The barbarians wanted to retreat, but Derek pretended not to notice, ordering the troops to continue as usual—withdraw, eat, and rest.
Moving such a large force is difficult to conceal. If the barbarians detected anything unusual, it could trigger a chain of unpredictable events. So, Derek decided to keep everything as normal as possible to avoid raising any suspicions.
The barbarians were indeed keeping a close eye on the situation outside the town. After a day of battle, they had suffered over two hundred casualties. Even though the enemy's losses were nearly double, the barbarians found their own losses unacceptable. This meant that the enemy could afford to sacrifice lives to overwhelm them.
While the Lokian officers might not care about the lives of their common soldiers, the barbarians knew their own lives were far more valuable. In the limited light of the torches, a group of more refined-looking barbarians huddled in the shadows. Before long, a rope dangled from the wooden wall and a barbarian scout climbed up.
The surrounding lesser barbarian chiefs quickly gathered around.
"How is it?"
"The Lokians outside are completely quiet," the scout confirmed.
All eyes turned to the lead barbarian chief. The situation was now clear—they had no desire to die here. Compared to the suffering of the low-ranking barbarians, these minor chiefs had much better lives. And since they had already looted plenty of wealth on this expedition, few among them were eager to risk their lives further.
In the dim light of the fire, the chief's face flickered with conflicting emotions. He could sense the unease among his men, and most importantly, he himself had no interest in continuing to clash with the Lokians.
"Let's leave quietly. Take the wealth with you, but abandon anything too large to carry," the chief ordered.
He still had some common sense, understanding that they were now fleeing, not marching in triumph. Making too much noise or carrying excessive baggage would only lead to their demise.
So, the remaining three hundred or so barbarians quickly packed up their valuables and left through the deserted north gate. They had scouted this route multiple times during the day and confirmed that it was free of ambushes.
"These Lokians don't want a desperate fight either, or else they wouldn't have left us a way out," the barbarian chief assumed, thinking he had seen through the Lokians' intentions.
After all, with five or six hundred barbarian warriors, defending the town should have inflicted at least double, if not triple, the casualties on the attackers. Rather than fighting to the death, it seemed both sides preferred an unspoken agreement to avoid mutual destruction. In the end, the credit for reclaiming lost territory would be the same.
The barbarians' escape went smoothly. The next day, when the townspeople discovered that the barbarians had disappeared, they sent someone to contact Derek and his men.
After careful reconnaissance, Derek and Baron Palmer entered the town. "Impressive. You left one side unguarded to force the barbarians to flee through that route? What if they hadn't run?" Baron Palmer seemed to understand.
Derek, in a good mood, gave a brief explanation: "War isn't rigid. It depends on your goals and the costs you're willing to bear. In this situation, there were actually two and a half possible outcomes."
"Two and a half? Please elaborate," Baron Palmer asked humbly.
"One possibility is that the barbarians choose to hold their ground. In that case, we'd fight it out. Leaving one side open might lower the morale of their lower ranks and reduce our casualties a bit. The second possibility is that the barbarians flee, which I anticipated. I've already sent men far ahead to wait for them. If they fled last night, they would likely be encountering my men right about now. If they had broken during the battle, my men would have already returned to intercept them."
There was one more point Derek didn't mention: if there were pursuers behind them, the barbarians would only meet a more tragic end. Of course, it sounds simple in theory, but applying it in practice depends on the situation. This was the first time he had used this tactic in earnest, and so far, it seemed to be working well. This was a remnant of knowledge from his previous life, where the Ferrara family's heritage was more aligned with the military systems and unspoken rules of this world.
But in Baron Palmer's eyes, it was nothing short of miraculous.
"Sir Derek, you're truly remarkable. I believe you will be renowned across many nations one day."
Derek smiled, neither modest nor arrogant.
"Now, we should be encountering them soon."
Meanwhile, Adrian and his men had spent the entire night in the wild, resting in simple sleeping bags and eating cold rations. Even in the military, such conditions were considered poor.
"Centurion, do you really think the barbarians will flee?" the infantry banner captain beside him asked, spitting out the remnants of his tasteless rations.
"Whether they do or don't isn't our concern. Our job is to follow orders," Adrian replied, though he had his own doubts. According to Derek's instructions, they were bound to encounter the barbarians today. The only question was when.
If they met them in the morning, it would mean the barbarians were still at their strongest. If later, the situation would be easier to handle. But overall, it wouldn't be too difficult. With a well-prepared ambush and facing barbarians either burdened with loot or fleeing in panic, resistance would be minimal.
Just as he finished speaking, a soldier covered in leaves came running over.
"Centurion, they're here—the barbarians are here."
The soldiers, who had been idly preparing, quickly dropped what they were doing and grabbed their weapons. Adrian stood up as well, his spirits lifted.
"It seems these guys have been running all night without resting."
Adrian compared their situation to his own. He had traveled for most of the previous day before setting up camp here. The barbarians couldn't have moved faster than him, which meant they must have been on the move all night.
A group burdened with loot, exhausted from running through the night, and completely unprepared for an ambush—what fighting strength could they possibly have left?
Just as Adrian had anticipated, the barbarians' formation had long since fallen apart. Scattered along the way, some had lagged behind, with the fastest and slowest now separated by as much as ten miles. Any remaining sense of caution had faded with time. After all, who would expect the Lokians to set up an ambush so far out?
"Chief… Baron, we've been running all night. Shouldn't we find a place to rest up ahead?"
At the front, the barbarian chiefs, accompanied by the few horses they had, were dragging along a large haul of loot. The common barbarians, who had far less loot and weren't allowed to bring pack animals or heavy gear, naturally couldn't keep up.
Is it unfair? Those rules only applied to ordinary barbarians. As the ones who made the rules, these chiefs certainly wouldn't restrict themselves.
Though they tried to avoid making too much noise, they had managed to bring along a few horses. And with so much loot, it would be heartbreaking to leave it all behind. After running all night, both men and horses were nearing their limits.
The lead barbarian chief stopped to catch his breath, panting heavily. Since all the horses were carrying loot, he was on foot and thoroughly exhausted. He estimated that the Lokians should have just discovered their escape. Even if they were mounted, it would take them at least two hours to catch up.
"Let's rest for a bit and gather the rest of our people. If the Lokian cavalry catches up, we'll give them a good fight."
The barbarian chief found a spot to sit down and was just about to ask someone to prepare some food when he heard his men's panicked shouts.
"The Lokians are here!!"