TPA 17

Chapter 17

The Night of Insensitivity (4)

2018.01.29

To speak of everything about the beastmen meant that Wool could no longer evade responsibility for having created such beings.

He had loved one woman.
For the sake of that woman’s dream, he had granted her reckless requests—
and the number of people sacrificed as a result reached into the hundreds.

A dream that had begun in a small rural village gradually became soaked in madness,
and as it did, the relationship between the two of them began to rot and change.

They loved each other.

But the kind of love they held for one another was different.

Once things began to go wrong, they spiraled out of control, creaking and tangling beyond repair.

Their relationship had already become so thoroughly ruined that neither of them could fix it anymore. There was no turning back.

— Wool, I love you. This dream is for you. To love you forever! To make you perfect—someone the person I love will never be looked down on by anyone.

Was it an obsession born from losing her parents to illness?
Lena was particularly fixated on humanity’s “finite lifespan” and “aging.”

The experiment began with the creation of vaccines—ones that would prevent people from dying of disease.

But as a researcher belonging to a small countryside laboratory, she received little state funding. The path she walked was always one of relentless hardship.

Endless suffering eventually transformed even her once-positive personality.

Her age continued to increase, yet her research remained stagnant. It was only natural that her impatience grew more severe with each passing day.

— Why are humans so weak? Why do we die and grow old so easily…? Why is our time so short? I haven’t done anything yet… Why won’t time wait for me?

That impatience slowly drove Lena insane.

— This won’t work. There’s a limit to experimenting only on animals. We need humans. We’re creating medicine for humans, after all! Of course we have to test it on humans. Only then can the research be perfect. Don’t you think?

And eventually, her madness reached the forbidden.

— Wool, help me. Dig up graves and bring me the bodies. They’re already dead anyway. They’ve died once—so what does it matter?

At first, she only experimented on corpses.

But the results were unsatisfactory. What began as grave-robbing eventually escalated into human trafficking.

Dirtying his hands fell entirely upon Wool.
He knew that Lena had already lost her sanity—yet he refused to accept it.

He couldn’t bring himself to admit that the woman he loved was going mad and falling apart. She was his entire world, and acknowledging that truth meant admitting that his world itself was collapsing.

— This still isn’t enough. We need more. Let’s capture people. The research is in its final stage… We need to increase the number of test subjects.

To earn money, he committed monstrous acts no human should—illegal gambling, human trafficking, and worse. Every coin he earned went into funding the research of the woman he loved.

Those captured as test subjects cursed the pair endlessly.

You’re worse than beasts!
You’ll be struck by divine punishment!

But Lena and Wool merely laughed it off. They had already learned a harsh truth through life.

That no god would ever come to save them.

And yet, despite claiming not to believe, Lena longed for the absolute truth called “God.”

Eternal life.
Youth that never faded.
A life without sickness or suffering.

She believed these were privileges reserved for gods—and that humans were weak precisely because they lacked them.

Her obsessive desire to create a perfect being that surpassed even God corrupted her original purpose, and in doing so, gave birth to the worst monster of all:

The beastmen.

That was the true nature of the horrific catastrophe—
one unknown to both humans and the rampaging beastmen of today.

*

“Please tell me now. Why I’m not a normal human—and about the conversation you once had with Epicure as well.”

Wool hesitated.

How would she take this?
It might shock her deeply.

But the hesitation didn’t last long. She had the right to know, and hiding it would solve nothing.

“You’re not a normal human because my pheromones were injected into your body.”

“Pheromones?”

“The very first substance Lena developed—the one that created beastmen. That is pheromones.”

“……”

“When they were injected into your human body, change was already inevitable.”

“By change, you don’t mean…”

“Yes. Beastification.”

Misa’s face stiffened.

Just as Wool had expected, the truth hit her hard. She pressed her lips together, her hands trembling.

“The pheromones inside you caused changes. You said before that you could see Epicure’s vital points, right? That’s most likely an ability gained through that change.”

“Then… does that mean I’m no longer human? Am I becoming a full beastman?”

“I’m afraid I can’t call you human anymore.”

“……”

“But you’re not a complete beastman either. You don’t show the symptoms beastmen usually do.”

If she were a complete beastman, she would be plagued by an overwhelming urge to kill.

When humans turn into beastmen, not only does their bloodlust increase, but their inherent desires become excessively amplified.

That is why beastmen are feared.

Unable to withstand their overflowing instincts, they surrender to them—causing immense harm to others.

“……But if beastification is progressing, doesn’t that mean I might eventually start killing people too?”

“I can’t say for certain how your body will change. All existing beastmen were created using Lena’s pheromones, and the amount used was far greater than what I injected into you.”

“……”

“The pheromones I gave you were an extremely small amount. Whether they’ll dominate your mind is questionable. Personally, I think the chance of you becoming a complete beastman is low.”

“But it’s not zero, is it?”

“That’s right.”

So that was why.

Why she had been able to break free of the shackles so easily in Epicure’s castle.
Why she could see his vital points at a glance.

Because beastification had already begun.

“So I’ve become something neither human nor beastman—some awkward in-between.”

“I’m sorry for making you this way. But at the time, I had no other choice.”

“I know. It was the last resort to save my life.”

“Thank you for understanding.”

“……Still, it’s unsettling. I’ve lost my identity.”

“I know. If you accepted it easily, that would be strange.”

Wool knew all too well how agonizing it was to be unable to live as a human.

It felt as though one’s very existence was denied—
like plunging into the depths of despair.

And for someone who already harbored disgust toward beastmen, it would be even worse.

She would live in fear for the rest of her life—
fear that she might become the very monster she despised.

“You’re calmer than I expected.”

“I’m trying my best to think positively.”

“That’s not easy.”

“I’ve developed a habit of forcing myself to think positively when I face difficult situations. If I collapse into despair, I won’t be able to endure it.”

“There’s one more thing you should know. Your body will attract beastmen.”

“Attract them?”

Wool nodded.

“Cases of successful beastification through pheromone injection are extremely rare. That’s why they call it a ‘taboo.’”

“……”

“But throughout history, a handful of survivors existed. Most of them gained extraordinary physical abilities or unique powers.”

“Then why does that make me attract beastmen?”

“The strength and hierarchy among beastmen are determined at birth. They’re divided into dominant and recessive types based on pheromone concentration. That innate difference in strength can’t be overcome.”

There was, however, one way to deepen that concentration.

“By hunting and devouring someone with stronger pheromones than yourself.”

“…….”

“My pheromones are inside you.”

“…….”

“To beastmen, you’re an irresistible prey. Compared to me, you’re an incomplete being—far easier to overpower.”

“So what they’re really after is the pheromones inside me.”

“Exactly.”

Misa fell silent, deep in thought.

Sensing she needed time to organize her thoughts, Wool waited without interrupting her.

After several dozen minutes, she finally spoke.

“So beastification gives me stronger physical abilities than when I was human, right?”

“That’s right.”

“And this ability to see a beastman’s weak points came from beastification too?”

“Yes.”

“Then is it possible I’ll gain other abilities?”

“No way to know.”

“But it’s certain I’ll be stronger than before.”

“It won’t even be comparable.”

Misa grinned.

“Thinking about it… this might actually be a good thing.”

“…What?”

“If my body attracts beastmen, that means I don’t need pheromone perfumes anymore to lure them out. Hunting will be much easier, right?”

“……”

“And surpassing human limits means I’ll be able to subdue beastmen more easily than before.”

Faced with such a very her way of thinking, Wool let out a drained laugh.

“That’s an impressive way to see it.”

“What choice do I have? Worrying endlessly won’t change anything. I have to adapt.”

“Aren’t you afraid of becoming a beastman? Of becoming the same kind of being you hate?”

“Then I’ll become a beastman like you.”

“…….”

“You’re a beastman, but you’re not a monster.”

Not a monster?

Wool stared at her before breaking into a hollow laugh.

“You’re the first person to ever say that about me.”

“You try to live like a human. You restrain your urges.”

“I was called a monster even when I was human.”

“Whatever your past was like, the person standing in front of me now isn’t a monster.”

Wool had never once considered himself human.

As a human, he had trampled the weak, abused others, committed countless acts no human should.
And when he finally became a true monster, he was no longer human at all.

No one had ever said such words to him.

Humans had always feared him—then and now. Those drawn in by his appearance quickly discovered the ugliness beneath and trembled in terror.

“……You really say things like that so easily.”

“I’m just telling the truth.”

Her mischievous smile was lovely.

There was no falsehood in her bright expression—only sincerity. Perhaps that was why it felt even more radiant.

Was this what it felt like to be washed clean after being covered in filth?

Warm.
Comforting.

Wool carefully reached out and took her small, pale hand.

“Thank you. Truly.”

His lips brushed against the back of her hand.

Caught off guard, Misa’s face flushed red. She looked flustered, but she didn’t pull away.

Because she knew what a kiss on the hand meant.

“Cough… anyway, tell me more about this Lena person.”

At the mention of Lena’s name, sorrow vanished from Wool’s eyes, replaced by rage.

With a face hardened like ice, he replied.

“The human who created me. You could call her the mother of all beastmen.”

“You said she lived a thousand years ago—does that mean she’s still alive?”

“Isn’t it obvious, given that the number of beastmen keeps increasing?”

“How can a human live over a thousand years? Don’t tell me…”

“She probably turned herself into a beastman.”

“So she’s still alive, creating beastmen and watching the slaughter unfold? Why would she do something so insane? Did she want to wipe out humanity from the start?”

“No. At first, it was simply an experiment for immortality.”

Strong convictions change easily.

And in the end, humans are devoured by their own beliefs.

“Immortality…”

“Her parents died from incurable diseases. That’s why her obsession with immortality was so severe.”

“Then beastmen were created from that obsession?”

“Their abnormal physical abilities and long lifespans are the result of her fixation on immortality.”

She had originally wanted to become a doctor.

To save weak humans who died helplessly from illness—just like her parents.

“But she eventually abandoned that dream and became a scientist.”

Because medicine of that era was far too primitive.

“No matter how good a doctor she became, there was nothing she could do. So she became a scientist instead. She probably thought she had to advance medicine itself.”

“And someone like that ended up like this…”

“As I said before, excessive conviction drives people mad.”

What an absurd tragedy.

“An experiment meant to save humanity ended up killing it.”

“I’ve never met her again since that day. I don’t know how her beliefs have changed since then, but I’m certain it hasn’t been for the better.”

“What’s certain is that she’s alive—and she’s still creating beastmen.”

“That’s right.”

Humans don’t know how beastmen came into existence.

They don’t know the truth behind their birth, or that someone is responsible—so they can only fight them blindly.

But with information, everything changes.

“If we capture Lena, this endless war could finally end.”

“One reason I’m still alive is to stop her.”

“Revenge?”

“Revenge—and atonement for my sins.”

“Then our goals are the same.”

“For now.”

Beyond their shared goal lay a task humanity itself had to resolve.

Stop Lena—and beastmen can be stopped. Prevented. Even the tragedy of humans becoming beastmen.

“We have to tell people how beastmen are created.”

“…Do you really think it’s that simple?”

He rose from his seat, letting out a scoff that was almost laughter.

“They’ll think you’re insane.”

“……”

“Just like how you reacted to me.”

She knew.

It sounded impossible. Even with Wool standing right in front of her, it was hard to fully accept. How much harder would it be for others?

“People won’t even accept your existence. The Epicure incident was buried without a trace… ha.”

This era was barely able to accept the existence of beastmen at all.

But doing nothing wasn’t an option.

“We have to find out where Lena is, how she creates beastmen, and where she does it.”

To do that, they needed information—information that could only be obtained through beastmen.

“We should focus on intelligent beastmen, like Epicure and the man we met earlier.”

“We can’t do it alone.”

“It’s fine. There’s someone I can ask for help.”

“Someone you trust?”

“The only person I truly trust.”

Their objective was set.

Now all that remained was to act.

Simple—yet anything but simple.

They couldn’t even imagine how dangerous this path would be, but stopping was not an option.

At least they weren’t alone.

She had a dependable beastman firmly on her side.