What could the standard possibly be?

At this point, I couldn’t help but wonder about the criteria for this so-called defeat regression.

To be fair, I had questioned it from the very beginning.
At least there used to be a clear rule.

If I gave up the fight and ran away, or if I died in battle—that was an obvious defeat.

Anyone would agree those outcomes counted as losses.
That much made sense.

But now it says abandoning the territory’s citizens counts as a defeat?
By what kind of logic?

After some long, serious thought, I came up with only two possible theories.

‘The first is the duty of a lord. A lord has an obligation to protect his land and people… something like that.’

If that were true, then why doesn’t abandoning the territory itself count as defeat?

That led me to a second theory.

‘Being penalized for abandoning the people might be tied to the scenario… like a campaign mission, maybe.’

Just like other strategy simulation games, Invincible Conqueror also had story scenarios.

For example, becoming the Grand General of the Garon Empire and preparing for rebellion in <Empire of Rebellion>.

Or playing as a prince of the Arpen Kingdom, restoring the realm’s glory in <The Prince’s Restoration>.

Each scenario had its own missions, and failure meant an automatic game over.

‘So defeat might be determined by the scenario’s mission parameters.’

“Lord, here’s your meal.”

“…Thanks.”

One of the soldiers handed me a steaming bowl of porridge.

It snapped me out of my thoughts, and I accepted the bowl silently.
Lord or not, it still felt strange.

There was a decent amount of meat and vegetables in it—for porridge, anyway.

“How’s the situation?”

“Not great, my lord. To make things worse, the rain isn’t letting up…”

“I figured. Still, hang in there. We’re almost at Count Sandwi’s domain.”

“Yes, sir.”

Rain poured as if the sky itself had burst open, the cold seeping even through the armor.

The muddy ground made every step a battle in itself.

We’d brought everything we could from the territory, but even that wasn’t much.

Feeding all 250 refugees was nearly impossible.

So along the way, we gathered tree bark and any edible wild roots we could find and boiled them into porridge.

The troop that once numbered a hundred was now reduced to twenty.
We’d conscripted everyone we could—middle-aged men, even the elderly.

Naturally, food was rationed first to those still capable of fighting.

‘Our marching speed is a disaster. A journey that should’ve taken two weeks on foot has dragged into three.’

At least no pursuit had caught up yet.
If the imperial army had chased from behind, we’d be finished by now.

Maybe it was because we’d left behind our homeland for an unfamiliar escape route.

People’s bodies and spirits were both breaking down, and soon disease began spreading among them.

A plague named fear—and even the soldiers weren’t immune.

“My lord, are we really going to survive this?”

“How dare you doubt our lord?!”

“But still… can Count Sandwi’s domain truly stand against the empire?”

He wasn’t wrong.
Even I shared their same fear.

I wasn’t some hero. I’d just been forced into the role of leading others.

Truthfully, I chose Count Sandwi’s domain because there were no other options left.

‘It would take months on foot to reach the capital. That’s with only soldiers—taking refugees along makes it impossible.’

Hiding in the forest wasn’t viable either—mages could detect us too easily.

I’d hit the empire too hard; they were bound to chase me.

The mighty empire’s pride had been wounded, and they’d want revenge.

‘On the other hand, Sandwi’s domain lies opposite the capital and is heavily fortified. It’d take significant manpower to conquer it.’

The empire was advancing by splitting its forces, occupying or subjugating minor territories as it went.

Arrogant, yes—but powerful enough and confident in their intelligence to pull it off.

In other words, the empire would likely bypass or just monitor Sandwi’s territory rather than commit to full-scale conquest.

…At least, that’s what I wanted to believe.

“Count Sandwi is said to be a high-level Sword Expert. A man like that won’t fall easily.”

“A Sword Expert? That’s one of the best knights even in the kingdom!”

“Right, someone like him won’t be taken down so easily by the empire.”

The spark of hope began to push back the creeping dread.
That was some comfort, at least.

But I couldn’t relax.

No one here understood the true gap between the empire and the kingdom better than I did.

That’s when we heard it—the rhythmic thunder of hooves in the distance.

Not from behind, but from ahead.
If it was Count Sandwi’s men, good.
If it was the empire…

My hand instinctively went to my sword hilt.

And I was right to be cautious.

With a sound that shattered the uneasy peace, a red banner appeared—bearing the dragon emblem of the empire.

Imperial cavalry.

‘Roughly forty riders. Damn it, a patrol unit.’

Judging by how freely they moved through this region, the empire must have already secured the entire area.

Hiding now was pointless. I could only face them head-on.

Forty horsemen were still better than an army of a thousand.

The thunder of hooves stopped.
A knight in ornate armor rode forward from the front.

“I am Randcool von Grodel, knight of His Imperial Majesty. Are you friends of the empire—or enemies to be purged?”

“Kain Blackgard. As for your question, that depends on how you choose to act.”

“You insolent wretch. A mere country noble dares—! I’ll rip that arrogant mouth right off—!”

“Enough.”

The enraged lieutenant tried to move, but Randcool raised his hand to stop him.
What’s this? Does he not know who I am?

“Kain Blackgard… Are you perhaps Baron Kain Blackgard, lord of Blackgard Territory?”

“I am.”

“…And those behind you?”

“My people.”

After all I’d suffered, sarcasm was on the tip of my tongue—can’t you tell just by looking?

But I didn’t want to provoke a fight.
So I kept my answer short.

Apparently, that was enough. Randcool fell into deep thought.

‘If I strike now while he’s distracted…’

“That will be sufficient. You seem pressed for time—move along, safely.”

“…???”

“Sir Grodel! You can’t possibly mean to let the enemy go free?!”

“Silence, lieutenant. Are you questioning your superior’s order?”

The soldiers were disciplined; the lieutenant shut his mouth immediately.

Randcool then dismounted and personally opened a path for us.

He even bowed his head.

“Though fate has made us enemies, it is an honor to meet a noble lord who upholds duty and honor as you do.”

“…You’re really letting us go? Why?”

“Who knows? Perhaps one day we’ll fight under the same banner. And besides, this direction is… No, forget it.”

‘He’s bluffing to lull me into dropping my guard? No… if they intended to attack, they would’ve done so already.’

Randcool muttered something cryptic and then rode off with his men.

I had no idea what that nonsense was about—but I was just grateful we avoided a fight.

I really thought I was going to die again this time.

Randcool’s decision was shocking, enough to make even his own men uneasy.

But it wasn’t out of mercy. It was a calculated move.

News of Sir Valentis’s defeat had already spread throughout the eastern imperial forces.

A defeat could happen, sure—even to the empire, even against a small kingdom like Arpen.

The issue was how it happened.

A minor lord had challenged Valentis, a mid-level Sword Expert, to a duel—and won.

‘Losing a duel is shameful enough. Trying to crush the opponent afterward only made it worse.’

Randcool clicked his tongue.
Kain Blackgard had beaten a mid-level expert without even using aura.

That could only mean one thing—he was at least a high-level Sword Expert.

Perhaps even nearing Master level.

The mages had dismissed him, saying he wasn’t even a sword user—but what did they know?

Randcool had seen it himself—the unshaken eyes, the calm stance, the hand resting on the sword hilt, ready for battle even against cavalry.

Had they fought then, his unit might have been the one wiped out.

But what struck him most wasn’t Kain’s strength—it was the sight behind him.

Countless civilians, weak and helpless, yet guarded fiercely by the man at their front.

‘He didn’t abandon a single villager.’

War strips away all pretense.
When driven to the edge, people reveal their true selves.

And Randcool had seen Kain Blackgard’s true face.

Even in defeat, he didn’t surrender.
To the bitter end, he remained loyal to his kingdom—protecting every last soul under his care.

A man of pure, unshakable honor.

“…I suppose we’ll meet again soon. Hopefully, as comrades under the same flag.”

With that cryptic murmur, Randcool tightened his grip on the reins and rode off.

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