This Beast-Tamer is a Little Strange - Chapter 609

Chapter 609: Chapter 609: Fear Factor
The chamber erupted into chaos.

The Easterners—stoic and mostly expressionless when they’d first arrived—were now a mess of frantic cries and trembling hands.

The large male Easterner clutched at his leader’s frozen form, his voice cracking as he shouted in their native tongue.

The younger girl had collapsed to her knees, her delicate fingers pressed against Lady Zhao’s metallic cheek as if willing the transformation to reverse. Her whispered pleas were barely audible over the raw, grieving shouts of her companion.

Kain watched, unmoved. He had no attachment to these people, no reason to mourn. If anything, the sight only confirmed what he already knew—this trial was a ruthless filter, and not even the strongest were guaranteed survival.

Not to mention, this most recent trial helped him come to terms with the more cruel and cold aspects of his personality—heck, maybe even the absorption of Source energy exacerbated this aspect of his personality.

Although he had nothing against Lady Zhao personally, if there was a trial later on where they were required to kill another person, he’d happily kick any one of these people to their deaths to keep himself and Serena safe. At least, now she was dead without him having to dirty his hands.

His gaze flicked to Cassian. The crown prince stood with his arms crossed, his expression a mask of detached indifference. But Kain caught the slight tightening of his jaw, the brief flicker of something—surprise? Satisfaction?—in his emerald eyes. Cassian had likely expected Lady Zhao to be a formidable rival, and now she was gone. To him, it was just further proof of his own superiority.

And indeed…

‘Not every Empire’s heir is cut from the same cloth,’ Cassian was thinking as he watched the grieving foreigners. He was certain that such a fate could have only befallen her because she was weak, and was certain that such a fate could never be his.

The white-eyed girl, however, was an island of stillness amidst the turmoil. She hadn’t even glanced at the commotion. Her pupil-less gaze was distant, her lips slightly parted as if lost in thought. Whatever she’d faced in her trial had left her far more preoccupied than the death of the foreign leader.

Kain turned to Serena. She was already looking at him, her icy blue eyes sharp with unspoken questions. Without a word, he reached out mentally, directing Bea to connect their minds together again.

“You made it,” Serena’s voice echoed in his thoughts, relief bleeding through their connection.

“Barely,” Kain admitted. He gave her a condensed version of events—after all, the more information they each have, may slightly increase their chances of survival. He described the Source energy overload, the fifth star’s near-collapse, the bracer’s sacrifice, and the strange new presence now residing within him.

Serena’s expression darkened when he mentioned the Source energy. The memory of their last mission together—of Kain’s violet-veined hands reaching for her throat, his eyes glazed with predatory hunger—flashed between them like a shared nightmare.

He’d assured her that he was no longer at risk of losing control, but had no proof to make her believe him. She had no knowledge of the System. That was a secret he wasn’t ready to share, even with her. But it looks like his reliance on the System was incorrect to begin with. And at least now he had another safeguard in place—one that he could actually share with her.

“…You managed to absorb that much Source energy and survived?” her mental voice came slowly, incredulous, then shifted to one more tight with fear. “And you’re sure you’re stable?”

“Yeah, definitely” Kain replied with ten times the certainty he actually felt. “It’s under control.”

Her lips thinned, skepticism warring with reluctant relief. She didn’t trust it—couldn’t trust it, not after what she’d seen. But if this was a safeguard Kain had against losing himself, then she’d take it.

“This trial,” she murmured after a moment, her gaze drifting to the frozen statue of Lady Zhao. “I think it forced us all to face our greatest fears. To overcome them and improve ourselves in the process—or die trying.”

Kain frowned. “What do you mean?”

Serena’s fingers twitched at her sides, a rare show of unease. “Well…Your greatest fear was likely losing control and harming those you cared about. You then had to face and deal with the very thing that would make that worst-case scenario a reality. Mine… was similar.”

Kain’s curiosity flared. Serena was always so composed, so unshakable. What could possibly be her greatest fear?

Smack

Unfortunately, before he could get any answers from her, a loud smack resounded throughout the room and interrupting their conversation.

They looked toward the source of the sound, where Cassian and his ally were also looking—Cassian with a clear expression of schadenfreude.

Kain looked for what made the noise, and didn’t have to look far. There was a very clear red and angry-looking palm print in the shape of a small hand on the right cheek of the ‘Holy Son.’

Serena and Kain stiffened in shock. What on Earth could have been so offensive that one of the Eastern delegates would actually bitch slap the important political or religious figure of another nation?! Was she trying to start a war?

Thankfully, a faint glow seemed to emanate from within the Holy Son, and the red mark quickly faded; his expression didn’t even change.

However, instead of being relieved that her actions didn’t cause significant damage or tarnish their two countries’ relationship, the Eastern girl just continued to scream at him. Surprisingly, her ally didn’t even seem to at all disagree with her war-inducing actions or even try to restrain her from creating a greater political mess. He was equally enraged. His sanity only held together by a fine thread on the verge of snapping any second.

‘What the hell happened?’

“…What the hell did you just say!?” the younger Eastern girl shrieked, her voice raw, shaking, almost feral. “Say it again. I dare you!”

‘Yes. Yes. YES! Please say it again. I missed it…’