At the same time that the Northern Alliance Army and the Two Rivers Legion set out, within the Barbarian Main Camp.
Exactly ten days had passed since the battle in the Blue Lake Bay Region, so when Heshima awoke early that morning, he felt deeply uneasy.
He knew it was merely psychological, but it had also been exactly ten days since the enemy had wiped out the Barbarian detachment.
Most likely, the enemy force that had defeated the Barbarian detachment was about to reach the Border Fortress before them. Once they arrived, the Barbarian army would essentially lose any chance of taking the fortress.
Heshima secretly hesitated. Should he withdraw with the Barbarian army?
After days of fierce fighting, the Main Camp had lost another hundred thousand or so men, greatly reducing the consumption of provisions.
Including the food he had secretly stashed away, there was enough for the entire army to hold out for another ten days. If he took only the Iron Bone Tribe's core forces, there would be enough food for a month—more than enough time to return to the Iron Bone Tribe's pastures.
With food running out, the chieftains of the other tribes within the Barbarian army had long wanted to leave, but Heshima had suppressed them all. It had nearly come to armed conflict, and he had been forced to bring out part of his hidden food reserves to pacify them.
Heshima felt there was little point in remaining here to continue the siege. He was considering abandoning the other tribes and retreating directly with the Iron Bone Tribe's core forces.
It was not only the pressure brought by the imminent arrival of that enemy army. Last night, a reinforcement force several thousand strong had broken through their blockade and entered the Border Fortress. With