When Lothar asked him that, Kanzaki Rei merely spread his hands.

"I only stayed in Loren for half a year."

"I’ve never had much interest in matters of state."

"And as for Your Majesty’s merits and faults as emperor, I’m hardly in a position to judge."

"Whether you’re a good emperor or not... I don’t think I’m the one you should be asking."

After hearing Rei’s answer, Lothar let out a soft laugh.

"That’s true... You weren’t in Loren for very long. It was rather abrupt of me to ask."

"But what if it’s only your intuition?"

"Based on instinct alone, do you think I’m a good emperor?"

You’re really going to press this?

Rei sighed inwardly.

The question reminded him of the yellow weasel spirit in old folklore, constantly asking people whether it looked human.

He couldn’t help wondering whether there was some hidden trap behind the question.

But as his gaze pierced the future—

And as he continuously heightened his intuition—

He sensed no trap whatsoever.

It was an utterly ordinary question.

"Do I have to answer?" Rei asked.

Lothar smiled.

"We’re only chatting."

"If you don’t feel like discussing this topic, we can talk about something else."

Rei replied,

"It’s not that I don’t want to discuss it."

"Lothar, my intuition tells me... that you would be a good emperor."

After a moment’s thought, Rei gave his answer.

Lothar laughed.

"Haha. With those words, I can rest easy."

"You’re very curious whether what I said about fate entanglement is true, aren’t you?"

Rei nodded.

"This is the first time I’ve heard of such a thing."

Though, if one insisted, Rei possessed a similar ability himself.

The Inevitable Death Ending was one such phenomenon...

As long as the countdown to death reached zero, death was certain.

But what Lothar described was even more absurd and unreasonable than anything Rei knew.

As long as he remained emperor, Loren would endure forever?

What kind of bizarre logic was that?

An effect like this was already approaching the realm of divine authority.

Or could it be...

The effect of a God-Tier Talent?

No.

Lothar himself did not possess a God-Tier Talent.

Rei had already verified that.

"Lord Rei, the contributions you have made to Loren are so immense that the treasures currently in our national vault are insufficient to repay you."

"And with your present strength, ordinary worldly possessions should be of little use."

Rei raised an eyebrow.

"As I recall, Your Majesty once said that Loren could fulfill any request I made."

Lothar’s eyes lit up.

"Oh? Is there something specific you need my help with? Whatever you desire, feel free to ask."

Rei said plainly,

"I want to become a Level 9 warrior. Can you grant that as well?"

Faced with this question, Lothar showed not the slightest embarrassment. Instead, he burst into hearty laughter.

"Haha! Of course not."

"I can only do my utmost within the limits of what I am capable of."

So there were limits after all.

Rei had originally wondered whether Lothar possessed some extraordinary power that allowed him to effortlessly fulfill any wish placed before him.

It seemed that hypothesis had been wrong.

Then again, if Lothar could truly grant any wish Rei made, he would be more powerful than a god.

"Never mind. Continue with what you were saying."

Lothar looked at him.

"Are you disappointed?"

He had noticed the subtle shift in Rei’s emotions.

Of course, that was largely because Rei had not bothered to conceal anything.

Rei shook his head.

"Not particularly."

Lothar said,

"Lord Rei, although I may not be able to fulfill your wish directly, what I am about to tell you will certainly be of great help."

Rei inclined his head.

"I’m listening."

Lothar began.

"In this world, there exists a tome known as the Codex of Fate."

"Within that codex are recorded the destinies of different people. Among them are certain destinies that are tightly bound together." 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"When the corresponding condition is fulfilled, the linked destiny will inevitably occur as well."

Rei’s eyes narrowed.

"You’re saying you’ve seen the Codex of Fate before, and in it, you saw your own destiny?"

Lothar nodded.

"That’s correct."

Rei asked immediately,

"How did you see it? In Loren?"

At the same time, Rei observed the fluctuations in Lothar’s mind from multiple dimensions of space.

He was ensuring that every word was true.

Lothar answered,

"I saw it when I was a child. It was like a book of prophecy, foretelling many things that might happen in the future."

"Driven by curiosity, I opened it."

"And on one of its pages, I saw a passage concerning myself."

"It stated that as long as I became the King of Loren, Loren would endure forever and continue without end."

"From that moment on, I believed in that prophecy without reservation."

Rei said,

"It does sound like quite a coincidence."

Lothar gave a slight nod.

"I have never told anyone about the existence of that book."

"In addition to the event concerning me, the codex recorded many other intertwined destinies."

"For example: as long as the sun sets, the moon will rise."

Rei frowned.

"Isn’t that simply a natural law?"

Lothar looked at him.

"How can you be certain that this natural law isn’t governed by that very book?"

"From what I saw, the codex records a vast number of principles we regard as inevitable laws of nature."

Rei’s expression grew serious.

"Are you saying that the reality we perceive is, to a significant extent, controlled by that book?"

If that were true...

Then Rei felt a faint sorrow born of destiny itself.

This was fundamentally different from the visions granted by the Prophet class.

The destinies seen by a Prophet could still be altered.

But if every rule of the world—everything people knew and accepted—existed only because it had been written in some book...

That was far too absurd.

And yet...

How had Lothar come into contact with something operating on such an exalted level?

To define the laws of the entire world directly—

How many beings could possibly accomplish such a feat?

As though sensing Rei’s doubts, Lothar continued with the explanation.

"It happened in the Royal Library of Loren."

"My father was researching something at the time."

"He was speaking with a visitor who had come to Loren."

"The book that visitor carried was this very codex."

"While they were talking, I curiously opened it and began to read."

"I was quickly discovered by the man."

"He closed the book and did not allow me to see another word."

"But before he left, he unexpectedly left the book behind in Loren. After a series of twists and turns, I found it again."

"Only this time, I was unable to open its pages."

"After that, I ascended the throne."

"I realized that the book could not be allowed to fall into anyone else’s hands, so I hid it."

"Even with my current strength, I am still unable to open it."

"But I believe that if anyone can, it may be you."

"This is likely the only thing I possess worthy of someone like you..."

"The book lies in the deepest part of what was once the continent of Loren, at the very bottom of the entire continent."

"I have always felt that if one could open that book... it might even be possible to write something into it personally."