Forced to Sell Myself to the Female Lead After Killing the Male Lead

To guard the northern frontier and stand on the front line against the Abyss Demon invasion,

the Duke family naturally possessed a trump card of its own.

Otherwise,

if they truly encountered a Demon King-class enemy, then with Xiumu's strength as a Sword Saint alone, there would be no way he could repel such an existence.

And the Duke family's greatest trump card

was the Guardian Beast that had signed an alliance contract with them several centuries ago—

an eighth-tier Holy Beast known as Thunder Calamity.

—

At this moment,

deep within a quiet mountain forest behind the Duke family's cemetery,

a gigantic beast with jet-black fur and violet lightning patterns covering its body was lying comfortably upon the grass, leisurely enjoying the lavish feast specially prepared for it by the Duke family.

'Meow~'

This is heaven~

After swallowing a fish nearly two meters long in a single bite, Thunder Calamity happily scratched its head with one paw.

Then,

the four-legged beast called Thunder Calamity pierced another large fish with its claws.

As a trace of lightning flowed through it,

the fish was instantly roasted to perfection—crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.

After dipping it in a bit of sauce,

Thunder Calamity tossed the entire fish into its mouth and blissfully savored the explosion of flavor.

'As expected... roasted is way better.'

...

While enjoying its meal,

Thunder Calamity lazily sprawled across the ground and looked around at its comfortable surroundings with endless satisfaction.

Compared to its old days in the Great Winter Forest, where it often couldn't even fill its stomach,

its current life was like heaven and earth apart.

Every time it enjoyed delicious food,

Thunder Calamity couldn't help sighing inwardly.

'Leaving back then was absolutely the right decision.'

To hell with staying in the Great Winter Forest!

More than three hundred years ago, when it had still been the young chief of the Thunder Beast clan, it had finally reached the limit of what it could endure under the oppression of the Abyss Demons.

Although Lord Yumo's orders had allowed the Thunder Beast clan to possess an independent habitat in the eastern region of the Great Winter Forest,

they were still fundamentally living under someone else's thumb.

Back then,

as a Saint-Class magical beast,

it would have been a mighty overlord anywhere outside the forest, respected by all!

But inside the Great Winter ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) Forest?

Even a fifth-tier Abyss Demon dared snatch away its food!

And if it tried to fight back,

Lord Yumo herself wouldn't say anything...

but those little Demon King-class monsters would immediately gang up and beat it senseless...

As a result,

despite being a Saint-Class existence,

there were times when it couldn't even get enough to eat and had to endure humiliation day after day!

Thus,

three hundred years ago,

after getting brutally beaten by that terrifying woman known as Flame Prison,

it had decided to run away from home!

It escaped the Thunder Beast clan,

and escaped the entire Great Winter Forest!

Fortunately,

fortune smiled upon it.

During that period,

Flame Prison, who had been watching over the magical beast population, seemed too busy taking care of her younger sister to pay attention to them.

Seizing that once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,

Thunder Calamity finally escaped from the Great Winter Forest after overcoming countless hardships!

It was unquestionably the best decision it had ever made.

Once outside the forest,

all magical beasts immediately regarded it with awe.

Humans likewise treated it with the utmost respect because of its Saint-Class strength.

Its life became completely different.

For the first time,

its heart was filled with overwhelming joy.

After all,

it no longer had to live beneath the tyranny of the Abyss Demons.

Several years later,

it signed an alliance contract with the Duke family,

allowing itself to completely embrace the wonderful life of a shut-in.

Actually,

according to the contract,

the Duke family would provide it with food and lodging,

while it would protect the Duke family whenever necessary, or fight alongside them against Abyss Demon invasions.

As for fighting Abyss Demons,

Thunder Calamity wasn't worried in the slightest.

After living in the Great Winter Forest for so long,

it knew perfectly well that Lord Yumo would never launch a large-scale offensive.

And even if one did occur,

those Demon King-class monsters certainly wouldn't personally come out.

This deal

was pure profit!

Hehehe~

Thus,

after signing the alliance agreement,

Thunder Calamity happily spent the next several hundred years living the perfect shut-in lifestyle~

—

Although it had spent all these years staying at home,

Thunder Calamity had never neglected its cultivation.

With the help of the medicinal resources provided by the Duke family,

and thanks to its already exceptional talent,

it soon broke through into the eighth tier,

becoming a true apex magical beast of the continent.

Life only grew more comfortable.

Until...

half a month ago.

The massive Abyss Demon invasion,

along with the appearance of Snow Devourer,

had nearly scared Thunder Calamity to death.

Although it had also reached the eighth tier,

after living as a shut-in for so many years,

it had absolutely no confidence in fighting a Demon King-class monster.

Fortunately,

the Abyss Demon army eventually withdrew.

Having only just been dragged outside in preparation for battle,

it let out a tremendous sigh of relief before happily returning to its cozy shut-in life.

However,

as it continued eating fish,

Thunder Calamity began pondering the future.

Come to think of it...

Now that the Abyss Demons had begun invading,

did that mean the Hall of Ten Thousand Demons had changed its strategy?

If so...

wouldn't it be better for it to leave the northern frontier and head south instead?

After all,

it had absolutely no intention of risking its life against Demon King-class monsters~

However,

after thinking that through,

Thunder Calamity became conflicted once again.

No matter what...

it really didn't like the southern climate.

And besides,

it had grown quite attached to this comfortable shut-in life with the Duke family.

After all,

whether the Abyss Demons would actually return was still unknown~

?!!

Hm?

Just as Thunder Calamity was contemplating the path its beastly life should take,

two unfamiliar presences suddenly entered its territory.

The eighth-tier existence, possessing an exceptionally strong territorial instinct, immediately revealed a fierce and murderous gaze.

'Who dares trespass into my territory?!'

In an instant,

driven by the instinct to expel intruders,

Thunder Calamity transformed into a streak of violet lightning.

Within the blink of an eye,

it burst out of the forest.

Its vast aura erupted outward alongside earth-shaking lightning,

rapidly spreading in every direction from its body.

The people waiting outside the forest immediately showed uneasy expressions.

The next moment,

under everyone's complicated gaze,

the nearly ten-meter-tall Thunder Beast appeared before them,

its body radiating terrifying violet lightning.

The overwhelming pressure of its aura exploded outward the moment Thunder Calamity appeared,

crashing down upon everyone's shoulders like an enormous mountain.

More than thirty members of the Duke family had arrived at the Guardian Beast's domain.

However,

Thunder Calamity completely ignored everyone who had remained outside its territory.

Instead,

its fierce eyes locked directly onto the two figures standing not far away.

Those two

were the ones who had trespassed into its domain.

As an eighth-tier magical beast,

Thunder Calamity possessed its own pride.

Its territory

was inviolable.

If any human outside the Duke family stepped inside,

it would drive them away without hesitation.

At that moment,

the white-haired man slowly stepped forward and respectfully spoke.

"Guardian Beast, I ask you to help verify my daughter Xia'er's identity."

Hearing this,

Thunder Calamity narrowed its deep violet vertical pupils.

Hm?

Xiumu?

Looking at the familiar white-haired middle-aged man,

Thunder Calamity raised an eyebrow.

As the head of the Duke family,

Xiumu could be considered its partner.

Since he had come without hostility and had not intentionally provoked it,

Thunder Calamity naturally had no intention of attacking him.

The problem

was the little girl standing beside him...

Staring at the timid-looking pink-haired girl next to Xiumu,

Thunder Calamity's eyes gradually filled with killing intent.

Although the little girl's appearance strongly resembled both Yuan'er and Xia'er,

Thunder Calamity's extraordinary senses instantly detected something unusual about her aura.

Combined with what Xiumu had just said,

Thunder Calamity immediately understood the situation.

Some fool had probably disguised herself as Xia'er and was trying to infiltrate the Duke family.

Heh.

She actually dares appear before me.

And...

that scent...

As it caught the rich fragrance of ebony incense lingering on the pink-haired girl's clothing,

the killing intent in Thunder Calamity's eyes intensified.

After all,

ebony incense was the smell it hated most.

Not only did she dare impersonate a member of the Duke family,

she even dared appear before it carrying that scent?!

She's courting death!

If she wants to die,

then I'll gladly send her on her way!

Consumed by fury,

the lightning around Thunder Calamity instantly erupted into a frenzy!

The gigantic beast opened its enormous jaws,

and unleashed a deafening roar directly at the pink-haired girl.

"ROOOOAAAAARRRRR!!!"

The next instant,

before the horrified eyes of nearly everyone present,

Thunder Calamity transformed into a bolt of lightning and charged murderously toward the little pink-haired girl!

Seeing the sudden turn of events,

Marquis Xiumu-Duke, standing beside the girl,

was instantly alarmed and hurriedly attempted to stop it.

Unfortunately,

a Saint-Class expert simply could not stop an eighth-tier Thunder Calamity.

Although he had no idea why the Guardian Beast had suddenly flown into such a rage,

the little girl's death already seemed inevitable.

Some of the more timid spectators even closed their eyes,

unable to bear witnessing the bloody scene about to unfold.

However,

just as Thunder Calamity's claws were about to touch the girl,

the enormous lightning beast's pupils suddenly contracted.

Because the closer it drew,

the more clearly it noticed something that nearly scared it to death.

For example...

the crimson butterfly resting upon the girl's collar...

Hm?

Eh?

Huh?!

W-Wait a damn minute?!

A butterfly?

A butterfly with crimson markings?!

A Blood Butterfly?!!

...

...

HOLY SHIT!!!