Beyond Aurea, hunger travels faster than armies. Cargo disappears, villages thin out, roads fail, and every delay costs someone another meal. Aida and her companions learn that defeating beasts does not restore a road by itself. Food must arrive, wagons must move, the wounded must be carried, and records must survive long enough to guide the next decision. As rescue work collides with suspicion and inquiry, the group keeps drawing one more line toward morning. The Hungry Road turns the idea of returning people alive into a practical discipline.