- The "White Lion King" and "Lion King" Lorraine I is the most famous king in the Eastern Continent since the end of the "High King" era, which marked the beginning of the Black Iron Age. He was the founder of the Rhine Kingdom, the founder of the Lorraine dynasty, and one of the greatest kings of the Black Iron Age.

During the reign of Lorraine I, the Holy Alliance, the most powerful secular power in the Mayan world, had not yet been established. However, at that time, the territory of the Rhine Kingdom was already equivalent to the territory of the three kingdoms of Rhine, Esperia and the Highlands combined. To this day, the "Lion King" is still a very influential name among the people, and stories about him have been adapted into epics, operas and novels countless times.

For ordinary people, Lorraine I's most famous deeds are undoubtedly his experiences with the twelve "Lionheart Knights" loyal to him in various parts of the Mayan continent, including his adventures in his youth before becoming king, and his private visits to Weifu after becoming king, all of which have colorful legends circulating in various places. The main story is basically about Lorraine and his loyal subordinates going through a bitter struggle to defeat evil nobles, dark wizards, or man-eating monsters, and finally save the local people and win the heart of a beautiful girl.

Legends often change subtly with the changes of the times and the imprint left by political events in the people, constantly adding new elements, deleting old or outdated content, and the characters transition from real to illusory, and their images in the heroic Tan are mostly far from their biographical versions.

But Lorraine I and the twelve Knights of the Lionheart are real historical figures. Each of the Lionheart Knights is a man of great merit and brilliance, and any of them are outstanding in their personal force and military command. The Knight Lionheart was the brightest star of his time, but all of them were willing to serve as squires, guarding the lion king who shone like the sun on the whole Rhine.

At the beginning of the Rhine Kingdom, Lorraine I divided the vast territory outside the royal capital into twelve parts, and each of the first Lionheart Knights had a vast fiefdom. Even though the glory could not last, after nearly a thousand years of evolution, only three of the once prominent Lionheart families remained, and the rest have been divided, destroyed, annexed, or liquidated due to the betrayal of their descendants, but they are still the most powerful nobles and vassals in the Rhine Kingdom today.

Lorraine I even proudly called his Lionheart Knights the "Twelve Paladins" - as we all know, the word "holy" can only be applied to saints, it symbolizes the transcendent realm, and generally only the pope of the church, the incarnation of the gods on earth can possibly bear.

If the White Lion King really had twelve saints as his subordinates, regardless of the intervention of the gods, his national strength would be enough to easily wipe out the entire Mayan Continent, so the Lionheart Knight in history was obviously not so exaggerated.

But historians tend to believe that every member of the Knights of the Lionheart is as powerful as the legend, and this is supported by a large amount of material. This number is already unique in the secular kingdom, since the end of the long god war, the power of human beings to reach the top level is getting weaker and weaker, even the most extensive empire, including the palace and the church, including the various forces, may not be able to come up with a double-digit legend in the same era, you can imagine the hegemony of the Rhine Kingdom on the continent at that time.

From a practical point of view, the biggest problem is how King Lorraine I can control the twelve Legendary Rank Extraordinaires and make them willing to be his subordinates. Even if the White Lion King himself is also a legend, or even an "anointed one", this is still a very difficult thing to do, and it is simply a huge mystery.

However, there is always a very important presence in the legend of Lorraine I and his Lionheart Knights, which may explain the reason for this, and that is the oath - the oath of knights, also known as the "lion's oath", where twelve people were called "Lionheart Knights" after signing a contract with the king under their real names.

According to the epic, the "Lion Oath" basically consists of the fact that the allegiant swears allegiance to the provider of the oath and must protect the other person's life. Thou shalt not betray, no harm, and this oath will accompany the allegiance for the rest of his life; On the other hand, the provider of the oath must also protect the lives of the allegiants, as brothers and sisters, and not abandon them.

This is a slightly peculiar oath because, like the "secluded pact" signed by the gods, the content is only a covenant to "not interfere in earthly affairs", and this pact is based on the equal relationship between the gods. It is said that this is the essential requirement of the real name contract, and it is impossible to have a strict contract between a slave owner and a slave like the common one.

The Lion Oath, like all other oaths, is premised on the equality and independence of both parties; But it also has another requirement, and that is that the allegiance must be "wholeheartedly" faithful.

It is therefore easy to imagine how difficult it is to sign this vow, for the most uncontrollable selfish things of man, the most devout believers occasionally have blasphemous thoughts, and the most loyal servants will complain in their hearts against their masters, which has nothing to do with good or bad, but with human nature.

Therefore, later historians believe that the "Lion Oath" has long been mastered by humans, and it is only because no one can really realize it that it has not been known. Until the appearance of this man in Lorraine I......

The unity of Lorraine I and the Knights of the Lionheart comes from an oath. But a new question arises, how did the Lion King get all twelve legends to willingly sign such a vow? This requires more than just ordinary loyalty, a contract that cannot be broken for the rest of your life, and even the most loyal person will hesitate.

With a vast territory, a noble position above ten thousand people under one person, honoring future generations, being respected and relied on by kings, companions who support each other, being loved by the people, wealth, fame, beauty...... These are all goals that the Lionheart Knight has, and ordinary people cannot achieve in a lifetime. Essentially, though, it's not hard to get that as a legend, even if you don't pledge allegiance to someone.

The extraordinary beings who can stand at the pinnacle of humanity have arrogance and incomprehensible stubbornness. People who have been trained as brainwashing tools since childhood will never have the opportunity to reach the top. "What is it that the Lionheart Knights have fallen into that would willingly grovel to the same person" - this is something that puzzles the former enemies of the Lion King.

Unfortunately, this is also a difficult puzzle for later historians, and it has not yet been answered, and may never be answered.

All Richard really cared about was the "Lion Oath" itself.

According to historical records, the oath left by the Lion King has always been kept in the Rhine royal family, and the inheritance has not been interrupted. This was the greatest legacy that Lorraine I left for future generations: to ensure the stability of the king's power by having the royal family sign a contract of his real name with loyal knights and nobles.

However, the descendants of the Lion King obviously do not have the courage and domineering of their ancestors, and it is extremely rare to be able to make an oath with the legendary rank, and it may take generations of kings to succeed.

Even as each generation of kings worked hard to train guards, collect war orphans and outcasts from all over the country, conduct secret education, and even establish families dedicated to providing the royal family with the dead of their choice, there were still very few who were willing and qualified to sign the oath. In the final analysis, the absolute "loyalty" required of a king and the "independent" character required to become a truly strong man are often the opposite.

The only remaining legendary knight in the Rhine Kingdom who swore to protect the Rhine royal family is over 200 years old, and he has served three kings, and his successor has not yet been found.

In the past, the "Lion Oath" could only be signed between the king and the legend, but then the restrictions were gradually relaxed, and some core royal members were also able to hold the oath, and the objects who could accept allegiance were expanded from the legend to the master, and only in this way did the weakened Rhine royal family barely gain a foothold in the treacherous continental and domestic situation.

Of course, compared to the real ancient kingdoms in history, the oath that can guarantee absolute loyalty is already a very unreasonable existence, even if it can only restrict a very small number of people.

But for the king, this can avoid being killed by some ridiculous accidents, or by people around him or even civilians, and the only one who can kill and replace the king is the power of the same high-ranking powerhouse.

All Richard wanted was an oath. This is something that was difficult for Rasputin to get his hands on. Originally, this thing didn't mean much to most people. Although there are no public records to prove this, there is no doubt that there is a limit to the amount of vows that each person can take, and there is only one lion king in history who can have twelve people at the same time. The average Rhine king had only a few closest royal guards, and their relationship was probably deeper than that of a lover and his children.

And for wizards, the most difficult thing is to find the right target. Is it okay for wizards to make a false accusation to help others, and to offer their loyalty "wholeheartedly"? It's hard to imagine even the closest teachers and students, or the family members of the wizarding family who are related by blood.

But......

"Does your authority really work on the oath?"

The existence of the oath had a very different and great meaning for Richard.

Miss Real Name nodded.

"The contract of this world is the network agreement, and there is only one agreement that needs to be guaranteed by proof of identity, and it must not violate the most basic human respect and the current laws of the world government. Now, I know that the 'oath' exists on the premise that both parties are equal, so I can be even more sure of that. ”