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

"W-What... did you say?!"

The moment she heard Romney's words, Avnora froze in place. Her violet eyes were filled with utter disbelief.

But only a moment later,

the Marchioness shook her head frantically, rejecting every word he had said.

"No... that's impossible! Xia'er has already come back! Even Lord Lei Jie acknowledged her! You're lying!"

With an angry roar, Avnora swung her sword.

A blade of sword aura overflowing with the power of thunder erupted forth, charging straight toward Romney. Yet, in the face of an attack powerful enough to split a sixth-tier Abyss Demon in half, Romney merely looked at it with disdain. Casually lifting one of his blades, he gave it a light swing and instantly shattered Avnora's sword aura.

"Hehe, I'm telling the truth, my lady."

The smile on Romney's face became even crueler.

Moreover,

as if recalling an especially entertaining memory, an expression of enjoyment even surfaced on his face.

"I still remember it perfectly. When your granddaughter was first brought to me by Benjamin, she was smiling so happily~ But the moment she saw us standing behind him... the moment she noticed the bloodstained blades in our hands... ah, that expression on her face changed so wonderfully~ Wouldn't you agree, Benjamin?"

As he spoke,

Romney turned toward Benjamin, who was standing not far away under the protection of the members of the Heavenly Punishment Holy Church, seeking his agreement.

Hearing Romney's words, Benjamin grinned viciously, then looked mockingly at Avnora.

"Hahaha! That's right! That stupid little girl was actually begging me to save her! Hahahaha! She was such an idiot!"

"You... so it was you!"

Hearing Benjamin's words, Avnora clenched her fists so tightly that they trembled.

Meanwhile, Romney nodded enthusiastically.

"That's right, that's right! That girl really was an idiot! Even after I chopped off all four of her limbs and gouged out her eyes, she kept crying and begging me to spare her! Even after I cut open her belly, she still wouldn't stop crying for her mommy, even though I'd already told her that I'd killed her mother! What an idiot!"

As Romney relived those "wonderful" memories one after another, the smile on his face grew increasingly arrogant, filled with grotesque madness.

His maniacal laughter relentlessly assaulted Avnora's heart.

Even Benjamin felt a chill run down his spine.

Then, as though he had suddenly remembered something else, Romney excitedly clapped his hands.

"Oh, right! That girl may have been stupid, but she had an absolutely wonderful voice. Those screams... I still remember them vividly~ Because of that, after I chopped off her head, I didn't just leave her corpse out in the wilderness~ Instead, I threw it to my little doggies~ Her skin was so soft and tender—they enjoyed eating her so very much~"

As he spoke,

Romney lowered his head, slowly ran his tongue across his dried lips in satisfaction, and fixed his gaze upon Avnora's face.

"But I really have to blame you for one thing. You spoiled your granddaughter too well. After eating her, my little doggies became picky eaters~ If it's not tender little children, they won't even touch it anymore~"

His voice was full of mock reproach.

After hearing those words, Avnora fell completely silent.

Was...

was he telling the truth?

An uncontrollable thought surfaced within her heart.

Had her granddaughter truly died such a helpless, miserable death just as he described?

And if...

if Xia'er had truly died...

then who...

what exactly was the girl who had returned?

Some monster...

borrowing Xia'er's appearance?

...

...

After a fierce struggle within her heart,

Avnora violently shook her head, forcing those chaotic thoughts out of her mind.

No.

He's lying to me!

He's trying to shake my resolve!!

Whether because she simply refused to accept such a reality,

or because she trusted Lord Lei Jie's previous judgment,

Avnora refused to believe Romney's words.

But...

she understood one thing perfectly well.

If Romney wasn't killed here today,

everything he had just described...

would truly happen to Xia'er.

She could not allow that to happen.

I... I have to... I have to protect that child!

Avnora's resolve hardened.

Supported by that unwavering conviction,

the woman whose body was already riddled with wounds and drenched in blood slowly rose to her feet once more.

Her violet eyes locked firmly onto Romney.

"I won't believe a single word you say..."

As she spoke,

surrounded once again by crackling violet lightning, Avnora raised her sword, its tip pointing directly at Romney's forehead.

"Heh..."

Seeing this, Romney let out a cold, contemptuous laugh.

"I rarely go out of my way to tell people the truth. If you don't want to believe it, that's your problem. Besides..."

He glanced at the sword pointed toward him.

"You're pointing that thing at me? Don't tell me you're actually planning to kill me."

His grin widened.

"Do you still have that ability?"

As Romney's words echoed through the battlefield,

his subordinates burst into laughter.

After all,

Avnora had already been completely overwhelmed by Romney and was now gravely wounded.

The knights and the Earl's guards had all collapsed as well.

What could this woman possibly use to defeat their Archbishop?

Amid the eerie laughter,

the followers of the Heavenly Punishment Holy Church gradually surrounded Avnora.

At that moment,

Romney slowly raised both of his blades, his eyes turning cold.

"Since you're so eager to die, I'll grant your wish. I'm such a kind person, after ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) all. Since you love that fake 'granddaughter' so much..."

His smile twisted into something utterly insane.

"I'll send her down to keep you company afterward~ Hahahahaha!"

The instant those words fell,

a sharp light burst from Avnora's eyes.

"Don't you dare touch my granddaughter, you beast!"

With an enraged roar,

the Marchioness charged fearlessly toward Romney, her sword flashing through the air.

The tiny amount of thunder-attributed battle aura remaining within her body began pouring endlessly toward her chest.

It was obvious.

Knowing that she had absolutely no chance of defeating these members of the Heavenly Punishment Holy Church,

Avnora had chosen...

to self-destruct.

She intended to drag every one of these beasts down with her.

However,

there are enemies too powerful to overcome through determination alone.

Watching Avnora charge forward, sensing the terrifying energy gathering within her chest,

the ridicule on Romney's face only deepened.

"Trying to blow yourself up?"

He sneered.

"You really underestimate me."

Among the countless people he had killed,

quite a few had attempted to take him down with self-destruction before dying.

The expression on Avnora's face...

was one he knew all too well.

Therefore,

amid everyone's mocking laughter,

the blade in Romney's hand suddenly became enveloped in white radiance, transforming into a spear of pure energy.

Then,

with a casual wave of his arm,

the spear shot forward like a savage beast breaking free of its chains.

Having nearly exhausted all of her strength,

Avnora had no means of stopping such an overwhelming attack.

"Pu!!"

Accompanied by the explosion of white battle aura,

and a spray of blood,

the spear pierced straight through Avnora's chest.

Her body was hurled backward,

before being nailed firmly against a massive tree in the distance.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"

"What a pathetic sight, my lady!"

Romney's arrogant laughter instantly echoed throughout the Earl's estate.

Afterward,

holding his blade, Romney slowly walked toward Avnora.

He planned to kill the white-haired woman before him in exactly the same way he had murdered her son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter.

After all,

a family...

ought to be reunited nice and neatly~

Thinking of that,

Romney slowly drew the long, razor-sharp flesh-carving knife from behind his back.

However,

just as he sharpened the blade while leisurely walking forward,

the Archbishop of the Heavenly Punishment Holy Church suddenly froze.

His pupils contracted violently as he stared ahead in disbelief.

?!!

"Hm?!"

And it wasn't just Romney.

The other members of the Heavenly Punishment Holy Church...

even Benjamin...

all revealed the same stunned expressions.

At that very moment,

a familiar little pink-haired girl had appeared before them like a ghost without anyone noticing.

With her back facing them,

she quietly crouched in front of Avnora.

At the same time,

six or seven strange blood-red butterflies drifted silently around the little girl.

?!!

I-Isn't that...?! That little girl impersonating the Marquis' granddaughter?!

The question instantly surfaced in Romney's mind.

And together with that question,

another feeling welled up within his heart—

an indescribable sense of foreboding.

The surrounding air...

seemed to grow colder...

and heavier...

with the girl's appearance.