Filming Complete

In the end, the Demon, covered in wounds, collapsed into Belle's arms. Belle rested her slender hands on the Demon's powerful shoulders as tears overflowed from her eyes and fell without stop.

Using the last shred of strength in his body, the Demon raised his sharp claws and gently wiped away the tears at the corners of Belle's eyes. Then he closed his eyes and left this world forever, while Belle collapsed against the Demon's chest and burst into tears.

The camera rose at that moment, climbing higher and higher until the entire castle was captured within its frame. A ray of light appeared among the distant mountains, and the sun rose from there, illuminating the whole castle. The film ended within that beam of light.

"Cut! That's a wrap!"

Joshua, acting as director, climbed out from the cliff beside them. In that scene, Zennas, who played the Demon, had used the last of his strength to throw "Gaston" off the cliff beside the castle.

Joshua had even filmed a close-up of himself plummeting down the cliff.

When the supposedly dead Demon heard Joshua call cut, he opened his eyes, immediately got up from the ground, and tidied the blood staining his body.

All that blood had been generously supplied by Bone Duke. The blood flowing from a Sin Demon was not scarlet like a human's.

I Nuo also wiped away the tears at the corners of her eyes, patted the dust from her skirt, and looked toward Joshua.

"Congratulations. You have perfectly completed the filming of the first movie in this world."

Joshua held out his hand, and the twelve Banshees handed over the footage they had recorded one by one. This was the final part of Beauty and the Demon. All that remained was for Joshua to edit the footage and add an opening and ending. Then Beauty and the Demon would officially be declared complete.

"Your Highness, do you have any further orders?"

Zennas still had no way of realizing just how great a thing he had accomplished. He had merely followed Joshua's orders and given the performance expected of him.

"Not for now. Zennas, go back into the castle and hide for a while. Be careful not to let those humans see you," Joshua said.

"As you command."

The Sin Demon returned to the castle, leaving only Joshua and I Nuo at the scene.

I Nuo did not seem to feel any joy at having completed the film. Her hands kept twisting at the hem of her dress, as though something weighed on her mind, yet she did not dare tell Joshua.

"I Nuo, come with me."

Joshua saw through what the succubus was thinking. Without making any further arrangements, he left only that command and walked toward the other side of the castle.

I Nuo followed Joshua uneasily... her thoughts a tangled mess. Only at the end did she realize that Joshua had brought her to the castle gates.

When Joshua pushed open the doors, the Villagers outside saw that their Belle was standing there safe and sound, and they all erupted in cheers.

"Belle... are you all right?" Ma Linna looked excitedly at Belle standing beside "Gaston," wanting to step forward and embrace her.

But I Nuo took a frightened step back, because she was no longer Belle—the beautiful, kind human girl beloved by the Villagers, with a foster mother who cared about her.

That beautiful story had ended just moments ago. Now, she was I Nuo, a lowly succubus... The reason I Nuo had been able to survive in the lower levels of the Demon Realm was because she knew how to face her own identity. She clearly understood what did not belong to her.

But at that moment, Joshua grabbed I Nuo's arm and gave her back a gentle push.

"Miss Ma Linna is very worried about you. Go on."

"But, Your Highness, I... am not..." I Nuo wanted to voice her thoughts, but Joshua interrupted her.

"Indeed, you are not Belle. Your name is I Nuo, so tell Miss Ma Linna your real name now. Naturally, you can keep your identity secret."

"She won't accept me..."

I Nuo shook her head, her body trembling slightly.

Joshua knew how fatal Ma Linna's affection was to I Nuo. This succubus had lived in the lower levels of the Demon Realm for so many years and suffered far too much. Perhaps Ma Linna was the first person willing to care for her.

"Do you think Miss Ma Linna would hate you over something so trivial?" Joshua said.

Joshua's words made I Nuo freeze slightly, as though they had poured some kind of strength into her wavering heart. She began to walk toward Ma Linna, and at last, amid the Villagers' cheers, I Nuo and Ma Linna embraced.

The moment Ma Linna held her, I Nuo's nose stung, and tears welled up in her eyes once more. This time, of course, they were not the false tears she had shed for the performance.

Watching this scene, Joshua thought that perhaps, for I Nuo, this was the truly perfect ending.

"How ironic."

Ciri stood among the Villagers who had rushed into the castle to "rescue Belle." Seeing them cheer for their victory, she could not help saying those words.

"But for them, isn't this the happy ending? That Demon was the villain who kidnapped Belle, and they rescued Belle from him. Justice defeated evil. Perhaps this story will be passed down in this little village forever."

Joshua came to Ciri's side in Gaston's guise as he spoke.

"..."

Ciri said nothing. She had been present throughout the filming, and only she, who knew the truth, understood just how laughable these people's cheers were.

"Everyone! Listen to me! After that beast died, it placed a curse on this castle. Anyone who enters this castle will be haunted by resentful spirits."

Joshua did not continue chatting with Ciri and instead began persuading the Villagers to leave.

Although Bone Duke had agreed to let these lowly humans "pass through" his castle for a while, if they still dared linger in it after filming ended—or even commit theft—Bone Duke would not show them mercy.

In fact, if Joshua had not stopped them, these Villagers had already planned to claim the things inside the castle as their own.

Defeat the evil dragon, and you should gain the evil dragon's treasure. That was a universal rule in the human world.

Considering that these Villagers were a group of dedicated extras, Joshua could hardly throw them all to the evil spirits after they had finished acting.

After Gaston defeated the beast, he became the absolute authority among the Villagers. When they heard this warning—and the castle truly did begin to be haunted—

Driven by their most primal fear, they had no choice but to flee the castle.

"Mr. Gaston..." Ma Linna seemed to intend to thank Joshua. After all, Joshua had brought back her foster daughter.

"Just call me Joshua. Gaston is only a... false name. Miss Ma Linna, leave this place first. I'll catch up with you shortly."

As Joshua spoke, a bloodcurdling howl erupted from within the castle, and the sky around them instantly turned incomparably gloomy. Ma Linna realized that the danger inside the castle was far from being eliminated.

"I understand, Mr. Joshua."

Ma Linna nodded, took I Nuo by the hand, and left the castle with the Villagers.

"All that remains is the cleanup." Joshua took out the Source Crystal Stone in his hand and examined it.

This was the first Source Crystal Stone to carry the crystallization of Earth's culture.