the era of calamities

Whoever had come up with this plan had to be a mastermind. I couldn’t believe it was the work of a Calamity. One didn’t need to be a genius to grasp how brilliantly deadly it was.

I could already see it unfold: the surviving population of Astoria, making their way north, would be attacked by the Calamities lurking outside the city. It wouldn’t be a full-on assault, just a brief skirmish—enough to cause a few deaths, leave behind some wounded, and make the whole act look convincing. Once they reached the fortress, they would be welcomed with open arms. And from the moment they stepped inside, with thousands of Initiate-level puppets at its disposal, the parasite would have the perfect opportunity to tear the fortress apart from within before anyone even suspected a thing.

Then, when the fortress was at its weakest, the Calamities would launch an all-out offensive and finish the job.

Invictus, the so-called impenetrable fortress, would fall. And with it, the entire northern region of the Empire would be left at the mercy of the Calamities. Invictus had stood so strong for so long that stationing permanent Enforcer cohorts in nearby cities had been deemed a waste of manpower.

"If they pull this off, no city in the region will survive."

I paused before continuing.

"None of them have ever faced the horrors of the Calamities. Many, like Astoria, don’t even have a single Enforcer cohort. And the few that do wouldn’t last a day if an attack were to happen. By the time reinforcements arrive from the capital, it’ll be over. A one-sided massacre."

I threw these words at Victor. He remained silent before letting out a deep sigh.

"It would be a tragedy," he muttered. "Perhaps the worst the Empire has seen in a decade. People will want to know how they pulled it off."

Suddenly, his tail started twitching erratically. I wasn’t sure what to make of it until I heard the unmistakable sound of grinding teeth—a rodent’s version of a devilish laugh.