TPA 12

Chapter 12

The Gourmet’s Table (7)

Only now did Misa truly grasp how helpless a human was when they couldn’t freely move their hands and feet.

She could feel, all too clearly, the knife slicing her clothes apart, yet there was nothing she could do.

If only her hands were free, she might have been able to do something—anything.

Am I… going to die like this in the end?

She had always thought she wasn’t afraid of death, because she had already endured suffering worse than dying once before.

The dead suffer only for a moment. After that comes peaceful rest.
But those who are left behind do not.

Those who remain must carry that pain to the very end.

Life itself became hell—more painful than death.

Even so, that didn’t mean she truly wasn’t afraid of dying.

Somewhere deep down, there was always fear. She just couldn’t show it.

The moment you showed weakness, it was the same as losing to your enemy.

So she couldn’t be afraid.

Even if her belly were split open right now and her organs torn out, she couldn’t show her fear.

What do I do…

If she didn’t remove the shackles on her hands right now, she would die without question.

She strained with all her strength, trying to break free. Of course, breaking shackles with human strength was absurd—but it was still a desperate struggle.

Wait—if this works…

Right. It should be impossible for a human to break shackles.

Unless these shackles were poorly made, defective junk.

But for some reason, when she put in a bit of force, they reacted as if they might break.

Huh? That shouldn’t be possible.

Misa put in all her strength. She heard the sound of cracking metal. The chain wavered on the verge of snapping, then with a dull clunk, it broke.

The moment her hand shackles came off, Misa grabbed Epicure’s hair and drove her foot straight into his face.

Epicure was flung far back, slammed into the wall, and collapsed onto the floor.

She immediately broke the shackles on her feet as well. Whether they were flimsy or whether extraordinary strength had surged out of her in that extreme situation, she didn’t know—but either way, this was her chance.

Thinking rationally, it was impossible for her to subdue that man on her own.

Surviving until Ul arrived was the priority.

Misa threw the door open and ran.

Soldiers who heard the commotion chased after her, while Epicure rose, brushing off his clothes with visible irritation.

“She broke the shackles by herself. A human woman, at that…”

There was nothing wrong with the shackles.

He himself had fastened them to the human woman’s limbs and had thoroughly checked their condition, just in case.

Standing there in a daze as if he’d taken a solid hit, he lifted his head.

“…No way.”

He had thought her scent was unusual.

Could it be…?

As the thought flashed through his mind, he suddenly burst into loud laughter.

“Hahaha, this is interesting. If it’s true, this is a real jackpot.”

If what he suspected was true, then he absolutely had to eat that human woman.

An opportunity like this was rare.

“To think you’d violated the taboo.”

The smile on his face twisted into something chilling. Obsession with a tempting prey flickered in his eyes.

The interior of the castle was complicated—she knew that—but perhaps because of the pressure of being chased, she felt as if she’d completely lost her sense of direction.

Behind her were crowds of soldiers chasing her with swords. She was running desperately to avoid them, but she couldn’t see anything resembling an exit. It felt like she was just going in circles.

Should she have run the moment she realized how big this had become?

If she’d been alone, she would have died long ago. The gates out of the castle would surely be sealed, and no matter how hard she struggled, she would eventually be caught.

After all, the owner of this castle wasn’t human, but a monster. Catching someone like her would be child’s play.

There was only one thing she could take comfort in: just like the lord of the castle, there was another “monster” on her side.

If it weren’t for Ul, she wouldn’t have even dared to dig into this place.

She pretended otherwise, but she admitted to herself that she’d been relying on his existence.

It hurt her pride, but this wasn’t something she could finish on her own. As a human, subduing a top-tier beastman by herself was impossible, no matter how rationally she thought about it.

But Ul could do it.

With his power that transcended humanity, he would resolve everything in one stroke.

That was why she had to survive at all costs until he arrived. And so Misa kept running. After sprinting through the endlessly dark corridors for who knew how long, a large arm suddenly shot out from the side.

It grabbed her in one motion and yanked her in.

“I’m about to die from being out of breath.”

“Huff—huff—You’re here? What about the others?”

“They should be awake by now. They’ll have reported it to the Investigation Bureau.”

“There are still people underground who haven’t been rescued.”

“Before them, you come first.”

Her legs gave out. The tension that had stiffened her body finally loosened.

Seeing her pale face drenched in cold sweat, Ul frowned.

“Are you hurt?”

“Not hurt—just in a state of extreme tension.”

“I went underground to get you and panicked when you weren’t there.”

“Well, the fridge was empty. Of course the owner wouldn’t just sit still. I almost ended up as tonight’s dinner.”

“Then I’ll just kill that bastard before that. Looks like I arrived in time—you didn’t get served as dinner.”

His voice was calm, but there was an unmistakable killing intent beneath it. Misa flinched at the unfamiliar side of him and lowered her gaze.

“Let’s go.”

As Ul took the lead, Misa grabbed his hand. With a worried expression, she asked carefully,

“Are you sure? It’ll be dangerous.”

“You want him dead, don’t you?”

“If we let him live… he’ll just keep doing this.”

“Exactly. That’s why he has to die.”

“You know better than anyone that beastman isn’t ordinary. It’s dangerous. You could get hurt.”

She wasn’t afraid of the lord.

She was afraid Ul might get hurt. After all, she was the one who’d dragged him into this.

“Are you scared now?”

“I’m not scared of him. I’m scared you’ll get hurt—or die.”

Ul let out a low chuckle at her words, then patted her head with a somewhat arrogant expression.

“Is that head of yours empty?”

“What?! I was worried about you and you suddenly pick a fight?”

“I told you—I don’t die.”

“……”

“Why worry about pointless things?”

“Even so, getting hurt still hurts. It’s painful.”

“I’m used to pain.”

“……”

“And compared to the pain of all the days before I met you, this is nothing.”

Misa pressed her lips together and looked at him. Ul spoke as if it were nothing.

“You said you’d use me.”

“……”

“Go ahead and use me as much as you want. Wasn’t that our contract?”

So there was no need to feel uncomfortable or guilty.

“We’re just helping each other get what we want. No need to feel burdened.”

Was he easing her conscience?

Misa stared at him blankly, then nodded.

“Please. I’ll help with everything I’ve got too.”

The two of them looked at each other, then stepped forward toward the same destination.

It was time to kill the monster hiding behind a human façade.

The nauseating stench of blood made her want to vomit.

Ul moved at a leisurely pace, frowning as the increasingly thick smell of blood filled the air. The repulsive male pheromones saturated everything around them.

There was no need to think long about why he was releasing such an enormous amount of pheromones.

Looks like he’s completely enraged.

Having lost everything, there was no way he could still be rational.

Especially since beastmen tended to have poor emotional control.

Ul and Misa stopped in front of the lord’s bedchamber. The ominous, disgusting pheromones leaked through the cracks in the door.

He must have known Ul was coming here. Ul let out a short laugh and muttered,

“So he’s waiting.”

Ul slowly opened the door.

A man sat in a chair, emitting black, sinister pheromones. In the darkness, golden eyes glinted viciously.

Epicure suppressed his anger and spoke in a composed tone.

“I don’t understand what you’re trying to do.”

“……”

“Why someone like you would run around with a human and interfere in my territory—I just can’t understand it.”

Ul remained silent. Epicure glared at him and demanded,

“Who are you?”

Yes—who was he?

More than his anger at having his prey stolen, this unsettled Epicure. Something about this beastman’s existence made him uneasy.

“Just as you see. A beastman, same as you.”

“There are only twelve perfected creations my mother made, including me. I’ve never seen or heard of someone like you.”

“Twelve, huh. You’ve increased quite a bit in the meantime.”

The “mother” Epicure referred to was likely the woman who created beastmen—someone Ul had once loved dearly.

“Lena hasn’t changed. Hiding like a rat and creating countless pieces of trash over all those years.”

“How dare you insult my mother!”

Epicure, who had maintained his composure until now, openly raised his voice in rage.

An ordinary beastman would have been crushed by that pressure and overwhelming pheromones. But Ul didn’t budge.

Epicure’s gaze shifted to Misa behind Ul.

“You violated the taboo.”

“……”

“You injected your pheromones into that human, didn’t you? That’s why she could break the shackles and escape. She’s not a normal human body anymore. Right?”

Discomfort flickered across Ul’s previously calm face. His eyes darkened instantly.

Reading Ul’s reaction precisely, Epicure burst into laughter.

“Hahaha! I see! A human who can survive your pheromones—amazing. Truly amazing, and yet… unfortunate. That child will have to live her whole life as an incomplete being.”

Incomplete…?

Misa looked at Ul, confused. But Ul gave no answer.

“Why did she have to meet you? If my mother had been there instead, she could have been reborn as a complete being.”

“I think that would be even more horrifying.”

“Horrifying? Why? Many humans fear us, yet at the same time are drawn to our strength and beauty.”

“That’s just your delusion.”

Beastmen were a species that should never have existed—mutants.

Artificial life that defied primordial truth, and utterly useless to the world—

“Trash.”

“No, the trash are humans. Weak humans.”

“You were human once too.”

“But not anymore. I’m a chosen, superior breed.”

“And that chosen, superior breed is scheduled to die here today.”

Ul closed the distance to Epicure in an instant.

It happened in the blink of an eye—and what was even more shocking was that Epicure read his movement and dodged it.

Too fast—I can’t even follow it with my eyes.

The overwhelming physical difference between beastman and human was on full display. Knowing she had to do something yet being unable to do anything—such was human helplessness.

All she could do was watch.

“If you gave that one your pheromones, then no matter what, I’ll eat her today.”

Epicure retreated in an instant, then reached toward Misa behind Ul. A white hand moved even faster and grabbed his.

“She’s mine.”

“Then I’ll just take her.”

“I’ll kill you.”

“I intend to kill you here as well, you insolent wolf.”

Grinding their teeth at each other, the two beasts clashed, tearing into one another with terrifying ferocity.

Epicure constantly aimed for Misa, and Ul blocked him every time as if by instinct.

Sharp claws and fangs ripped flesh apart. Blood sprayed violently.

Whose flesh and whose blood—it was impossible to tell. Their movements were too fast, showing no sign of stopping.

Misa realized that this fight wouldn’t end quickly. Even amid torn flesh and gushing blood, both bodies regenerated at an astonishing rate.

Wounds formed, then healed instantly, over and over again. There was no end in sight.

Does that man not have a vital point either? Or is it like the beastman I met before—does he have a weakness somewhere else?

Unless they struck a vital point, this fight would never end.

The question was how to find it. Whichever side discovered the other’s vital point first would decide the outcome.

“We’re superior. Why not acknowledge that and stand with the beastmen?”

“I’ll pass.”

Were they brainwashed through experiments?

Why were beastmen so obsessed with believing themselves superior?

Even talking felt like a waste of time.

Epicure seemed to feel the same.

As Epicure extended his tongue, his claws elongated. They shot forward, piercing Ul’s neck.

Thud.

The claws embedded themselves in his neck, fresh blood streaming down.

Yet Ul didn’t even flinch.

His calm—almost serene—expression only made Epicure more frantic, leading to attacks on other parts of his body.

Thud, thud, thud.

The claws stabbed through him again and again.

Blood poured out. Any normal beastman would have died—but Ul remained unfazed.

Where is his vital point…?

No matter how much his body was pierced, he wouldn’t die. He didn’t even seem to feel pain. That composure sent chills down her spine.

For the first time in his life, Epicure felt fear.

He realized that the beastman before him was far stronger than he had anticipated.

He staggered back, then began laughing madly as his flesh warped and bulged.

“If I can’t kill you, I’ll eat you whole!”

Ul, who had been passively receiving the attacks, showed interest.

“Oh? So I’m not the only one who can transform into a beast.”

The man’s body grew enormous, bursting through the castle.

His true form was a massive serpent. Transformed into a monstrous snake, he hissed and opened his jaws wide.

Ul leapt onto the giant snake. He casually swung his hand a few times, and the snake’s body was sliced apart.

Ul landed lightly and turned around.

The snake, which should have been in pieces, had already returned to its original form.

“So I really do have to find the vital point. How annoying.”

To find it, he would have to attack every part of the body.

It was a hassle—but it was the only way to subdue the snake.

Just as Ul was about to leap again, black gas spewed from Epicure’s mouth. The foul, corrosive gas melted everything around it—and parts of Ul’s body as well.

But Ul’s dissolved flesh quickly regenerated.

As Misa watched this endless, unbelievable spectacle, she noticed something.

What’s that… shining?

Something was glinting on the snake’s neck as it threatened with its mouth open.

She rubbed her eyes, but the shining mark didn’t disappear. For some reason, her gaze kept returning to it. And instinct seemed to be telling her—aim there.

Could it be…

Following her instinct, she pulled out the gun she was carrying.

The specially made muzzle, designed to kill beastmen, aimed at the shining target.

Bang!

With a deafening gunshot, the bullet struck the gleaming mark.

In that instant, the monstrous snake—unfazed by any wound until now—let out a horrific scream.