Battler finishes with Lucifer and moves on after round one.

Battler shrugged, sighed, and shook his head. "Heh! Fantasy's not so bad, huh? That said, I'm a gentleman, of course! This Sis talks tough, but she's shaking in those boots of hers. I'll take it easy-"

Lucifer's hand left the pole as she traced her purple blade in an arc through the air and towards his throat. She fixed him with a menacing gaze. "Human. I have performed for your pleasure, but I won't let that insolence of yours stand. Before I leave here, I need to correct that mistaken impression. What you have witnessed today is a miracle, granted by my Lady's generosity! Any other day of the week, for a human to meet me is-"

Beatrice approached her from behind, grabbed the top of her dark hair, and **** her down into a bow, laughing with mean spirits. "Lucifer! That pride of yours is entertaining, but please do not kill the mood you have worked so hard to set, okay? Go and rejoin your sisters! With any luck, Battler might have a chance to meet them later..." After Lucifer's form had become translucent and vanished, Beatrice gave Battler a wide, challenging grin that I thought sabotaged her chances of having him do what she wanted. "That Lucifer is a treat, eh? She has six energetic sisters who are all dying to meet you! Once you've acknowledged my magic, you can join all of them in my Golden Land... Wouldn't that be truly entertaining?"

"Heh! That... was a figment of my imagination, right?"

The room went silent.

Battler... could have a point. Sure, he'd witnessed something amazing, but... Lucifer's clothes had vanished along with her. There was no evidence a young woman by that name had been here. When he gave an answer like that, it was easy to think all of Lucifer's efforts had been for nothing. I was sure Beatrice would be furious...

... Instead, an even wider grin split her face, now too wide to be anything but vulgar. "Ho? Imagination? You still refuse to believe in magic...? You find it easier to obstinately cling to the idea that anything you can't explain is a hallucination or a trick?"

I couldn't believe it. Battler's grin said... he actually did think that. "If I start accepting that fine-assed young ladies can disappear into thin air, people are gonna call me nuts. If you want to show me real magic, you'll have to do better than that!"

That wasn't just tough talk. He actually believed it! Was I the crazy one, so used to seeing magic creatures appear before me that I no longer found it strange?!

"Very well, Battler. If my furniture is not enough to convince you... I will take a more hands-on approach." Beatrice licked her lips in excitement. Was she hungry for a challenge? Hungry for the chance to earn her power? Or just hungry for a handsome man who looked about the same age as her? Hard to say, but the second game would be starting immediately. We'd learn her true intentions...