TBETW Chapter 12

Chapter 12 – Conscience is Useless

Main Story 1, Chapter 4, Part 2

Novel Title: 獣はかくして囚われる (The Beasts are Ensnared This Way)

Author：風結子 沙野 (Fuyuko Sano)

Illustrator：小山田 あみ (Oyamada Ami)

Translator: K (@kin0monogatari)

Protagonists: 鹿倉 陣也 (Kagura Jinya -MC) & ゼロ (Zero -ML)

*Please read at freenovels.net, the original site of translation. TQ*

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Looking in the direction of the voice, Kagura saw a man with four-white eyes—his sclera nearly devoid of visible blood vessels—lounging in a gilded, throne-like sofa. Draped in a black nightgown, the man puffed on a cigar, the sweet yet sour stench of drugs wafting in the air.  

―――Are we inside the ‘Invincible Castle’?

Still lying sideways, Kagura darted his gaze around the room.  

It was more a hall than a room, with a domed ceiling from which hung a massive chandelier shaped like an inverted lotus.  

The walls and ceiling were covered in intricate mosaic tiles, their gradient of blue and orange evoking the hues of twilight.  

Toono, as if reading Kagura’s thoughts, spoke.  

“You were so desperate for an invitation, I thought I’d indulge you and bring you into the ‘Castle’.”  

Renjou kicked the box again.  

“Don’t you dare flirt with Toono!”  

The box’s metal surface dented under Renjou’s immense strength.  

Taking a closer look, Kagura noticed that although Renjou wore a white nightgown, it hung loosely without a belt, leaving much of his athletic, nearly nude body exposed.  

Renjou’s features were strikingly feminine, like a beautiful woman, but his physique—slim yet built for combat—marked him unmistakably as a man. The ethereal combination, enhanced by the opulent setting, gave him an angelic appearance that transcended gender.  

“This guy said he’d kill Toono. So Renjou’s gonna kick him to death.”  

With that declaration, Renjou swung his foot toward Kagura’s head.  

Reflexively, Kagura arched backward, narrowly dodging the strike, though the sheer force of the wind slapped his cheek.  

“Renjou, stop,” Toono commanded with a faint smirk.  

“Why? Why?” Renjou stomped his feet like a petulant child.  

When Toono knelt before Kagura, Renjou sat down beside him, nuzzling his cheek against Toono’s shoulder.  

Toono brought the cigar to Renjou’s lips.  

Like a lover performing a sensual act, Renjou licked the cigar before taking it into his mouth.  

Toono’s dark eyes, set starkly against the whites of his sclera, locked onto Kagura.  

“I’m merciful, so I’ll give you a chance.”  

Perhaps Toono truly believed in his own benevolence.  

“There’s an underground arena here. Fight Renjou there. If you win, I’ll give you an SS-ranked invitation card to this ‘Castle’.”  

The outcome was already decided.  

Even when Renjou was injured, Kagura hadn’t been able to defeat him.  

The fight’s true purpose was to humiliate Kagura, tearing him apart before an audience.  

“And if I lose?” Kagura asked.  

Still holding the cigar in his mouth, Renjou’s eyes sparkled as he replied, “Renjou’ll kill you.”  

Wrapping an arm around Renjou’s waist, Toono added, “If not, I’ll put you up for auction.”  

Kagura’s eyes widened in shock, and Toono chuckled deeply in his throat.  

“You came all the way to Macau to uncover the truth about human trafficking. Wouldn’t this be a fitting end?”  

Beside him, Renjou melted into Toono’s embrace, wearing a blissful smile, as if nothing else mattered.  

***

With his head still aching, a hood was placed over Kagura’s face. He was then dressed in an untied shirt and slacks before being thrown into the ring.  

The hexagonal cage stood tall, surrounded by high fencing. It was set in a grandiose space reminiscent of an opera house. Deep crimson seats formed a circle around the arena, while spectators in upper box seats observed through opera glasses.  

All the onlookers wore masks.  

When Renjou, dressed in a combat suit resembling latex, entered the ring wearing his own mask, the audience erupted in applause. Renjou must have been a star fighter in this underground arena.  

There was no gong.  

Renjou dashed forward with light steps before leaping gracefully into the air.  

The next instant, Kagura felt his throat caught by Renjou’s arm.  

The flying lariat struck cleanly, slamming Kagura onto his back. The mat jarred his body as pain coursed through his head and spine.  

Despite the disorienting impact, Kagura rolled away and stood up, only to face a flurry of punches and kicks from Renjou.  

Each hit felt like a bomb exploding inside him.  

Finally, Kagura’s body began to respond properly. He dodged a high kick and leapt back, trying to regain his footing. But Renjou immediately followed up with another strike, this time landing cleanly and sending Kagura sprawling onto the mat, his lower back slamming hard.  

To the spectators, it must have looked like a professional fighter brutally punishing an untrained civilian.  

Despite being surrounded by so many people, not a single one extended a hand to save him.  

Every time Renjou’s attacks landed, there were cries of “Bravo” and polite applause. There wasn’t even the kind of raw energy you’d find in the underground arenas of Japan’s Invincible Castle. To the world’s elite, the death of a person in the ring was no more than a scene in an opera.

It was a nightmare come to life, yet the excruciating pain, so intense it left him breathless, was undeniably real.

Under the relentless assault, his consciousness began to fade to white.

―――This… is reality…

Separated from society, here and now, he was nobody.

―――I exist but do not exist. My existence has no value.

A kick to his side from Renjou sent him sprawling.

“Ugh… ah!”

Bile rose from his stomach, spilling from his mouth.

In his mind, Renjou’s words echoed and reverberated:

“Conscience? What use is that? Will conscience protect Renjou?”

“Renjou didn’t have a conscience, so Renjou has to suffer endlessly? If Renjou had one, would Renjou have avoided horrible things done to Renjou? If Renjou had a conscience, would Renjou’s parents have never abandoned Renjou, leaving Renjou nameless? Is it Renjou’s fault that Renjou doesn’t have a conscience?”

He thought of Renjou’s hell—a life trapped, violated, and tormented since childhood.

Despair. Resignation. Madness. He must have cycled through them endlessly.

Kagura dropped to his knees, looking up at Renjou with blurred vision.

“Conscience…”

His voice came out as a barely audible whisper.

“…is useless.”

Renjou burst into a fit of laughter as if struck by the statement.

The assault ceased momentarily, and Kagura, his body trembling, managed to stagger to his feet.

Seeing him stand, Renjou sprinted toward the chain-link fence.

Incredibly, Renjou grabbed hold of the electrified fencing with his bare hands and began to climb it as if racing upward. Explosive charges went off with thunderous roars, spewing fire and smoke.

Amid the thick smoke, Renjou, wreathed in sparks, leapt from the fence toward Kagura.

For a moment, Kagura was mesmerized, unable to look away. The next thing he knew, he was thrown violently, slamming into the chain-link fence back-first.

Electricity coursed through his entire body, leaving him paralyzed. Before he could react, Renjou clung to him tightly. He couldn’t even muster the strength to push him away. Explosive charges behind them detonated one after another.

It felt as if he were suspended in the middle of a fireworks display.

One by one, his senses went numb, and eventually, he could perceive nothing at all.

***

“I told you to go easy on him since he’s up for auction tonight.”

“Why is Toono so lenient with this guy? It’s just a little burn on his back. His arms and legs are still attached.”

“Detaching limbs is the buyer’s privilege.”

“But Renjou wants to tear him apart.”

Renjou’s sulky tone was met with Toono’s rasping voice.

“There’s still another act to come. After the body, it’s time to break the mind. Let’s see how long the detective, who’s tried to act all virtuous in his proper little world, can remain sane.”

Lying face-down on a bed while a man in a white coat tended to the burns on his back, Kagura hovered between pain and delirium as he overheard their conversation.

“Due to the extensive burns, I’ll administer antibiotics via IV. I recommend a few days of rest.” The doctor spoke with an accent that marked him as not Japanese.

“As long as he lasts until tonight, that’s enough,” Toono said dismissively.

The IV seemed to include painkillers and sedatives. Kagura’s senses dulled one by one until finally, his consciousness faded to black.

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Next update: 2025.11.28

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