Chapter 361 Loyalty and Fate
On the banks of the Sava River, the Griffin Knights and the Noldor Guards fled in two directions...
The Griffin Knights went east, and the Noldor Guard went north.
Ulrich stood by the river and hesitated for a while, with no expression on his pale green face.
"Your Majesty, we should give chase!"
Rayman came forward, his face expressionless, but his eyes were somewhat lonely, Dallion's words did hurt him.
"Chase? If we chase him, we'll probably be ambushed, right? Humph... I underestimated that cunning guy... Let's bypass this place and go to Jiaoyan Bay!"
'Ulrich' shook his head.
"Cliff Bay?! Your Majesty, you are not going back to Sarleon? Are you going to give up Sarleon?! But... once Leon invades Sarleon, the Sarleon Kingdom will really cease to exist! The Lion Knights will be forever regarded as heretics and rebels, and there will be no chance of regaining their reputation!!"
Leiman looked at Ulrich in disbelief and took two steps .
Indeed, Sarleon City is no longer just a majestic royal city. It now represents the last legitimacy of the Sarleon Kingdom.
The east and north are currently only subject to Leon's rule and are no longer loyal to the Sarleon Kingdom...
Most of the western part of the country has been occupied by the Firdsvain and D'Shar. Currently, the only territories that are still considered part of the Sarleon Kingdom are Sarleon City and Rocky Bay.
However, Sarleon is the capital after all, and it is of great significance. No matter whether this 'Ulric' in the city is a human or a ghost, as long as Sarleon still flies the golden lion flag, the Sarleon Kingdom will still exist.
But, if Ulric gave up Sarleon and went to Cliff Rock Bay...
Does the Kingdom of Sarleon still exist?
In addition, Jiaoyan Bay is full of heretics and degenerates. It is obvious that it is completely controlled by heretics...
Besides, the troops around Ulrich are all undead! Anyone can see that!
In this situation, if the Lion Knights still follow Ulrich, they will inevitably be regarded as followers of heresy by everyone and will never have the chance to clear their name.
This is also the main reason why Leon must publicly declare his allegiance to "Ulrich" in Qiaoyan Bay before launching an attack.
Leon was once a lord who swore allegiance to Ulric. He must first let the entire continent know that Ulric is now a heretic who associates with the devil, so as to avoid being branded as a person who broke his oath.
At the same time, Leon did not declare himself king in Changhe Town, but instead raised the banner of "suppressing heresy" and, together with the Paladin Roland, called on the entire continent to "eliminate the devil", all in order to characterize this matter as a "battle between good and evil".
"What does it matter if we give up Sarleon City? As long as we can achieve the final victory, any concessions and sacrifices are only temporary! Victory is the most important thing..."
Ulrich said nonchalantly.
"Really? For the sake of victory, the reputation of the Lion Knights can be sacrificed, right?"
Leiman shook his head and took two steps back: "Your Majesty... maybe you don't care about anything else but victory... but I care about the reputation of the Lion Knights! I care whether the Lion Knights have a chance to become the Royal Knights again! I care whether the Lion Knights can still stand in the sun! My brothers care about this, too!"
"What do you want to do? The Lion Knights can no longer surrender to Leon... Are you planning to fight Leon's troops head-on? He must have made sufficient preparations. The troops sent by Cliff Bay are not here to pledge allegiance to me... They were all sent by Leon to attack Sarleon! If you return to Sarleon now, you will all die..."
'Ulrich' looked at Leiman, his dull eyes devoid of any spirit, but his tone was a little anxious.
"Perhaps... But at least, we will die like true knights!"
Leiman rode on his horse, bypassed Ulrich, and then threw the code in his hand directly into the Sava River under the bridge.
"Lehman! History is written by the victors! Glory belongs only to the victors! The reputation of the Lion Knights can only be cleared after the final victory! There is no point in you dying like this!"
Ulrich shouted at Rayman.
Leiman stopped and turned his back to Ulrich: "...That just doesn't make sense to you, right? Do you really know what honor and glory are? I have confirmed that you are indeed not His Majesty Ulrich..."
He turned around and took one last look at Ulrich's green face: "The king I serve may have done many wrong things, but he has always been a true knight! And you, you don't even have the heart of a knight!... People like you are definitely not Leon's opponent! I'm afraid you won't be the winner in history!"
After saying that, he turned around and raised his lance: "The Knights of the Lion!!"
"Glory is my life!!"
The golden lion banner passed by Ulric, and the last of the lion knights followed in the footsteps of Reiman, galloping towards Sarleon City.
Ulrich, also known as Kavala, stood by the river for a long time without moving.
His eyes, which no longer had any luster, might have been unable to see, but he still turned his head in the direction where Rayman was leaving and let out a low sigh.
Then he walked into the river again and fished out the wet code.
…
Leiman was certainly not acting on impulse. He had been helping Ulrich solve some shady troubles for many years. Such a person was naturally not an impulsive and reckless man.
But everyone has his own creed.
They all have things they truly care about.
Maybe the behavior of the Lion Knights over the years cannot be called honorable, but everything Rayman has comes from the Lion Knights. In his eyes, the Lion Knights are everything!
Previously, Kavala used Ulric's identity to issue a royal decree, which was to use the loyalty between the Lord of Sarleon and Ulric to turn the war into a "civil war in the Sarleon Kingdom" and take the legal basis to his side.
Everyone could see that, including - although he didn't know it was Kavala.
But no matter who that Ulrich is, as long as Ulrich is "resurrected", it means that the Lion Knights have a new opportunity.
Amy and Leon once classified the Lion Knights as an illegal knightly order. In addition, Brennus launched a counterattack last year with the help of the power of the heretic Fallen. Now the Lion Knights have been completely regarded as accomplices of heresy and are basically condemned by everyone.
During this year, Lehman did not leave the family territory, because when Amy was still the queen, the Lion Knights could not appear in public at all - the Lion Knights massacred Godric and Amy's hometown Crow Village, and accidentally killed Amy's brother Andrew. This was an irreconcilable hatred, and there was no possibility of surrender.
But after Amy left Sarleon, Ulric resurrected and issued a royal decree, which meant that this series of events could be defined as a 'civil war in the kingdom', and the Lion Knights once again had someone to pledge their allegiance to.
Since it is a civil war, from the king's point of view, any means used are understandable - civil wars have always been more brutal than foreign wars, even if the power of heretics is 'borrowed', even if massacres occur, it is understandable.
In this way, the Lion Knights had a sufficient reason to return to Sarleon City, in the name of "loyalty to King Sarleon", using "loyalty" to cover up all the past stains of the Lion Knights - after all, the Lion Knights may "not know" that the king conspired with the heretics, and everything the Lion Knights did was just "following orders". As a royal knight order, they can't disobey the king's orders, right?
Other aspects cannot be washed away, but "loyalty" can indeed be washed away.
Besides, the fact that the Lion Knights are so loyal to a king who is suspected of heresy, isn’t that the epitome of knighthood?
At most, people would say that I am just blindly loyal...
As long as they establish a reputation of "absolute loyalty", the Lion Knights can wash away the bad influence that Brennus once brought and stand in the sun again.
Moreover, people might even secretly praise him—especially the kings of various countries...
After re-establishing such a reputation, no matter what fate the Lion Knights encountered, they would not truly perish - just like the chivalrous Lion Knights led by Leonardo decades ago, even if they were completely wiped out, they could be rebuilt as the Royal Knights by King Ulrich based on their past reputation.
Which king wouldn't like such an order of knights?
Therefore, of course, Rayman would be loyal to 'Ulrich'.
Leiman knew that Ulrik's troops were all undead, but it didn't matter, as long as the king was indeed Ulrik, and as long as there were no large numbers of undead or fallen outside the city of Sarleon - anyway, the city gates were always closed, and no one knew what was in the city.
But if Ulric abandons Sarleon now...
That basically means the end of the Kingdom of Sarleon!
However, if the Lion Knights want to restore their reputation or rebuild their reputation of "loyalty", it must be based on their loyalty to the Kingdom of Sarleon - they can't interpret loyalty by changing their allegiance, right?
Or, continue to follow a false king who is destined to be regarded as a heretic by the entire continent?
But this fake king is going to take the undead army to Cliff Rock Bay! They are staying in Sarleon City! Everyone can see it!
As the undead army marches northward, I'm afraid the entire continent will understand that Ulrich is a demon!
In this situation, if the Lion Knights still follow Ulrich, it is not loyalty... it is self-degradation.
For Kavala, he could indeed choose to temporarily give in for the sake of the final victory. He was even willing to let Leon occupy Sarleon because he could use the ubiquitous statues in Sarleon to monitor Leon's every move.
Anyway, he had no intention of conquering the continent in the name of the Kingdom of Sarleon. He was just replenishing the undead soldiers while waiting for Maltis and his Legion of Terror. He could wait anywhere.
Moreover, to him, the Sarleon Kingdom belonged to the descendants of the people who stole the country, so it was not worth pitying...
But the Lion Knights had no way out.
Leiman must restore the reputation of the Lion Knights while Sarleon City still belongs to Ulric. Otherwise, no matter who wins in the end, the reputation of the Lion Knights will never be cleared!
If they give up their last chance, the Lion Knights will forever be nothing more than a group of rogue knights following heresy...
Therefore, Rayman must add the footnote "loyalty" to the Lion Knights in Sarleon City!
He will die in Sarleon!
As long as we fight this battle without retreating a single step, regardless of success or failure, life or death, it will be a victory for the Lion Knights!
It would be better if King Ulric fled to Cliff Bay, which would further highlight the tragedy and loyalty of the Lion Knights!
Moreover... this 'Ulrich' may not be able to write history as a victor. Even if he wins, he probably won't write a good story about the Lion Knights - he has no knightly honor in his heart, and he may not care about the reputation of any knightly order at all...
Leiman felt that he could only rely on himself to write a history that would not be tampered with by others!
Just like the Griffin Knights when the Kingdom of Sarleon was first established!
Fight until the last man stands - even the enemy cannot tamper with the Lion Knight's loyalty!
That's what Lehman thought, and that's what he did.
"If you are willing to leave, drop your weapons and go... This is the last battle of the Lion Knights. I must die here."
When seeing Leon's griffin flag from afar, Leiman stopped the troops and said, "Those who are willing to die with me, follow me...charge!"
"Lion Knight! Forward!!"
…
Sarleon.
A large group of disorganized troops have already begun to quickly attack Sarleon City on the northern wall - many fearless followers of the Prophet have been sent from Cliff Bay.
But Leon did not attack the Fierce Lion City directly. The walls of the Fierce Lion City were so high that Leon would not let his elite troops fill in before the cannon fodders created a gap.
He led various knight groups and set up a large pocket outside Sarleon City.
This was originally still an open conspiracy - Leon had never taken off his ring before. Kavala must have known that Leon asked Cersei to transfer troops from Jiaoyan Bay. He could also know from the statues in the city that a large army was attacking the city. If he wanted to keep Sarleon City, he had to get into this trap.
It doesn't matter if Kavala doesn't return to Sarleon. In that case, Leon will really capture Sarleon.
No loss anyway.
When he saw Leiman leading the Lion Knights rushing over, Leon realized that Kavala probably would not come.
Especially when seeing the number of Lion Knights charging - there were not many Lion Knights following Lehman in the charge, only about two hundred in total.
Most of them were Lion Knights, with only a few mounted squires.
Li Ang was somewhat disappointed. It seemed that it was not so easy to kill Kavala...
At the same time, it’s a little sad—Lehman is a true knight.
Unfortunately, he is the Lion Knight.
"Lion Knight! Forward!!"
The Lion Knights have already raised their lances, and on the lances, the golden lion flags are blown by the wind as their horses race forward at high speed.
Like-minded people lead like-minded soldiers. The Lion Knights under Lehman were not cowards. They dispersed the followers, but most of the Lion Knights did not leave.
They knew their end, but they also knew their mission...
"Lisadiran, go and pass the order, have the other troops attack Sarleon City with all their might."
Leon did not order the Lion Knights to encircle them - there was no point, as there were only two hundred Lion Knights rushing over.
Dallion took the initiative to lead the Griffin Knights forward.
For Dallion, this was a fateful battle.
One hundred and sixty years ago, before Alfred stole the throne, the Griffin Knights who protected the Pendor royal family were destroyed due to the betrayal of the Lion Knights.
Thirty years ago, the Lion Knights briefly joined hands with the remnants of the Griffin Knights, and together they pledged allegiance to a respectable queen, but eventually they disappeared from the continent together.
And now, before another new king is about to become king, the Lion Knights reorganized by the descendants of the country thief will also be destroyed by the Griffin Knights reorganized by the new king of Pendor.
Hatred and love, separation and reunion, are intertwined.
This city of Fierce Lion is the best witness to the century-long feud between the two knights.
The two knightly orders rushed towards each other like tit-for-tat.
