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Introduction
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Hurler β A Calling Voice is the twenty-second 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[]
Evening has come and Vanitas and Jeanne walk down the lit-up and still crowded streets of Paris together. Jeanne wants to go back to the hill to retrieve her hat and parasol that had been lost in the struggle, but Vanitas protests that the Chasseurs might have been called. Jeanne is insistent as they had been a gift to her from Dominique, and Vanitas coldly says heβs sure the items have been taken and are being coveted greatly. Jeanne is distressed, thinking about Dominique. Vanitas offers to walk Jeanne to the Border sheβd used to get to the humansβ Paris. Jeanne stops in surprise, and Vanitas is confused. Slyly, Vanitas asks if Jeanne wanted to stay with him until morning. Jeanne blushes red and denies this, that she promised she wouldnβt return until sheβd accomplished her goal. Vanitas just continues teasing her, that said βgoalβ was determining her βloveβ for him. Jeanne vehemently denies this and proclaims that she wanted to cut ties with him and put all her energy into accomplishing this and endured all this humiliation in order to do soβ
Jeanne screams. She realizes all her prior efforts have gone totally to waste, and the utter defeat she feels is akin to the crumbling parts of those efforts slamming right into her skull. Vanitas laughs as Jeanne clutches her head, teary-eyed. He remarks that sheβd been charming today, but he likes this version of her best. Jeanne stares at him, then turns red, confused at the sudden flipping of her emotions. Vanitas comments on how surprising it is that Luca allowed her to come see him by herself, to which Jeanne freezes and turns her head away. Vanitas asks if she came without permission, but Jeanne says Luca is with his older brother. Vanitas recognizes this and calls him by name: the Beastia, Loki. Jeanne nods and says that thereβs no safer place for Luca than by Lokiβs side, so thereβs no need for her to protect him. She looks down impassively.
Jeanne had been told to use this opportunity to take a break, and was given permission from elsewhere to come see Vanitas. Vanitas asks whose permission, but comes to the conclusion himself: Ruthvenβs. Jeanne is puzzled by his reaction and confirms this. Vanitas stares silently at her. Jeanne gets further confused. Vanitas silently thinks something over to himself, before it clicks for him and his eyes widen in horror. He instantly runs off without another word or even glance backwards. Jeanne is alarmed, and soon enough, sheβs left standing all alone in the middle of the street. Vanitas is sprinting through the streets of Paris as fast as he possibly can, shoving past people and winding through narrow streets along the way. He thinks about Ruthven, and then he thinks about NoΓ©, and he grits his teeth. He runs even faster. He makes it to HΓ΄tel Chouchou and wastes no time, barging into their shared room. He calls out NoΓ©βs name, worry evident on his face.
NoΓ© is sprawled on the floor beside his bed. Heβs still in his sleep clothes, he seemingly hasnβt moved an inch since they last parted, and he yawns sleepily at Vanitas. Vanitas freezes. Irritably, he asks if NoΓ© actually slept the entire day away. NoΓ© sits up and groggily rubs his eyes, only to become alarmed when he sees itβs already completely dark out. Vanitas, totally drained, stumbles in to sit down on his bed. NoΓ© is still confused, remembering previously being at a cafΓ© eating some tarte tatin, but wonders in concern when he sees Vanitas holding his head and out of breath. Vanitas, completely frustrated, brushes it all off.
Back with Jeanne, sheβs left standing alone at a lamppost and wonders what happened to Vanitas. She assumes he wonβt be returning and simply leans back against the post by herself. Then Ruthven appears, to her surprise, and she addresses him as βTeacher.β Jeanne asks what heβs doing here, and he answers that he needed to attend to an urgent matter. Then he heard that an incident happened regarding a Vampire at Montmartre, and after assuming it was her, went to go find her. Jeanne pales and apologizes for that, but assures she never injured any humans. Then she remembers biting Vanitas and amends that she did but it was consensual. Ruthven calmly accepts all her explanations, then cups her face with his hand. He says that her dress looks good on her, and that her parents Γric and Louise would have loved to see her as she is now. He becomes lost in his memories, causing Jeanne to be concerned. Ruthven smiles nostalgically. He wraps his cloak around Jeanneβs shoulders, citing how cold the night is, and beckons her forth so they can go home together.
Olivier nervously stands before a closed door in the Catacombes. He knocks and is greeted by a woman wearing glasses and very messy and unkempt long hair. She complains about his presence at such an hour, and he apologizes before asking if Roland is inside, all the while balking at the absolute mess the state of her lab is in. The woman, Mira, points him to the library in the back, which he steps forward to head into. But Mira stops him in his tracks and demands to be paid an βentry fee,β in the form of a kiss. Olivier recoils at this and insists on paying another way. Mira complains about how prudish he is compared to Roland, and Olivier gets annoyed that Roland actually complied with her. He offers to have high-quality liquor sent her way before stomping past Mira and her mess of a workspace. He passes by shelves filled messily with books and scrolls and skulls and other trinkets, before arriving at the library, shelves upon shelves of countless books all around.
Roland sits at a desk with some books and documents, and he beams brightly at Olivierβs appearance. Olivier is annoyed. He asks what Roland is doing, to which Roland responds matter-of-factly: reading. Olivier had heard wind of Roland sneaking around investigating something, but Roland corrects this as him studying historyβthat is, the history of humans and Vampires. Olivierβs brow twitches in anger. Roland reassures that he hasnβt touched anything banned and stuck only to material heβs read before. Olivier asks why, and Roland says he thought heβd be able to see something he couldnβt see before. Olivier stares at him. Roland had always thought of Vampires as entirely and without exception evil. There wasnβt a doubt in his mind, and wondering otherwise wasnβt even an option, as all heβd done before as a Chasseur was wield his Durandal indiscriminately. Then, he met Vanitas and NoΓ©, and he saw their comradery, and he learned that that isnβt the case at all. Olivier quietly says Rolandβs name. Roland stands up from his seat, glowing with excitement, proclaiming how incredible it is that Godβs love and blessings are shared with Vampires as well.
Olivier grits his teeth, shouts Rolandβs name, and slaps the papers out of his hands. He harshly asserts that Roland is a Chasseur, and itβs his duty to hunt Vampires in the name of God. If their superiors hear about what Roland believes, theyβll deem him a threat, and in the worst case scenarioβhis parents and siblings will end up hurt. Roland is stunned and falls back into his chair. Olivier bites his lip, expression conflicted and almost guilty. Suddenly, Roland asks Olivier how many Paladins he thinks Roland could take on. Three or four Roland guesses, maybe more if he fought with his life on the line. Olivier is confused, approaching the desk with concern. Roland, with a bright smile, says he would probably have trouble taking Olivier down. Olivier is stunned. Roland stares at him with half-lidded eyes. Olivier twitches with outrage and realizes heβs being threatened in return, that Roland being taken down would mean the Chasseurs being half-destroyed as well.
Rolandβs smile turns more genuine and sympathetic. He says that he can only believe what he wants to believe. As he bends down to pick up the fallen papers, he describes what heβs doing as him doing his due diligence to confirm and clarify said beliefs. Olivier watches him with consternation. Then he notices Roland holding documents about August Ruthven. Roland excitedly confirms, as Ruthven played a key role in ending the war between humans and Vampires. Not to mention his position in The Senate and relationship to the Grand Duke Oriflamme, means that heβs a vital part of Vampire history. Olivier bends down to help pick up the papers, then finds one detailing βthe case of the Beast of GΓ©vaudan.β Roland looks over Olivierβs shoulder at the document as well, noting that before coming here he had no idea Vampires were involved, or Ruthven himself for that matter. Olivier reads about the incident contemplatively. It was during Louis XVβs reign of France, in which over a hundred people were brutally murdered in the regions of Auvergne and GΓ©vaudan. Publicly the culprit was said to be due to wolves in the area, but the Church determined a Vampire to be behind the incidents. This case had been exceptional for the Church, because for the first time ever in all of history, the Chasseurs worked alongside Vampires in order to resolve it. Despite this, all and any efforts were in vain, as the murderer simply vanished out of nowhere one day. And despite all the unanswered questions remaining, the matter was shut and closed. Olivier looks at the drawing of the Beast on the document contemplatively, dark strokes of a paintbrush illustrating the Beastβs vicious visage.
The high howl of a wolf pierced the night sky. Snow fell gently, blanketing the world in pure white, the soft crystals colored alabaster fluttering in the wind and falling upon a lone figure who was knelt to the ground. The figure with her hairβs color matching that of the wintery landscape looked upwards and remarked how the moon couldnβt been seen on that night either. She walked through the snow, the wolvesβ howling following her as she trudged past countless dead bodies and their pools of blood, trailing with her footsteps a single line of stark red in the snow like a stroke of paint across an untouched canvas. She reached her bloodstained hands to the sky and begged for someone to hurry and come quickly, and called that someoneβs nameββJeanneβ¦!β
Jeanne stares in surprise; her and Ruthvenβs walk is interrupted by a pair of underlings whoβve come bearing urgent news. At the same time, Dante bursts into Vanitas and NoΓ©βs room through the window, searching for the human doctor. Vanitas asks if Dominique wasnβt with Dante, catching NoΓ©βs attention, and Dante notes that Vanitas indeed knew about their tailing him. Vanitas retorts that it wouldβve been stranger to not notice the two of them, and he left them alone since they looked to be having fun, and Dante agrees. NoΓ© gets eager to see Dominique, but Dante tells him that heβd parted ways with her already. Dante moves onto more important matters, as heβd just heard some truly extraordinary information. At once, Dante reveals the matter while Ruthvenβs underlings notify the exact same to him and Jeanneβ
The Beast of GΓ©vaudan has returned. Jeanne stares with unknown emotion.
NoΓ© is surprised, but does not at all recognize the Beast or the name of the place in question. Vanitas laughs, catching NoΓ© and Danteβs attention, and he remarks how interesting this is. The light cast over him sharpens his features and forms a dark shadow above his form, as Vanitas asks for more details, and smirks with anticipation.
Characters[]
- Vanitas
- Jeanne
- Luca Oriflamme (Mentioned only)
- Loki Oriflamme (Mentioned only)
- NoΓ© Archiviste
- August Ruthven
- Γric (Mentioned only)
- Louise (Mentioned only)
- Olivier
- Mira (First Appearance)
- Roland Fortis
- ChloΓ© d'Apchier* (First Appearance)
- Dante
- Dominique de Sade*
- Beast of GΓ©vaudan (Mentioned only)
(*) - Denotes that the character did not appear physically, but as a part of another character's memories.
Terms[]
Trivia[]
- Hurler is literally translated as "scream" from French.
- The Beast of GΓ©vaudan was an actual beast which carried out over 200 attacks in the GΓ©vaudan province of south-central France between 1764 and 1767.[1]
- This chapter marks the start of Yen Press's change in translation of "γγΌγ©γ³" from "Laurent" to "Roland."
References[]
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| v - e - t | The Case Study of Vanitas Chapters |
|---|---|
| Parisian Excursion Arc | 1 β’ 2 β’ 3 β’ 4 β’ 5 |
| Bal MasquΓ© Arc | 6 β’ 7 β’ 8 β’ 9 β’ 10 β’ 11 |
| Hunters of the Dark Arc | 12 β’ 13 β’ 14 β’ 15 β’ 16 β’ 17 β’ 18 β’ 19 β’ 20 β’ 21 |
| The Beast of GΓ©vaudan Arc | 22 β’ 23 β’ 24 β’ 25 β’ 26 β’ 27 β’ 28 β’ 29 β’ 30 β’ 31 β’ 32 β’ 33 β’ 34 β’ 34.5 β’ 35 β’ 36 β’ 37 β’ 38 β’ 38.5 β’ 39 β’ 40 β’ 41 β’ 42 β’ 43 |
| Amusement Park Arc | 44 β’ 45 β’ 46 β’ 47 β’ 48 β’ 49 β’ 50 β’ 51 β’ 52 β’ 53 β’ 54 β’ 54.5 β’ 55 β’ 55.5 β’ 56 |
| Miel Incident Arc | 57 β’ 58 β’ 59 β’ 60 β’ 61 β’ 61.5 β’ 62 β’ 62.5 β’ 63 β’ 64 β’ 65 β’ 66 |
| Intermissions | 15.5 β’ 46.5 β’ 51.5 β’ 60.5 |
| Volumes | 1 β’ 2 β’ 3 β’ 4 β’ 5 β’ 6 β’ 7 β’ 8 β’ 9 β’ 10 β’ 11 |
| Omake | Vanitashu no Karute β’ Romance is aβ°LOVE MISSION β’ Confessional Counseling Office |
| Other | Author's Notes |