“Have you ever played a game with dice?”  

When Verati first sat face-to-face with the Emperor, fully prepared to accept her death, those were the peculiar words he chose to start with.  

“…Dice game?”  

“Anything involving dice. A board game, maybe. Or even the street hustlers’ dice game. Haven’t you seen it in a casino? There must be such gambling games there.”  

Verati remained silent, staring steadily at the Emperor. Since the eccentric woman in the fox mask had left, the Emperor’s expression hadn’t shifted an inch.  

Surrounded by cathedral knights, each one powerful enough not to be dismissed lightly, the Emperor sat there with a leisurely smile, as if facing nothing more than a child.  

The gaslight flickered atop the table, casting faint shadows that danced across the Emperor’s face.  

If someone wanted to assassinate the Emperor, this would be a good opportunity.  

After all, Verati wasn’t even bound in any way.  

But the fact that the Emperor was speaking one-on-one with her at all implied he was confident enough to handle someone like Verati alone.  

Pangriffon.  

There was no concrete proof that the legend was real. Yet, every Emperor throughout history seemed to possess formidable strength, as if trying to prove that myth true. No one believed that this could be due to lineage alone. Some even suspected that certain Emperors had swapped children or secretly designated someone else as crown prince within the royal family.  

This was why the Church had judged that Sylvia Pangriffon might one day be Emperor—  

“Do you not know it? It’s a game where you roll dice and compete with numbers. Whoever rolls the higher number wins, or maybe the same number with multiple dice, or in sequence—”  

“I know that much.”  

She snapped back, glaring at the Emperor as he continued talking without a care.  

It wasn’t the sort of reaction you’d expect toward an Emperor. Yet, he didn’t seem to care in the slightest. That attitude of his only irritated her more.  

“Right, of course. Not everyone gambles, but who hasn’t held a die at least once in their life?”  

The Emperor nodded, adjusting his posture, crossing his legs in a relaxed manner. It was as though he were welcoming an old friend, despite the underground room not exactly giving off a cozy vibe.  

“What if, say, the other party couldn’t possibly notice our trick—no, rather…”  

The Emperor paused, as though rethinking his analogy, and then continued.  

“What if, even knowing about our trick, they were helpless against it? What would you do to win?”  

“Well, I’d keep using the trick.”  

“Even if they knew you were cheating?”  

“If you’re saying they can’t avoid it anyway, then yes.”  

The Emperor smiled as though satisfied with her answer.  

“And if you were on the losing side?”  

“…Then I’d try to beat them to a pulp. Since, you know, I’m aware of the cheating, right?”  

“I did say it was unavoidable.”  

“That doesn’t mean I don’t know my opponent.”  

At her response, the Emperor chuckled, lifting his shoulders slightly. His laughter was ambiguous, half menacing villain and half middle-aged man sharing a joke with a friend.  

“And what if your opponent were a goddess?”  

“What?”  

“You’re playing dice with a goddess. Both of you use the same dice. Your die is made of fragile glass. It’s so thin and delicate that it cracks after just one throw, barely letting you see the result. Meanwhile, the goddess’s die is made of fine ivory, resilient enough to last countless throws.”  

He continued, tapping his fingers atop his knee.  

“The rules are simple. Whoever rolls the higher number wins. You can throw the dice as many times as you wish, as long as you feel like it.”  

“What ridiculous rules.”  

Verati scoffed.  

“So I get only one throw before my die breaks? What’s the point of being able to throw it as many times as I want?”  

“But there’s still a chance you’ll roll a twelve on your single throw, right?”  

“Even so, the odds are heavily against me. And if I’m forced to play by such rules, then it’s already a setup. Can I even refuse if she decides to add more dice to her side?”  

“You can’t. She’s a goddess.”  

“…Exactly.”  

Verati sighed deeply at his answer.  

“If the opponent is a goddess, of course, we’d have to bow down. What sense is there in even considering a game against the very owner of this world?”  

“Is that so?”  

“Whether you see it that way or not, I’m a servant of the Church. A knight, a sister. Even if I have a bit of a wild streak, that fact doesn’t change.”  

“Hm.”  

The Emperor smiled as if pleased with her answer.  

“So why are you asking me these things?”  

“Who knows.”  

The Emperor paused, drawing out the suspense before speaking again, slowly.  

“I think I may have found someone who might be that goddess.”  

“….”  

Verati remained silent for a long moment.  

“…What?”  

After a lengthy silence, she finally asked.  

“You probably won’t believe me, but that’s irrelevant.”  

“Ha.”  

Verati exhaled in disbelief.  

“So, that’s what you wanted to say? That you found a goddess?”  

“It hasn’t been proven yet.”  

“So, you’re planning to prove it?”  

“Yes. And for that, I’ll need the cooperation of the Church.”  

“Oh, let me guess. You want a Saintess sent over so she can sit across from the goddess and proclaim, ‘Ah, this is truly our goddess’? Think the Church will agree to that?”  

“No need. Just lend me the sacred artifact you possess.”  

“…”  

Verati clamped her mouth shut, but the Emperor continued.  

“How would one go about understanding the power of someone who can rewind time?”  

“Why are we suddenly talking about this after all that nonsense with dice?”  

“I’m discussing ways to reveal a trick.”  

“….”  

“I’ve considered prophecy, calculations, even the possibility of someone having already experienced the future. And I understand that all three conclusions are quite similar. So, what remains is proving it.”  

“And just how do you plan to prove it?”  

“By planning something that the other side won’t like.”  

The Emperor explained with a gleeful expression.  

“If there’s someone who keeps rolling the dice until they get the desired outcome, then the way to expose that is by setting up a scenario where the result can’t change.”  

“Couldn’t they just roll again?”  

“The timing of the throw will change.”  

The Emperor dismissed her concern casually.  

“If I set it up so that a two shows up on the tenth roll, then the other side might suddenly pull out a third die or try to manipulate the result on the eighth or ninth roll. As long as we can observe that, we can determine whether they know our future or not.”  

The Emperor shrugged.  

“It’s not enough just to make plans. To get what I want, I’ll need to act greedily. If there’s something the opponent might desire, I’ll be the first to snatch it away.”  

“And if they rewind time again?”  

“If, without my knowledge, they end up with the item, then that would prove they’re using tricks. And once I confirm that, I’ll be quite delighted.”  

The Emperor laughed.  

“At the very least, it’ll validate my theory that I can influence the opponent’s actions.”  

“….”  

Verati stared at him, bewildered.  

…Well, at least,  

if she managed to survive, she’d have something noteworthy to report back to the Church.  

That fleeting thought passed through her mind.  

*  

“You seem rather pleased.”  

Bella, who had quietly approached the Emperor from behind, remarked.  

“Indeed, I am.”  

“But the sacred artifact you wanted was stolen by that one.”  

“It’s meaningless unless all the pieces are together, anyway. More importantly, I’ve gained more than just proof.”  

Striding confidently through the dense forest, the Emperor continued.  

“Even ivory dice can break, it seems.”  

“We still don’t know who the opponent really is.”  

“Really? I have a good idea.”  

At his words, Bella simply tilted her head in curiosity.