"Mr. Watson, at least no one truly died this time."
"Yes, but that does not mean this was a good ending."
Shade finished the rose tea in his cup:
"It is hard to imagine what he should do next. He already did his best; no one could have done better than him. But there truly is no road ahead. If he continues onward, he will only grow less able to distinguish reality from illusion, until one day he steps into that demon's vicious trap—and then the demon will finally regain its freedom."
The Demon Scholar slowly nodded:
"Yes, that is indeed the most reasonable direction for the story to take. But what happens next belongs to the next story."
He had just been telling the story with his hands clasped together on the table, his back slightly hunched. Now, he straightened up:
"Mr. Watson, I am returning to the Drowned Ghost Hotel. Will you come with me?"
Shade glanced at the roses around them:
"I still need to handle some matters in Kael-Todd Town, so not this time, Mr. Asmon. It was a wonderful story, but how much longer does this demon's story have? Or does it actually have no ending at all?"
The cat and dog both looked at Shade, while Xiao En Asmon answered:
"There is indeed no true ending, but there is a chapter that may be called a conclusion."
"How many more parts are there before that conclusion?"
"Mr. Watson, do not be so impatient. A story is like travel—you must take it one step at a time for it to be interesting."
Shade nodded lightly, but as Mr. Asmon rose to his feet, he asked again:
"Mr. Asmon, since neither the youth in the story nor I outside the story can make sense of the