Just as Victor was chatting with the two chieftains, a messenger suddenly came looking for him and reported, "My lord Marquis, Lord James's troops have returned to the fortress.
They accomplished their objective, wiping out a Barbarian cavalry force and taking quite a few prisoners. Apparently, there's an important Barbarian figure among them."
Victor immediately stood up after hearing this, ready to leave. But when he saw the two chieftains still there, he said apologetically, "There's an urgent military matter, so I must leave for a while. Please continue looking around the resettlement site and make sure your tribespeople have better living arrangements."
"Of course. Thank you very much for your concern, my lord Marquis. We'll take a good look around. Military matters are more important, so please attend to your duties!"
Both men looked delighted. They had heard the messenger's report, after all, and knew that James had achieved impressive results on this expedition.
This also meant that Two Rivers County could hold its own against the Iron Bone Tribe's army, which was good news for them as well. It gave them greater confidence in standing alongside Two Rivers County and the Golden Sunflower Family and achieving ultimate victory.
Victor took his guards and followed the messenger toward the Border Fortress. As they galloped along, he suddenly asked, "How heavy were the losses?"
"My lord Marquis, rest assured. We saw the troops returning in triumph with our own eyes. Their losses were minor compared to what they achieved. They brought back all the fallen soldiers and the wounded, and casualties were less than ten percent!"
Victor nodded. "Has James returned?
Was he wounded?"
That stumped the messenger. He hesitated before replying, "Viscount James hasn't returned yet?
I believe he went to the Horseshoe Tribe to help finish their relocation!"