Leofric pulled the reins on his horse. As they rode double, Loraleigh sat in front of him. She pointed the direction to the cave where his group was staying.
"I believe they should be here," she reported, checking the place of mana forces. She sensed them; she had found a pack of mana forces inside the cave.
Leofric huffed. He was relieved that the former thrilled fox spirit had calmed down. Earlier, when he helped Loraleigh ride on his horse, her tails instantly wagged like mad. He found it difficult to spur the horse when they were on the road because her tails were blocking his vision.
"Do something with those damn tails, fox spirit." Leofric hopped down his horse first.
"I'll hide them." Left sitting on the horse, Loraleigh hurriedly retracted her ears and tails. Leofric picked her up and lowered her from mounting a horse. "And don't just call me 'fox spirit'. You can't call me by my correct name, either. You should give me a name."
Leofric dusted his waistcoat and fixed it. "We'll go with Leigh."
"That's all?"
"Yeah," was his frugal answer, which Loraleigh returned with a shout.
"You just shortened it!"
His brows flinched from her sudden rise of voice. He brushed the back of his head. Slowly, he lowered his hand. "I'll think of something later. I need to see my group," he said, walking ahead and leaving her.
"You better give me well!" Loraleigh demanded.
Leofric clicked his tongue. He surveyed his surroundings before stopping by the entrance of the cave. "...This feels like I'm naming a fucking pet," he mouthed outwardly.
Leofric heard several bare footsteps approaching him. It stopped beside him and revealed his fox spirit companion. "What are you mumbling for?" she asked.
"Nothing," he replied, sparing her a brief look. He commented, "You look excited."
"Because it's my first time leaving my temple, and my feet feel weird," Loraleigh confessed. "So this is how stepping on the grass feels like."
With a smile on her face, she wiggled her toes on the grass. It was a strange feeling. It felt less sharp than they looked. Whenever she would trample on it, it would tickle her soles.
The one thing that didn't feel foreign was the blowing wind constantly touching her skin.
"..." Leofric peeked at Loraleigh again. Instead of seeing a full-grown lady, he saw a child grinning after someone gave her candy. He coughed, taking off his waistcoat and handing it over to Loraleigh. "Rather than wearing shoes, wear this first."
"What's this?" She formed a line between her eyebrows.
"A cloth. It's a waistcoat. You know how to wear clothes, don't you?"
"Yeah," she answered. Loraleigh pressed the waistcoat between her hands and felt its texture. She hesitated to put on the dress, yet she wore it. "But this feels stuffy. I'm okay with my—" When she was about to finish her complaint, Leofric interjected.
"Just wear it. I'll give you shoes later." Leofric looked away. He touched his forehead as he insisted.
Seeing as Loraleigh didn't take off the waistcoat, Leofric cleared his throat. He walked ahead into the mouth of the cave with the fox spirit following behind his tracks.
Even before they could dive deeper into the cave, Leofric heard heavy footsteps approaching them. He signaled Loraleigh to stop. He knew these footsteps, so he just waited for them to come close.
A little while later, the first gaze Leofric met was from the youngest knight in the group. He watched the knight stiffened in his position before he placed a hand on his lips.
He gasped. It echoed through the cave and the other knights behind him heard it. He yelped, "Your Ma — I mean Your Highness, you made it out alive!"
A slap on his arm halted him from speaking. The acting leader, Count Heath Whitee, stepped out of the pack and showed himself. He placed a hand on his chest and bowed. "I deeply apologize for his dumbness, Your Highness. We are very delighted to see His Highness this soon. Actually, we were just about to search for you."
Heath raised his chin. He straightened his posture and mumbled to his subordinate. "Oscar, apologize immediately."
Oscar Haige flinched when he heard his name. He dropped a knee on the ground and asked for the emperor's forgiveness. "I'm very sorry, Your Highness. I-I didn't mean it that way."
Leofric landed a glance at the youngest knight. He shrugged the prior comment to his survival. Instead, he questioned, "Are there any severe injuries?"
Heath quickly answered, "None, Your Highness."
"Good." Leofric surveyed the condition of the knights. "Seeing you are all ready to ride your horses, we will now return to the palace."
"Yes, Your Highness!" was their answer in unison; their loud chant rang inside the cave.
Leofric looked around to search for Draz. It wasn't hard to find the only person whose eyes were sparkling with enthusiasm. Soon as their eyes met, he called him out. "Wizard, I need a short word with you."
Draz nodded. He dashed beside the emperor in a flash of lightning. He followed Leofric as they walked away slightly from the group. "Is she the fox spirit, Your Majesty? Did you sign a contract with her? But where are her tails?"
Leofric nodded tightly, holding back from the excited wizard's mindless actions. Draz looked like a happy dog who was about to receive his bone. "She is, so stop that loud-whispering. I also told her to hide her tails and ears." Annoyed, his brows knitted together. "Draz, stop calling me 'Your Majesty' from now on."
"Of course, Your Highness." Draz nodded. "Then it was successful after all?" he asked, looking back at the group.
"I believe so." Leofric did the same. They watched the fox spirit stand a meter away from the knights, waiting for their private conversation to finish.
"Then why is she wearing a waistcoat, Your Majesty?"
The question caught Leofric off. Rather than answering him, he ordered the knights. "Everyone, head out and ride your horses! We are leaving!" He walked away, leaving the wizard in wonder.