Fire swallowed everything.
The town lay in a silence so complete that only the crack and snap of burning houses remained. Caelum’s gaze moved over the ground, where fresh blood cut through the firelight in glaring red.
After a while, he stopped at the center of the town.
Flames reflected in his pupils. Before him, the townspeople’s bodies had been piled together until they rose like a small hill.
It was the kind of scene that should have made heaven itself rage.
Caelum only watched.
No change in his face. No movement. He simply stood there and let the fire consume the town.
For some, the human world was already hell.
Perhaps this counted as release.
Outside the town, a blood soaked flag fluttered in the wind. A golden sword and blade emblem marked its surface.
No question about it.
This was the work of nobles.
Two days later, Caelum arrived at another town.
Fortunately, this one was still unharmed.
It was called News Town. The town raised large numbers of avian Danger Beasts. The townspeople called this special breed news birds.
News birds had excellent endurance. They could fly for a long time, and they were not slow. They also had a certain degree of intelligence, which made them perfect for carrying messages and gathering news.
Because of that, News Town had unusually strong information channels.
In this era, information moved slowly. Most places were cut off from one another, and unless a major incident occurred, news rarely spread quickly.
News Town was different.
Every day, it printed newspapers covering the recent affairs of the Empire, great and small. The business had already spread to nearby towns.
Given enough time, News Town’s newspaper trade would likely expand across the Empire and become a giant in both news and intelligence.
That was if News Town could hold on to the fortune it had created.
Nobles were no different from starving wolves. They would not pass over such a tempting piece of meat.
"Big news, big news!"
A newspaper boy ran down the street with a stack of papers in his arms, shouting at the top of his lungs.
"The first Imperial Calamity Meeting is about to begin. The final Calamity selections will soon be decided!"
"One paper."
Caelum opened the newspaper and saw the headline in the most prominent place at once.
Five months had passed since the Calamity System was announced. During that time, quite a few powerful figures from among the common people had entered public view.
Some had long been famous.
Others had stayed hidden until now, showing neither mountain nor water, yet their strength was not to be underestimated.
At present, ten candidates had drawn attention as possible Calamities. The final decision, however, still rested with the Empire. Everyone wanted to know which few would be chosen in the end.
Caelum was on the list.
The News Gazette had placed his wanted poster at the top of the candidate lineup. Its weight was obvious.
He was not interested.
Caelum disliked being bound. Even a connection in name only was not something he would accept.
The Calamity System needed his participation to prove its value.
He did not need the title of Calamity to prove his strength.
"Big brother!"
"Hm?"
A soft childish voice came from beside him.
Caelum turned and saw a little girl with a braid, holding a small basket with both hands. Inside were cookies shaped like different animals.
She stood there timidly.
"Would you like to buy some cookies?"
"Give me two."
A pure smile bloomed across the girl’s face. She happily took out three cookies and handed them to Caelum, her clear eyes bright.
"The extra one is from me!"
"Thank you."
Caelum patted her on the head.
The little girl accepted Caelum’s copper coin, held her basket, and ran back. She pinched the coin in her palm and laughed as she called out, "Haha, Mom, I know how to do business now!"
A gunshot cracked.
The girl dropped.
Several battered commoners ran past in panic. Some screamed through tears. Some were wounded, yet still dragged themselves forward with everything they had.
The townspeople nearby hurried out of the way, their faces tight with fear as they whispered.
"Again..."
"The hunting game."
A noble on horseback swaggered down the street, chin raised high. Smoke still drifted from the flintlock musket in his hand.
He gave the little girl on the ground a cold glance.
"Tch. Did I miss?"
Then he rode after the fleeing commoners.
As soon as the noble was gone, the townspeople rushed over and lifted the girl up. Only then did they discover she had merely fainted.
The bullet had never hit her.
A breath of relief passed through the crowd.
"She only fainted."
"Thank goodness."
At that moment, a well dressed middle aged man with an uncommon bearing walked to Caelum’s side. A gentle smile rested on his face.
"Hearing a hundred stories is not the same as meeting someone once. On behalf of my townspeople, I thank you for saving her life."
Caelum’s gaze shifted to him.
The middle aged man introduced himself with polished courtesy.
"My name is Sito. I am the mayor of News Town, and also the founder of the News Gazette. Sir, may we speak?"
"The News Gazette..."
A thought passed through Caelum’s mind.
Rather than search for Dusk Island alone like a needle in the sea, he could borrow the strength of the News Gazette.
That was the most practical method.
He asked, "What do you want to talk about?"
Before this, Sito and Caelum had never met. There were only so many things strangers like them could discuss.
Recruitment.
Or hiring someone to kill.
As expected, it was the second.
Inside a luxurious manor, Sito received Caelum with the highest level of courtesy.
Then he brought out a portrait.
The portrait showed a middle aged man in splendid noble clothing. A golden sword and blade pattern was embroidered on his clothes.
Sito made no attempt to hide his hatred.
"Sir, as long as you can help me kill this man from the Saliver family, I will not refuse any request you make. Even if it costs me everything I own."
Caelum did not pay much attention to the man in the portrait.
His attention fell more on the golden sword and blade pattern.
"That is the crest of the Saliver family?"
"Yes."
Sito nodded.
"Every town nearby belongs to the Saliver family’s territory. The noble from earlier is also a member of the Saliver family."
Nobles rarely treated common lives as lives.
In their eyes, commoners were machines that paid taxes. Their lives were lower than ants.
The Saliver family embodied this perfectly.
In terms of cruelty, what the Saliver family had done over the years was monstrous.
Roughly once every ten years, the Saliver family would hold a hunting game. They would randomly choose a town, then slaughter the townspeople as prey.
Afterward, they competed to see who had killed the most, all for entertainment.
Unfortunately, Sito had personally lived through one such hunting game ten years ago.
No matter how many years passed, he would never forget what that town looked like.