he’s so agitated. Noé stiffens, and Vanitas continues to ask if Noé was hoping to be able to talk things through like with Roland, if he was holding back due to Astolfo being a child. Noé makes a distraught expression, caught by Vanitas’s completely accurate statements and unable to make a response. Vanitas tells Noé that he’s too flustered and emotionally compromised to be able to perform well. Astolfo and the Chasseurs on one side, Jeanne and the Beast of Gévaudan on the other. “Put the right person in the right place”—
And so, Vanitas entwined his arm with Noé’s and twirls them around so they’ve swapped sides. Immediately, Vanitas starts yelling in an exaggerated tone, making sure to put on an affect of total fear as he shouts about a Chasseur Paladin being present and it possibly being “The Roland of Jasper.” Astolfo freezes in place. Marco does as well, with alarm. Despite Noé, Dante, and Johann’s unease, Vanitas continues; he pretends to respond to an imaginary other part of the conversation and feigns confusion over the identity of “Astolfo of Garnet.” Astolfo turns towards him, and Marco turns pale. Vanitas erupts into giggles, expressing relief that their opponent isn’t the undefeatable Roland of Jasper, and instead it’s a “little girl” like Astolfo. He even adds on him laughing at the fact that Astolfo is in truth male.
A thud resounds. Marco, hit square in the chin by the butt of his Captain’s spear, falls over. Astolfo glares menacingly, eyes absolutely dripping with fury, completely and properly provoked by Vanitas’s machinations. Vanitas smirks at how easy that was, while Noé sweats with concern and calls his companion’s name in question. Vanitas explains the background of the young Chasseur they have as an enemy: “Astolfo of Garnet,” well-known by people as “the Chasseurs’ problem child” and for deeply and passionately hating Roland (this Vanitas understands completely). After they’d run into the Chasseurs, Vanitas made sure to do his research and learn as much information on the Paladins as he could. That is his forte, Vanitas declares as he wields his knife. Noé stares at Vanitas as he’s told to go stop Jeanne. If the Beast truly is a curse-bearer transformed, he can’t have anyone, Chasseur or Bourreau, killing it before he can even determine what Malnomen it suffers from.
Vanitas says he’s here to save Vampires—is Noé here for any other reason? Noé stares at Vanitas. He grits his teeth and says of course not. Vanitas smiles, and the two of them part ways to do what each of them do best.
Jeanne is deep in the middle of an intense battle with the Beast. She races through the snow, her Crimson Gauntlet radiating heat and flame. Just as she rushes forth in her fight, her memories of the past rush through her head; her begging Ruthven to allow her to go to Gévaudan, her past in which she faced off against that person in this exact place amidst a blizzard of snow, her regret and desire to take responsibility for her failure to kill her last time…
Jeanne calls out a name. “Chloé!” The Beast of Gévaudan stares her down.
Characters[]
(*) - Denotes that the character did not appear physically, but as a part of another character's memories.
Terms[]
Trivia[]
- Endroit Approprié is literally translated as "appropriate place" from French.
References[]
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| v - e - t | The Case Study of Vanitas Chapters |
|---|---|
| Parisian Excursion Arc | 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 |
| Bal Masqué Arc | 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 |
| Hunters of the Dark Arc | 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 |
| The Beast of Gévaudan Arc | 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30 • 31 • 32 • 33 • 34 • 34.5 • 35 • 36 • 37 • 38 • 38.5 • 39 • 40 • 41 • 42 • 43 |
| Amusement Park Arc | 44 • 45 • 46 • 47 • 48 • 49 • 50 • 51 • 52 • 53 • 54 • 54.5 • 55 • 55.5 • 56 |
| Miel Incident Arc | 57 • 58 • 59 • 60 • 61 • 61.5 • 62 • 62.5 • 63 • 64 • 65 |
| Intermissions | 15.5 • 46.5 • 51.5 • 60.5 |
| Volumes | 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 |
| Omake | Vanitashu no Karute • Romance is a✰LOVE MISSION • Confessional Counseling Office |
| Other | Author's Notes |