It was quiet. The fresh breeze of morning air rushed through the open windows into the private study, replacing the heavy blackened mana that enveloped the room after Leofric performed mana cleansing.
"Your Majesty wants to know the cave temple?" Draz checked if his ears were working properly. The emperor wouldn't change his mind on a sleepless night. Leofric was stubborn; he was hard to convince, no matter what.
"I don't like repeating what I said," Leofric said.
A knock on the door broke their conversation. Soon after, Willmott came in pushing a trolley containing aromatic beverages. He first served Leofric before filling a cup of tea for Draz.
Leofric landed a gaze on the warm beverage. He asked, "So, Draz," he paused, "do you have a clue?" Slowly, he lifted the teacup and sipped on its lip.
"Give me, um, a second, Your Majesty." Draz rummaged through his robe's sleeve and yanked a couple of papers. "It's a good thing that I brought these notes with me. I wrote them last night."
Leofric lowered his drink. He watched Draz shuffle through the papers. "What notes?"
"About the legend of the fox spirit and the late emperor," Draz answered, searching for any information he wrote regarding the fox spirit's cave temple's location. "It mentioned nothing about the exact place where the cave temple of the fox spirit is."
Leofric placed a hand on his chin and caressed it. Preoccupied, he muttered, "...Even in the book I read, I saw nothing."
Draz caught the emperor's mumble. He stealthily peeked at the lone desk in the room and saw a book. This was also the first time Emperor Leofric ever touched a book about spirits. His vassals were aware of his lack of attention to anything that discussed the spirits and elemental holders.
Draz returned to Leofric and remembered, "But according to the legend, the late emperor got lost in the wild forest of Zeph."
After he spoke, silence enveloped the emperor's private study. While his own thoughts absorbed Leofric, while Draz drank his tea before it got cold.
"What can the fox spirit do other than granting a greedy person's desire?" Leofric looked at Draz as he brought the question. His red eyes lit when he observed the wizard's trembling facial muscles. He needed to know why the wizard mentioned the legend.
"I-In general, spirits have magic, and mana is their primary source of life. Unlike us humans, we need food, oxygen, and sunlight. However, we have something similar to spirits. It is mana cleansing," Draz addressed. "We cleanse our mana because 'null' clogs our mana flow, and it blocks us from using magic."
"...You mentioned mana is the spirits' source of life. If they didn't cleanse their mana—"
"They will die, Your Majesty." Draz fought a smile but failed. "I'm surprised you can understand it easily."
Draz placed the emptied teacup on the low table in front of him. He explained, "The fox spirit can grant a wish. If the wish is light, you can have it easily. If it is heavy, you can follow her advice as you both trail the road to grant it."
"Is it a choice whether to follow it?" Leofric asked.
"Yes." Draz bobbed his head and added, "But the fox spirit helps with a condition that has the same weight as the wish. Your Majesty, the important thing is, their advice is supreme. Following it would certainly make your wish come true. So, if we wish for our victory in the war—"
"Wizard," Leofric broke Draz before he could finish his word. The wizard successfully convinced him. "We will take a stroll in the wild forest tomorrow. Pack your things tonight and be ready."
Draz gasped and choked on his own spit after hearing the emperor refer to entering the nest of monsters as a goody stroll. "W-Wait a minute, Your Majesty. We need to prepare a plan before anything else," he insisted.
…
The wizard's discussion with Emperor Leofric took two hours. That meant the members of the councils had waited for the emperor's arrival at the scheduled meeting by the doorstep of the council chamber.
When Leofric arrived, he was awfully late. But no one complained. In the first place, who would have the courage?
The double door opened. Before Emperor Leofric could step a foot inside the council chamber, the people expecting him stood in their seats and greeted him.
"We pay greetings to His Majesty," they said in unison. Their chant filled the stillness of the chamber.
Leofric checked the attendants while he walked to his seat. He talked, "Considering that everyone is here, Willmott shall start reading today's agenda. Be informed that there is a little amendment."
Willmott nodded and read the list on the paper in his hand. There were things altered in the former agenda. One of which was discussing the budget for preparing the third squad. Leofric replaced it with exploring the neediness for the strongest aid, the fox spirit.
Given that Leofric and the wizard debated a plan in his private study, he brought this topic to each council members' awareness. It involved following strict rules, someone's concealing of identity, and a pledge of loyalty to the emperor.
"Your Majesty," called Duke Truman, raising his hand to call the emperor's attention. He needed an answer to a question in his mind. "With all respect, may I ask why you believed in the legend within a night?"
Leofric looked in Truman's direction. He replied, "It's for the empire." He surveyed Truman's unchanging facial expression. "But mainly, it's because I hate losing and there's no other chance. We will stop King Rowan from stealing the mana stone mine. We will not let a single knight of that fat ass' king step a foot on Zeph and return to their trashy state alive."
Leofric crossed his arms. He added, "If the wizard wasted my efforts looking for the fox spirit, I will have his head cut off by a guillotine." His blood-colored eyes fumed like fire in the late morning. "I will hang it in his tower until it rots. Just to let everyone know how I hate wasting my precious time."
…
Upon the dawn's rain shower, Willmott knocked on the emperor's private room's double door. "Your Majesty," he called, "I prepared your horse. As well as the wizards and the knights are ready. They are just waiting for your arrival."
The second he finished speaking, a door pulled open. It revealed the head butler holding the knob on the other side, while Leofric stood behind him wearing a simple white dress shirt under a Persian blue waistcoat.
"Let's meet them," Leofric said.