The first to return to the garrison camp were independent nobles like Henry and the others. Since their soldiers and retainers were still cleaning up the battlefield and were not at their sides, they usually traveled in small groups of three or five.
The first thing everyone did after returning to their tents was have their maids wash them up. They were covered in sticky blood, and it felt awful.
No one knew how many lesser nobles had died this time, but they did not care. So what if those in the same trade died? They were not from their own families. For all they knew, they might have been lesser nobles from near their own fiefs. Perhaps they could even declare war on them after returning.
That night, the barracks were quiet. Even the returning main force and the two rescued legions held no celebratory gatherings. They needed rest, and the wails of the wounded left no one in the mood to celebrate.
The next day, as dawn began to break, an atmosphere of bustling activity spread through the sprawling camps after the Four Legions combined their encampments.
Hundreds of clerks hurried between the various military tents, recording the casualties from last night's battle and the number of captured Half-Orcs.
The clerks did not dare approach the Half-Orcs bound in iron chains and shackles without soldiers accompanying them.
The spoils of war were piled up in several temporary supply depots. Half-Orc armor, weapons, and other loot were heaped into mountains, while the weapons and armor of the fallen legion soldiers were collected.
The scribes counted yesterday's gains and losses until their heads spun. When pushed hard enough, people could often surpass their limits—but not when it came to mathematics.
In one corner of the camp, the lightly wounded were