At the beginning of Dragon King Calendar Year 417, there were fewer than six months left until Rudeus's tenth birthday.
Winter had arrived, bringing bleak, bitter winds.
A line of carriages, accompanied by three riders.
They were the last group to withdraw from the Fitoia Territory.
The three riders were Cui Ciyou, Roxy, and Ghislaine.
Inside the carriage sat Alice, Sylphy, Lilia, and Aisha.
Yesterday, Cui Ciyou, Roxy, and Ghislaine had cleared out the last batch of monsters.
Today, they departed.
This meant that the Great Migration, a plan that had lasted nearly two years, swept across the entire Fitoia Territory, and deserved a place in the history books, had succeeded.
As for Sauros, Philip, and Hilda, they had already set out ahead of them with the last group of evacuees, heading south to the Milbotz Territory.
Counting the days, they should have been close to arriving by now.
Paul's family, along with Rorze and his wife, accompanied the group as their personal guards.
Although Sauros had always looked down on Paul, he had been a close friend of Paul's father, so he still looked after him quite well.
Originally, according to the plan, Alice and Sylphy should have left with their families too.
But the two girls had come up with every excuse they could, insisting on staying with Cui Ciyou.
Their parents actually seemed quite pleased about that.
The atmosphere inside the carriage was somewhat subdued.
Bored out of her mind, Alice used a soft cloth to polish the specially made short sword Cui Ciyou had given her, over and over again. She treasured it dearly.
From time to time, she stole a sideways glance at Cui Ciyou and Roxy riding side by side, complicated emotions flickering in her usually fiery red eyes.
Sylphy nestled close beside Alice