the era of calamities-Chapter 100: When the Sky Turns Red (1 )

The Duchy of Araceae stretched according to the will of Duchess Exa of Araceae.

Every inch covered by her webs was now claimed under her authority.

She could order the sky to turn black and the moon to dress itself in a deep, blood-red glow.

If she wished, daylight would vanish entirely, replaced by an eternal night.

Exa had watched Count Kai and his subordinates get wiped out one after another, with such ease and such clever execution that it could only mean one thing: an ambush.

An ambush indeed. She could only reach a single conclusion: humans had known they were coming, and they had prepared in advance to welcome them.

How had they found out? Since when were humans aware of their plans?

Exa would have granted a noble title to anyone capable of answering those questions. Sadly, no one could, and her mind remained clouded with uncertainty.

Still, she had been right to send a small group as a test.

Now, she held no more doubts about how dangerous humans could be, and she would need to act with far more caution against whatever surprises they still had in store.

---

Meanwhile, in the city of Orion, San had barely finished delivering the message Sirius entrusted to Iris when the tension in the room climbed another level.

Run? Why? And where?

Everyone present wore the same mixture of confusion and unease, waiting for San to say more. But he seemed to have emptied all he had to say along with the message.

Renard, though hesitant, was about to step forward to ask for clarification when the door suddenly burst open.

A knight stumbled inside, panicked, sweat and terror streaked across his face.

Before Arnaud even reprimanded him, the knight stuttered, his trembling voice barely forming words.

"The... the sky... you... red... panic... outside..."

It took a few seconds before anyone grasped that something was happening beyond the walls.

Glancing out the window, they saw the transformation spreading through the sky, threatening to swallow everything beneath it.

"What the hell is that?"

"Am I hallucinating?"

Elizir, Fidri, Lucy, Renard, and Arnaud could not even find a name for the phenomenon. Only Gracia, after a moment of thought, muttered under her breath:

"Claiming..."

All eyes snapped toward her, forcing her to continue. Clearing her throat, she explained:

"What’s happening out there means a high-rank Calamity is claiming all surrounding land, and this city is at risk of being assimilated into its territory."

"And what happens if the city is assimilated?" Renard asked.

Gracia shook her head.

"I only saw this phenomenon once in my life, and I was too young and too far to learn more."

Her answer did nothing to calm him. Even without understanding everything, Renard knew one thing: doing nothing would only make the situation worse.

And although the idea of abandoning his city felt almost as unthinkable as fleeing before an enemy, he had to because a leader responsible for lives does not get to run from decisions.

"Arnaud," he ordered his son,

"all able knights are to be requisitioned immediately. Divide them into two groups: one to set up a defensive line outside the city, the other to evacuate the population and carry off as much food and essential goods as possible."

"Yes, Father," Arnaud replied instinctively.

Only after speaking did the weight of the order hit him. He quickly added:

"Where will we evacuate to?"

Renard fell silent.

The truth was brutal: there was nowhere to run.

Having severed all ties with the other cities of the kingdom, Orion stood alone.

And even if they swallowed their pride and begged for help, Renard doubted anyone would accept them. And even if, by some miracle, they were accepted... how long until the duchy threatened them again?

"Why don’t you come with us?"

Elizir’s suggestion pulled Renard out of his thoughts.

"What do you mean by that?"

Lucy answered for him:

"We know you don’t want to join the Order. But if you’re thinking about the innocent people in danger, then set your pride aside, at least this once.

I refuse to watch people die because of some stupid conflict from who-knows-how-long ago.

Of course, this doesn’t bind you to us. Once the problem with the duchy is dealt with, you’re free to go wherever you want."

Renard wanted to refuse. But doing so would risk his people.

Resigned, he gave Arnaud a simple nod to act accordingly.

"We also need to evacuate the other cities," Elizir reminded them.

"Then we don’t have time to waste,"

Fidri concluded, before everyone rushed out of the room, leaving only Renard and San, who had remained silent throughout.

They stayed there a long while without speaking, until Renard, uncomfortable with the silence, claimed he needed to prepare for the coming battle.

But before he could cross the threshold, San spoke:

"You must leave the city as well."

Renard halted.

"I’ll stay behind and fight them, buy time for my people."

San let out a faint sigh.

"You’ll die in your condition."

Renard blinked in surprise before regaining his composure.

"How do you know that?"

San remained calm and silent.

In the battle against the Mercury clan’s leader, one of San’s clones had been killed by his poisoned attack. That alone was enough for him to gauge how dangerous the poison was.

Seeing San remain silent, Renard finally admitted, voice low:

"There’s no cure for me. Our healer could only stabilize the effects. Healing me was beyond her ability.

And even if she is talented, she’s only an Initiate and this poison was crafted by a Master."

Renard drew a deep breath, pushing away the darker thoughts.

"I’d rather die on the battlefield than on a sickbed."

San sighed a second time.

"I can save you."

Renard stared, stunned.

"How?" Then, remembering the injection San had given him before, he asked:

"Can that thing counter this poison?"

San shook his head.

The little syringe he had injected earlier merely boosted the immune system to slow the symptoms. It was no cure.

"I can’t do anything for you myself. But our organization has people who can fix your problem."

"What’s the price?" Renard asked, already convinced he couldn’t afford whatever it was.

"Since you’re not part of the Order, I can’t request that someone from headquarters be deployed without solid justification. Even with a favor, you’d have to go to our headquarters yourself to receive treatment."

"But..."

"But you wouldn’t be able to help your people during the duchy’s attack."

Renard fell silent, then bowed his head slightly to San.

"You saved my life once, and according to our chivalric code, I must repay that debt. Know that even if I die, the city of Orion and my descendants will owe you. I promise you that debt will be paid."

San sighed one last time when he saw the resolve in Renard’s eyes.

He tossed him a small syringe , the one he always carried on him.

"Use it only in a critical moment. It won’t help as much as you’d like, but it’s better than nothing."

With that, San walked away.

He was merely an observer in the unfolding of events.