Escape

"Belle, once we escape from here, have you decided where you want to go?"

After several hours of chatting, Ma Linna had grown fond of this warm and optimistic little girl. Under her influence, the suffocating despair in the prison had begun to ease slightly.

At the very least, the Villagers were willing to gather and talk, using it to ease the despair and anxiety brought on by their impending deaths.

"Not yet. Father always wanted me to study at a school in a big city. I also really want to see the libraries in a big city. There must be lots of books there, right?"

With the script Joshua had provided, the image I Nuo had created was successfully accepted by the Villagers, and she became the center of the entire cell.

It was like a group of people adrift on the cold, dark Atlantic Ocean at night, suddenly spotting a signal light.

Though they had no idea how far away the shore was, it at least gave them a little comfort.

"Of course. There's a city called Nolan. Its Book Tower is over a hundred meters tall. Belle, I can take you there someday."

Ma Linna had not given up hope. That was why she allowed herself to imagine all the wonderful things that would happen after they escaped. That tiny hope came from the little girl before her.

Perhaps this was heaven's way of making it up to Ma Linna? Meeting her at the most hopeless, lowest point in her life...

If this child truly had nowhere to go, Ma Linna even wanted to take her in as her daughter. With her by her side for the rest of her life, Ma Linna felt that she would never be lonely again.

But all of that depended on escaping this prison. Only then would her life have a chance to continue. No... this little girl's life had to continue.

So Ma Linna began praying to the gods. It was the first time she had ever prayed, and she was not praying for herself, but for the girl before her.

Her prayer was answered quickly. Of course, the one who answered was not a god, but a demon.

Demons were undoubtedly far more efficient than gods when it came to handling business.

Strange sounds echoed through the prison again. A crow appeared outside the cell, cocked its head at the humans inside, then flapped its wings and flew onto the nearby windowsill.

Then two figures strode out of the darkness at the end of the prison corridor.

Neither of them was dressed like the masked Overseers...

"It's the mage!"

"The mage really came back!"

The Villagers recognized one of them as Ciri, the only person who had escaped.

They rushed to the edge of the cell, gripping the rusted iron bars with both hands. Their emotions were beyond excited, no less intense than the moment the National Football Team scored a goal. They barely held back their cheers.

Joshua could understand how they felt. The joy and thrill of surviving a desperate situation could not be summed up in just a few words.

But now Joshua finally understood why large-scale prison breaks could only happen during the French Revolution.

If Joshua had not bribed every guard in the prison beforehand, the moment they shouted, they would have been sent straight to the guillotine.

"Please keep quiet, everyone. Don't draw the guards' attention!"

Well... the guards were already watching from nearby.

Joshua glanced from the corner of his eye at the two Overseers hiding in the shadows. They were there to watch him, making sure he did not use the chaos to release any creatures besides these "harmless little animals."

Still, they had to keep up the act. Joshua really wondered how the humans in these cells would feel if they knew every move they made was being watched by the guards.

But Joshua had one thought right now: Breaking out of prison right under the cops' noses is fucking thrilling.

Joshua deliberately lowered his voice when he said it. It was quiet, but all thirty-odd Villagers imprisoned there heard him clearly.

Because all their attention was focused on Joshua.

"He... he is my... teacher... yes... my teacher..."

Perhaps Joshua had read An Actor Prepares, but Ciri clearly had not. This was the first time in her life that she had deceived so many people in public.

In truth, the two Overseers nearby were what put the most pressure on Ciri.

But in order to see the ending of Beauty and the Demon for free as soon as possible, Ciri did her best to cooperate with Joshua and play her role.

"I'll get everyone out right away. Once you're out, follow me. This is the Demon Realm. If you wander off, losing your life will be the least of your problems."

Joshua did his best to play the role of an experienced mage. In the original script, Gaston was supposed to be a hunter.

But... could a human hunter carrying a musket roam the Demon Realm and freely enter and leave its prisons?

Hunters in this world could not tame beasts or use Rapid Fire. Most were melee fighters, the so-called Demon Hunters.

So a profession with limitless possibilities, like a mage, was more believable.

Gray magical energy spilled from Joshua's hand, instantly dismantling the cell door, which had no protective Runes and was merely a section of rusted Iron Block.

Joshua did not hide his distinctive magic. In the human world, this was an incredibly rare talent. Unless they were elderly archmages, most people had probably never even heard of it, much less classified it as "a detestable power."

The prison's dim, decayed atmosphere poured a bucket of cold water over the Villagers' excitement.

"This way."

Without hesitation, Joshua led them at a brisk pace toward the area where Zennas had set up the Teleportation Portal.

The Interrogation Room containing the Teleportation Portal was deeper within the prison, but Joshua was the only person these Villagers could rely on now.

With two guards kindly leading the way, Joshua brought all thirty-two human Villagers without obstruction to the Interrogation Room containing the Teleportation Portal.

The Teleportation Portal had already activated. Pale blue light slowly swirled through the Interrogation Room.

When they saw the phantom image of a forest beyond the Teleportation Portal, the Villagers stopped thinking entirely and rushed into it in excitement.

"Mage... may I ask your name...?"

An elderly woman at the very back of the group stopped before the Teleportation Portal. Joshua noticed I Nuo following behind her.

She was playing Belle's father... no, mother?

"Gaston. Just call me Gaston. Save your thanks until you're safe."

Joshua urged her on.

She nodded, took I Nuo's hand, and hurried into the Teleportation Portal.

From the moment they had all stepped through the Teleportation Portal, the prologue filming of Beauty and the Demon officially began.

Zennas's massive body appeared in the doorway of the Interrogation Room. He held a Suitcase in his hand, about the size of a briefcase, yet it contained Joshua's entire filming setup.

"Thanks, Zennas."

Joshua took the case from Zennas. The space inside was far larger than its appearance suggested, though it was still nowhere near as magical as the Suitcase belonging to a certain magizoologist, Newt Scamander.

Joshua checked the equipment inside. The Camera and Memory Cards were all there, along with a bottle of Invisibility Powder to conceal himself.

It was time to officially begin filming Beauty and the Demon.

"Ciri, didn't you want to see how this story ends? Then keep your eyes wide open from now on."

Joshua picked up the Suitcase and walked into the Teleportation Portal.

"Write it first!"

Who knew how long Joshua's filming would take? If Ciri could beat Joshua, she truly wanted to pin him to a desk, hold a knife to his throat, and force him to write the ending!

Ciri only dared to think about it. She did not want to remain in a place like the Demon Realm any longer, so she hurried into the Teleportation Portal.

Zennas stood in the Interrogation Room and watched Joshua leave. Just as he was about to proceed with the next step of Joshua's plan, he suddenly caught the scent of a human...

Zennas poked his head out of the Interrogation Room and looked down the prison corridor. He saw a human little girl running around in confusion and panic.

She appeared to have become separated from her parents, or perhaps... she had lost them long ago. Either way, this human girl had clearly been left behind.

She was alone in this danger-filled Demon Realm. She would not survive for long...

In the past, Zennas would never have cared whether these humans lived or died. But Joshua had ordered him to send as many humans as possible back to their original world.

The valiant Sin Demon hesitated slightly, then slowly walked out of the Interrogation Room and approached the little girl.

"Human, the exit back to your world is over there!"

Zennas tried his best to make his tone sound gentle as he pointed toward the Interrogation Room.

But no matter how gentle his voice was, the flames pouring from his mouth and the magma rolling through the cracks in his skin instantly frightened the little girl into crying loudly.

"..."

This scene left Zennas conflicted. If an enemy cried before him, he could tear them apart without hesitation. But she was only a child... not an enemy.

Zennas looked at his hands. Even if he wanted to pick up the child and place her inside the Teleportation Portal, his sharp claws might take her life in an instant.

You will become a Superstar. Human girls will scream because they touched your mane, and they will be proud to stand beside you...

Zennas suddenly remembered what Joshua had said not long ago...

It was indeed impossible.

Faced with the human little girl crying in terror, Zennas realized there was only one way to make her stop crying.

He started walking. His massive body returned to the shadows beside him, until he disappeared completely.