This Beast-Tamer is a Little Strange-Chapter 642: A Choice Made

Kain didn't speak for a long moment.

He just studied her.

Bai Lian stood beneath the sunlight like a stray pulled from the edge of a storm—uncertain, but not afraid. And more importantly… not aggressive.

Eventually, Kain exhaled and relaxed his arms from their folded position.

The tension in his jaw eased. His glare softened.

She really wasn't here to fight him for the inheritance.

That much, he could feel.

She probably is only thinking of 'competing' to the extent of giving it a shot for herself if he failed.

And so, for the first time since she'd entered the courtyard, Kain let himself breathe.

"…Fine," he muttered. "Let's talk."

Bai Lian blinked in surprise. "…Eh? I thought you were going to say something scary, or threaten me to leave. Not—okay. Sure."

He rolled his eyes. "You're not worth all that effort."

"Charming as always…" She muttered under her breath

He didn't rise to the bait.

Instead, he gestured vaguely to the pedestals. "So. If it were up to you… which one would you pick?"

Bai Lian looked at the seeds again. Studied them thoughtfully, like puzzle pieces she couldn't quite fit together while thinking back to what she'd learned about this other 'Earth' from the museum exhibit outside. Her gaze lingered on each pedestal—the chain of Unity, the candle of Faith, the twisted Weaponry, the cold spiral of Science—but eventually settled on the prismatic crystal sitting atop the Magic pedestal.

"…Probably that one," she said simply, pointing. "Magic."

Kain gave her a sideways glance. "Why?"

"It's just… I don't get how a world could survive without magic or spiritual power in the first place," Bai Lian said, her brow furrowed. "In or world, we use cultivation to strengthen our minds, bodies, even our souls. Without it, we would have died long before the Abyss even had a chance to destroy us.."

She glanced down, fidgeting..

"I-I know that might sound biased. I have grown up around spiritual power and beast-taming my whole life so maybe that's just what I'm used to thinking. But… it feels like that's what Earth lacked most. That's all." Kain didn't respond right away.

Instead, he turned his gaze to the Magic seed. Its soft glow reflected in his eyes, and for a moment, he almost looked tempted.

But then he shook his head.

"No," he said. "I think you're wrong."

Bai Lian raised a brow. "Am I?"

"You're thinking with the lens of our world," Kain said. "In our world, spiritual power exists. Cultivation exists. It has for millennia. We have cultivation systems and spiritual skills developed through the hard work of our ancestors. Institutions with experts in spiritual power and spiritual creatures. A whole culture around growth and power. This Earth didn't."

"…But that's kind of why they needed it, right?" she said tentatively. "If they didn't have it… and it could've helped, even a little…"

"Sure," Kain admitted. "In a perfect timeline, with a few decades—or hell, even just a few years—to learn, experiment, and train? Maybe it would've helped."

His voice turned colder. Sharper.

"But the Abyss didn't give Earth time. The Abyss arrived like a hammer to the back of the head. Sudden. And by surprise. When would they have the time to learn and master a new magic system while also dealing with a new threat?"

He looked her dead in the eye.

"The other dead planets connected to this relic? They had magic. All of them were probably civilizations older than either your eastern Empire or the Celestial Empire. But they still were defeated. So why would Earth survive just because it finally unlocked some means of cultivation at the last second?"

Bai Lian didn't answer immediately.

She seemed… shaken by the clarity of his words.

But even so, she returned her gaze to the crystal-shaped seed. Her expression unreadable. He could tell she still wasn't 100% convinced.

Kain stepped closer to the patch of fertile soil and looked down at it again, the sun warm on his skin.

Then, he turned back to her.

"…You want to try?"

She looked up at him in surprise. "…What?"

Kain gestured again. "The Magic seed. You want to plant it, right?"

Her brow furrowed. "I-I mean… I was thinking about it, but I wasn't going to just—"

"You didn't have to. You've already made your choice."

She stared at him. "…And what about your choice?"

"I'll figure it out later."

"You're going to let me plant a seed before you decide?" she asked, incredulous.

Kain gave her a half-shrug. "Why not? It's not like two can grow anyways, based on the small plot of land. If your answer is right, then congratulations. Considering that I think this choice is incorrect, I never would have passed even without your intervention. Better you pass than Soreia. If it's wrong, I get a wrong choice eliminated from my options of consideration."

"I-I don't even know what to say to that," she murmured.

He rolled his eyes. "Don't make it weird. Just hurry up and plant it."

"I—" She hesitated, then frowned. "Kain, I… I know we're not really friends or anything. But if I'm right and you're wrong…"

"I know," he said, cutting her off.

He stared down at the soil again.

"…Believe me, I know."

His voice dropped.

"But it's better to give you the chance to try and fail than have you die wondering what might've happened if you hadn't. That'd be a worse death."

Bai Lian stared at him, stunned into silence.

Slowly, she turned to the pedestal. Lifted the Magic seed with both hands, reverently.

The seed pulsed faintly in her grasp, like it recognized her touch.

She looked to him one last time—an unspoken question in her eyes.

He nodded once, curtly.

Bai Lian stepped forward and knelt beside the circle of soil in the center of the courtyard. The sunlight intensified, casting warm gold across her hair and shoulders as she dug a small hollow in the dirt with her fingers.

She placed the seed carefully inside.

Then stood.

Kain held his breath.

The soil shimmered where the seed had landed. Threads of light snaked outward from the center, golden veins stretching like roots just beneath the surface. The glow lasted only a few seconds before dimming.

Silence returned.

Nothing happened.

No confirmation of her passing. Nor was there confirmation of her failing.

Not yet, at least.

But the seed was planted.

Bai Lian stepped back. Her hands trembled slightly. She looked both elated and horrified.

"…I… I can't believe you actually let me do that." ƒrēenovelkiss.com

Kain just grunted nonchalantly.

"But why didn't anything happen…? Do you think it's waiting for your decision too?"

Kain also frowned upon seeing the soil remain dormant and unchanged. Did it fail? Or is it simply waiting for Kain to declare his choice before declaring a winner…