The Marquess opted to hold their current position for a few more days, so as to pursue every possible clue they could find. He, as well as everyone, knew that it was highly improbable for them to catch their target, that it was an impossible mission in all but name.
Eventually, they had been able to track what little traces were left, contaminated as they were by the passage of time, and reconstruct from this information what they believed to be the most likely path Night had taken, which led to the pile of corpses and then further away to the nearest forested area.
Once the results were brought to the marquis's central tent and laid bare for his and his son's eyes and ears, each of the Blackwells had a unique and distinct reaction of their own.
The marquis was one of respect and contemplation, respect for their foe's capabilities and contemplation for their security strategy which he thought needed some revision.
Marek's was that of frustration, embarrassment and anger, all at the thought that the enemy may have been so close and in reach yet still slipped away from his grasp.
William's however, William's reaction was one of incredulity and fear, incredulity at the thought of the likelihood of such an event happening and fear at the thought that he had potentially come so close to a dangerous enemy alone, unarmed and untrained.
"Sometimes I feel like this whole thing is either a dream or a very cheesy story, what the hell is this shit, the likelihood of this whole thing happening and me still being alive is..... ridiculously low. Why do I somehow plunge myself into trouble ever since I woke up in this world?" William thought.
With these revelations came the thought over their next step, the marquess dispatched a few guards in the direction that they believed the escapee had taken just in case something came out of this most likely fruitless endeavor.
The other topic that was to be breached was over the fate of the bandits and their remaining leader. Lord Ulric turned to his son's as he asked.
"What do you think?"
He did this more as a test to see what they think rather than him needing any counseling on the matter.
"They should all be hanged obviously, they had dared to raise arms against us in battle and their fate was sealed the moment such a foolish thought had entered their minds" Marek responded with strong emotions in his tone, it was obvious for those present that he spoke with his heart rather than his brain.
Seeing this the marquess simply sighed in disappointment then looked at William for his response.
After thinking for a bit he answered "I do believe that an example should be made of some of them, though killing most or all would be a waste, they had hurt our trade and people so why not make them give back to the community to answer for their sins."
"What do you have in mind?" Lord Ulric asked urging his son to elaborate further.
"Make a public example of the leader; Olivia was her name I believe, as a reminder to all of what fate would befall those who would lead an armed force against us. As for the rest why not send them to the mines to work for some time, maybe ten years of back-breaking hard labor would be enough."
William took a moment to catch his breath before he continued. " This would serve as a punishment and compensation for the territory for the losses they made us suffer."
The marquess looked at his son with some satisfaction, his analysis was not perfect since he did not see the third and perhaps the most important gain they would receive from his suggestion if implemented. Yet it was far better than the simplistic, militaristic and emotionally driven thought processes of his eldest son.
"Good suggestion, though you missed an important aspect."
Hearing this William frowned as he thought a bit about what he could have possibly missed.
"Your plan would serve a third and most important purpose, and that would be Mercy. By showing mercy to our enemies, it would encourage future opponents to surrender more easily instead of fighting to the end." Lord Ulric clarified.
Hearing this, a light of realization hit William, he had not thought about it from that angle. This made him realize that he still had much to learn.
"But wouldn't that encourage our enemies to raise arms against us, since the consequences are less severe?" Marek interjected, unhappy at the thought that the bandits would get away with their heads still attached to their shoulders, after all, he had vowed to kill them all.
"Good point son, usually the ones that orchestrate these types of meticulously planned and well-managed attacks are the leaders, they are mostly the ones that determine the threats bandits or even an army could pose. So by making an example of this Olivia, we are effectively sending a very loud and clear signal that would deter others."
Marek thought about this for a while a begrudgingly agreed, he was not a complete idiot as he understood that sometimes one's wants would not necessarily align with one's needs. This was especially true for individuals in positions of power such as the nobility.
The higher one's rank, the bigger the responsibilities and requirements that they must carry on their shoulders.
The trio discussed further issues for the time being until reports came back that the trail the men had followed ended near a stream. Even after an extensive search, nothing of note was found.
Disappointed the Lord decided that they would lift camp the next day and return to Landow seeing as there was no purpose to them staying here any longer.
In their journey back, the Marquess made sure to take a longer route, passing through as many lesser noble's territories as possible, this was done to display the large procession of prisoners in shackles to the nobles as well as their peoples.
All to declare that the threat the bandits posed was no more as well as cementing the might and prestige of the Blackwell marquisate in the hearts and minds of the people.
The marquess also met those local lords personally so as to renew their links whether it was socially or politically, after all the bandit problem had plagued them all, affecting trade and safety overall. As the highest-ranking noble on which territory the attacks were happening, it was up to the Marquess to take care of the problem.
Now that the minor crisis was over, naturally, be it the people or the nobles they all appreciated his efforts in ending it.
A week after the marquess had set out with him men from Landow, he had finally come back home, making sure to organize a small parade to display the prisoners all to cement his prestige; this time in his seat of power.
The fate of the prisoners whether they be the leader or the rest has already been decided and would be announced later on to the public.
With this, the bandit extermination campaign had come to its conclusion, resulting in a satisfactory victory, though not a complete one, given that the main mastermind behind it was still largely unknown and at large and though the hunt for clues continues, the battle behind the scenes is far from over.