The Protagonist’s Party is Too Diligent – 108
EP.108 Dice Game
“Have you ever played dice games?”
The first words the Emperor spoke to Verratti, when she sat face-to-face with him, prepared to die, were nothing short of nonsensical.
“…Dice games?”
“Any game involving dice. Board games, street dice hustles, whatever. Or perhaps you’ve seen gambling games in a casino?”
“……”
Verratti clamped her mouth shut and stared intently at the Emperor. Even after the eccentric woman in the fox mask left, the Emperor’s expression remained completely unmoved.
Even with the Knights Templar, each possessing formidable strength, standing before him, the Emperor wore a relaxed smile as if he were dealing with children.
The gas lamp on the table flickered, casting shallow shadows on the Emperor’s face.
If anyone intended to assassinate the Emperor, this would have been the perfect opportunity.
Verratti, after all, wasn’t restrained in any way.
But the fact that the Emperor was holding this one-on-one conversation with Verratti indicated his confidence in overpowering her alone if necessary.
Fangriffon.
There was no evidence that the myth was real. But as if to prove it true, all the Emperors throughout history possessed immense power. No one believed it was possible solely due to bloodline. Some Emperors were even suspected of swapping children or appointing others within the royal family as crown princes.
That’s why the Papal States thought Sylvia Fangriffon might become the next Emperor—
“Don’t know it? It’s a game where you roll dice and compare numbers. You can compete by rolling for the highest number, matching specific combinations, or ordering sequences—”
“I know that much.”
Verratti answered curtly, glaring at the Emperor who continued speaking at his own pace, regardless of her wariness. It wasn’t a reaction one would show to an Emperor. But the Emperor didn’t seem to care in the slightest. Verratti found that attitude even more irritating.
“Of course, you would. Not everyone wagers money, but who hasn’t handled dice at least once in their life?”
The Emperor nodded slightly as he spoke, then shifted his posture, crossing his legs as though entertaining an old acquaintance. Despite the underground room’s grim setting, his demeanor remained annoyingly relaxed.
“If your opponent couldn’t possibly detect your trick—no, wait.”
He paused, reconsidering his analogy, and resumed.
“Even if your opponent knew you were cheating but still couldn’t do anything about it, what would you do to win?”
“…Obviously, I’d keep cheating.”
“Even if they’re aware of it?”
“They can’t stop it anyway, can they?”
“True enough.”
The Emperor smiled as if pleased with her answer.
“What if you were the one being cheated?”
“…I’d find a way to utterly ruin them. You said I’d know they’re cheating, right?”
“I also said you’d be powerless to stop it.”
“Knowing the trick doesn’t mean you can’t target the cheater.”
Verratti’s response made the Emperor chuckle, his shoulders shaking slightly in amusement. The sound of his laughter—soft yet deep—was unnerving. It resembled both the sinister laugh of a villain and the lighthearted chuckle of a middle-aged man hearing a funny joke from a friend.
“What if your opponent were a goddess?”
“…What?”
“You’re playing a dice game with a goddess. Both you and the goddess use the same dice. Your dice are made of glass, so thin and fragile that they crack and become unusable after just one throw. But the goddess’s dice are made of ivory, high-quality dice that don’t wear out or break no matter how many times they’re thrown.”
The Emperor lightly tapped his fingers on his knee as he continued speaking.
“The rules of the game are simple. Roll the dice, and the higher value wins. You can roll as many times as you like, whenever you feel like it.”
“The rules are nonsense.”
Verratti scoffed.
“If the dice shatter after a single roll, what’s the point of being able to roll them multiple times?”
“Still, you could roll a 12 in a single throw, couldn’t you?”
“Even so, we’re overwhelmingly disadvantaged. And if we have to play by such rules, it means we have no choice but to accept them. Do we have any veto power if the opponent decides to add one or two more dice?”
“No, of course not. She’s a goddess.”
“…Exactly.”
Verratti sighed deeply at the Emperor’s answer.
“If the opponent really is a goddess, we’re bound to bow down. The idea of challenging the ruler of the world to a game is absurd in itself.”
“Is that so?”
“…I don’t know about you, but I’m a member of the Papal State. A knight, a nun. No matter how unruly my personality might be, that fact doesn’t change.”
“Hmm.”
The Emperor smiled, as if her answer pleased him.
“So, why are you asking me this?”
“Well.”
The Emperor spoke slowly, as if to build suspense.
“It seems we’ve found someone who might be that goddess.”
“……”
For a moment, Verratti was silent. Then, after a long pause, she finally spoke.
“…What?”
“You probably wouldn’t believe me. But that’s fine.”
“Huh.”
Verratti sighed in disbelief.
“So, what are you saying now? That you’ve found this goddess?”
“It hasn’t been proven yet.”
“So, you intend to prove it?”
“Exactly. And for that, I’ll need the cooperation of the Papal State.”
“What. Do you want us to send a Saintess? Someone who can sit across from her and declare, ‘Ah, yes, this is truly our goddess’? Do you think the Papal State would agree to that?”
“There’s no need for that. All I need is the relic you possess.”
“……”
Verratti kept her lips sealed, but the Emperor continued.
“How do you prove the ability of someone who can turn back time?”
“Why are you suddenly jumping from dice to that?”
“I’m talking about finding a way to prove the trick.”
“……”
“I’ve considered the possibility of prophecy, calculation, or even the idea that they’ve already experienced the future. And I’ve realized that all three lead to similar conclusions. Which leaves us with proof.”
“And what is that proof?”
“I plan to do something the opponent wouldn’t like.”
The Emperor explained with amusement.
“If there’s someone rolling dice until they get the result they want, the way to prove it is to create a situation where the dice results are fixed.”
“But wouldn’t they just roll the dice again?”
“Then the timing of the roll changes.”
The Emperor dismissed Verratti’s objection with a calm certainty.
“If you ensure the dice always roll a 2 on the tenth throw, the opponent would either suddenly bring three dice into play or try to manipulate the result on the ninth or eighth throw. If we can catch that, we might verify whether they truly know our future.”
The Emperor shrugged his shoulders as he spoke.
“Just planning isn’t enough. To get what I want, I must act greedily. If there’s something the opponent desires, I should step in and take it first.”
“But what if the opponent turns back time again?”
“If the opponent has the item without me knowing, that would prove they’re using a trick. And if I confirm that, I would be very pleased.”
The Emperor smiled as he spoke.
“At the very least, it would provide evidence that my actions can provoke the opponent to act.”
“……”
Verratti stared at the Emperor with a dumbfounded expression for a while.
At least, if I make it back alive, there’ll be something to report to the Papal State.
That fleeting thought crossed Verratti’s mind amidst the absurdity of it all.
*
“…You seem to be enjoying yourself?”
Bella, who was closely following behind the Emperor, asked.
“Of course.”
“But the relic we wanted was taken by that person and escaped.”
“The relic is meaningless unless all of them are gathered together. More importantly, I gained something far more valuable than I hoped to prove.”
The Emperor spoke, striding confidently through the dense forest.
“Even ivory dice can break sometimes.”
“…We still don’t know who the opponent is.”
Bella said cautiously.
“Really? I think I have a good idea.”
the Emperor replied.
Bella tilted her head in curiosity but remained silent.