Teach me how to copy her seal.

I told Beatrice she'd have to teach me how to copy her seal, the famous one that carried absolute authority of the Ushiromiya family head.

She stared at me as if I was crazy for a moment, before chuckling, beginning to grin. "Hoooh? This is a rather roundabout way of asking for my gold and prestige, isn't it? If you want to become as powerful as Ushiromiya Kinzo, you'll need to do much more-"

I stopped her, knowing I didn't have much time. No, not the gold, not the family headship, nothing like that. I just wanted to be able to create a letter that had her authority.

Rather than understanding and relieved, Beatrice looked more wary. A bead of sweat rolled down her otherwise collected face. "Player... who are you, really? You must know that the authenticity of that seal is, in fact, very crucial to my game. I can't start handing that over to every Tom, Dick, <or> Harry who busts in and wins a cheap game against me."

I told her that I understood why she would question that, but I wasn't going to let her back out on the deal. Furthermore, I reassured her I didn't even plan to use this power for anything that would affect her fantasy vs. mystery clash. As part of the contract she was forming here, I would forfeit my life if I ever used this new ability in any way that would disrupt the murders she planned to commit.

"Hmm... when you attach all of those strings, it truly seems trifling. So boring, I almost wish you'd asked for something saucier," Beatrice admitted, resting her head on her fist. "But what...? What are you planning to use it for? What are you going to proclaim in the name of the Golden Witch?"

I asked her if that was the truth she was requesting for our next round.

"No, no," the witch quickly denied, shaking her head and growing irritated. "Fine! I will grant you the ability to produce a replica of my seal. However, to prevent this from coming back and biting me, I'm including the following limitations. You know how we witches are with fine print and contracts, riiiight? Listen carefully, and make sure you don't regret it in the next life." She grinned and held up three fingers, curling them as she announced each stipulation. She spoke the following in red:

1. The replica seal does not hold the power of certainty. If the replica seal is inspected by a detective, even an amateur detective, it will surely be recognized as fake.

2. If the replica seal is used to seal an envelope or similar container, the contents may not include anything, written or otherwise, that may be misconstrued as a message from Beatrice. (This one was a big letdown, as the whole point was to use her voice to make various people in the story do whatever I wanted. I was able to get her to agree that a blank piece of paper didn't count as a message, at least.)

3. The replica seal may not be used to affect the events of Beatrice's game or sacrifices in any meaningful way. Naturally, this meant it could not lead to the **** of any person, or the forewarning of any party about Beatrice's intentions beyond what she had already made clear. If in breach of this contract, Player's soul shall be cast into hell immediately, where he shall become the feast for an elegant goat dinner party.

I informed her that I needed one more stipulation. I wanted it to be understood that this was a natural, innate ability of mine. Even if I were to die immediately, even in our little game, Beatrice and all others would now be **** to acknowledge I had possessed this power.

"What's the matter, Player?" she asked, looking far more amused than actually concerned. "Have I given you some reason to believe I mean you harm...?"

That toothy grin she was wearing was enough reason to believe she meant me harm, even by itself. I offered her a hand to shake on our deal, and she took it quickly. I wondered if Beatrice was the kind of Witch who would get strung into pointless deals like this very often. Maybe I should keep that in mind for next time... But this time, she wasn't truly my target. She was just the only person capable of giving me what I wanted. Even if I didn't get exactly what I wanted, I was sure this would come in handy in another part of my story.

That's right... because that was the end of this story. She offered me a dare: to kill Ushiromiya George, which was impossible, or be killed in a punishment game, which was very possible. It wasn't much of a story. I hadn't even gotten to spend some time as Beatrice's apprentice, learning the magic necessary to replicate her seal: with her own spell, she'd simply made me able to do it.

However, my magic had been powerful enough to grant me an audience with the Witch and grant my desire. How many other sorcerers could say that? Although my new power was weak, it had cost me another ****, another pin-cushioning by those Seven Sisters of Purgatory in their form that was least interesting to a writer of erotica like myself. Hopefully, I'd find a way to use this weak power to my advantage and give my own sacrifice meaning.