[Retire with caution. Excellent offspring can provide you with a high-quality retirement—]
Evangeline lay in a stinking nest of grass, listening to the cold, robotic voice in her ear as she squeezed her eyes shut.
Forcing herself to ignore the throbbing pain in her head, she sat up and scanned her surroundings. The cave was so pitch-black she couldn't see her hand in front of her face. But as her eyes adjusted, she could vaguely make out the ghastly white bones of Wild Beasts piled in a corner. The ground was littered with dried excrement, a filthy, chaotic mess.
Evangeline's voice was laced with ice. "This is the retirement world you arranged for me?"
As the star employee of the Transmigration Administration Bureau's Lineage Optimization Department, she had traversed eighty-one different minor worlds, helping eighty-one sterile protagonists overcome their difficulties and produce high-quality offspring. And after all that, she had finally retired.
The organization was known for treating its veteran employees exceptionally well, and they had specially arranged this retirement world just for her.
'Forget waking up on a phoenix's back to gaze at a sea of clouds,' she thought. 'Shouldn't I at least be on a beach in Silmara watching seagulls? Who knew the first thing I'd see would be this unbearable cave? Even a primitive man would probably find it too disgusting to live in.'
As soon as she finished speaking, the sound of static, a harsh BZZZT, crackled in her mind.
[BZZZT—Transf—BZZZT—Anomaly occurred during transfer. Please, codename Evangeline, complete the mission—]
Evangeline arched an eyebrow, a cold smile on her lips. "Are you sure an 'anomaly' occurred mid-transfer? Or was the mission just so difficult you had to cook up an excuse to send me here?"
She had already received this body's memories and knew this was the world of *All My Sterile Beast Husbands Want to Kill Me*. Her sneer deepened.
"Do you really think all I do is run missions? That I don't browse the Transmigration Bureau forums?"
"I'd bet there are thousands, if not tens of thousands, of posts about *All My Sterile Beast Husbands Want to Kill Me* on the forums, right? Its difficulty level has practically wiped the floor with the entire Lineage Optimization Department. The plot is deceptively simple, there's no omniscient perspective, and basically, anyone who transmigrates here dies. The higher-ups couldn't finish the mission and couldn't explain their failure, so you just dumped me here?"
"I'm retired! Do you understand the meaning of retired?! This is a bigger stitch-up than a shotgun wedding!"
Even Evangeline, who was known for her stable temperament, was seething with anger at being played by the organization.
But despite her head throbbing with anger, "007" in her mind continued to play dead.
Evangeline took a deep breath, about to argue more, but the spreading chill from her blood loss sent her plunging back into unconsciousness.
*
"Playing dead won't fill your stomach. The tribe is gone, the Witch is dead, and there's no one left to treat your injuries."
Hearing the crisp, cold voice beside her, Evangeline opened her eyes.
Her gaze fell upon a pair of long, straight legs. The skin was fair and supple, so delicate it looked like it might bruise at a touch. But horrifically, they were marred by an even pattern of burn-like scars. It was like a flaw upon a perfect piece of jade, a sight that made one want to shake their head in pity.
Evangeline's gaze traveled upward, past a lean waist wrapped in a Beast Skin Skirt of unidentifiable material. Higher still, she saw a chiseled eight-pack and the sharp, alluring lines of a v-cut. A physique this perfect was practically a walking cloud of pheromones.
Evangeline blinked. She'd seen her fair share of male physiques—dozens, if not a hundred—but this was the first time she'd encountered one with such raw, magnetic appeal.
Perhaps her stare was too intense. The man before her took two steps back and tossed a blackened, roasted fish into her nest of grass.
His voice grew even colder, his crisp tone now laced with disgust. "What? You can still find me appealing in this state?"
Evangeline paused. She glanced down at the roasted fish before slowly sitting up to look at his face.
When she did, a flash of awe crossed her face. 'Beautiful people are always such a delight to see.'
He was so stunning it was startling. A mane of long, azure hair cascaded down his back. His features were exquisite—clear, bright, light-blue eyes of exceptional limpidity, a high, straight nose, and thin lips. It was an androgynous beauty that transcended gender. Even wearing nothing but a simple Beast Skin Skirt, he didn't look the least bit wretched. It felt as if all the most beautiful words in the world would prove inadequate to describe him.
"Stop looking at me like that," he said. "It makes me sick."
With that, he turned and limped out of the stinking cave.
Watching his scarred legs, Evangeline frowned. She already knew who he was.
Danton.
One of the original body's Beast Husbands, a Beastman from the Mer Clan.
As the name *All My Sterile Beast Husbands Want to Kill Me* implied, it was a tragedy, abusing the male lead in the first half and the female lead in the second.
Actually, scratch that. There was no "first half" or "second half," because the plot was so short all the main characters croaked before it could even get going.
This body she now occupied belonged to that female lead, also named Evangeline. She was a female of the Fox Clan. In a world of brawny, rough-hewn females, she stood out for her fair skin and devastating, bewitching beauty. On top of that, she was the daughter of the Oasis Tribe's leader and was utterly spoiled by all.
On the Beastman Continent, males far outnumbered females. The year was divided into a rainy season, a Cold Season, and a hunting season, and it was difficult for Beastman cubs to survive. As a result, females capable of bearing children were exceptionally precious, considered blessed by the Beast God, and held a dominant and vital role in society.
A beautiful female like her should have had a straightforward life: come of age, choose a few Beast Husbands, give birth to some cubs, and live out her days in peace. Unfortunately, because she was so spoiled growing up, the original Evangeline developed a severe possessiveness—a genuine psychological obsession. She craved beautiful things. As a child, she fixated on her food, clothes, and possessions. As an adult, she set her sights on beautiful males.
'If she had just formed Contracts with males through normal, peaceful means, this little world wouldn't have ended up on the Transmigration Bureau's fix-it list, and I sure as hell wouldn't have been dragged out of retirement to clean up her mess.'
Thinking of Danton limping away, Evangeline's frown deepened.
Danton was one of those beautiful males the original Evangeline had targeted after coming of age.
The Oasis Tribe was located near the sea, and the original Evangeline would often go to the shore with her fellow tribe members to gather food like snails, shellfish, and fish.
Over time, she got to know Danton, a male Beastman of the Mer Clan with an enchanting singing voice.
Tideborn Beastmen and Terrestrial Beastmen rarely formed Contracts due to their different ways of life. But the original Evangeline was beautiful, vivacious, and silver-tongued, and she quickly charmed Danton. He fell for her, left his people, and followed her to the Oasis Tribe.
Members of the Mer Clan could take on a Beastman form, but they couldn't be away from the sea for extended periods.
Danton had thought that by leaving his people to become her Beast Husband, he would begin a new and happy life. But alas…
On the very first day of their Contract, the original Evangeline claimed she wanted to touch Danton's tail. When he shifted into his Mer form, she fed him Black Grass and knocked him unconscious. When he awoke, his Mermaid Tail was gone, replaced by a pair of bloody, mangled legs.
Danton had no idea what had happened. His legs burned as if pricked by countless needles. He tried to shift back into his Mer form, but no matter how hard he tried, his legs only bled profusely, refusing to change back into his Mermaid Tail. He had lost the ability to shift between his beast and human forms.
Just as Danton was reeling in agony, the original Evangeline came skipping back, as cheerful and vivacious as ever.
She showed no surprise at his wretched state. Instead, she did a little twirl, pointing to the shimmering, azure skirt she wore. "Danton, Danton, look!" she chirped. "Isn't my Mermaid Tail Skirt beautiful? I absolutely love it! Thank you!"
Danton felt his blood run cold, his eyes turning crimson. Was this truly the female he had loved with all his heart?
Without his Mermaid Tail, he could never return to the sea. Bound by their Contract, he could only drag his ruined body along and remain by her side.
As for the Mermaid Tail Skirt she had coveted so dearly, she wore it for a single rainy season before casually tossing it aside. She had already found a new beautiful thing to obsess over. In her mind, Danton, the one who had lost his Mermaid Tail, was nothing more than the tool she had used to get it.
At this thought, Evangeline rubbed her temples, feeling a rare flicker of pity.
'Still,' she thought, 'it's not like I'm planning to do this mission. So who cares?'
The moment the thought surfaced, "007" responded in her mind.
[On the Beastman Continent, the persecuted male leads have had their lifespans shortened and have no hope of producing offspring. This minor world is on the verge of collapse.]
[Retire with caution. Excellent offspring can provide you with a high-quality retirement—]
"Not interested." Evangeline flopped back into the nest of grass. The coarse weeds weren't soft at all and pricked uncomfortably against her skin.
The BZZZT of static crackled in her head again. 'Looks like 007 realized I've got nothing to lose and went back to negotiate with the organization,' she thought. They had completely ruined a perfectly good retirement, which was, frankly, a scummy move.
[To guarantee a high-quality retirement for Evangeline, all restrictions have been lifted. Evangeline may now use her abilities freely within this minor world.]
[The organization will not interfere with Evangeline's mission. "007" will be withdrawn for the duration.]
[DING DING DING! DONG DONG DONG!]
[Dearest Evangeline, your pleasant retirement life starts now!]