Where do the other enemies go?
This is probably quite an easy one for more experienced DMs, but I've been going back and forth on the title question for a while
My PCs assaulted the Redbrand Hideout and after interrogating a Redbrand, discovered that Glasstaff's quarters were in the north west. They then managed to get there by only killing the bandits sleeping by the entrance and negotiating with the Nothic. They subsequently captured Glasstaff and left him with Halia
Given that less than half of the Redbrands have actually been killed and the Hideout is so close to town, I was considering having Halia make a play to become Townmaster by turning the remaining Redbrands into a form of town guard (the surviving Redbrands and Halia would blame all the nasty stuff on the dead Redbrands and Glasstaff. They'll return the prisoners as a gesture of good will and will need to roll to convince the town of their change of heart)
My doubt surrounding the above plan is whether it may reduce the fun factor for my players by essentially saying "Yeah, you cleared the dungeon, but you didn't do it well enough". So, my question is; do you guys have unkilled enemies continue to play a role, or hand wave them away?