In response to Princess Asti’s demanding request, Hades, seeming helpless, let out a snort before answering confidently.

“I don’t know such things.”

“Eek! Why not!”

“Here, there’s only rags and piglets. What can I do here?”

“Aah!”

Asti, tapping Hades’s legs vigorously with her chubby arms, sometimes, or rather always, wondered.

Latifa thought that the mental age of Hades and Asti might be somewhat similar.

On the outskirts of the Grand Bazaar’s palace on a sunny day.

In the Madrasa of the harem palace, the sounds of girls reading aloud and counting echoed pleasantly, and on the opposite side of their room, toward the direction of Palaestra, a different scene unfolded.

“Ugh. My stomach sticks to the leather.”

“It’s always tough training at this time, so it’s so hard that I lose my appetite. I’ve been waiting for today.”

Young men who hadn’t yet shed their youth gathered around the practice dummy furnace in a corner of Palaestra, drooling.

“So, I’ve prepared this for you guys.”

Manut, with a suitable length of broken pole, rummaged inside the dummy furnace.

“As expected, there’s no better senior than General Manut!”

“No, but can we eat like this here?”

The youngest-looking youth timidly asked.

“Quietly, we should eat among ourselves. If we get noticed by palace maids or nobles, we’ll be scolded. But I haven’t been caught for a few years.”

Manut laughed and skillfully pulled out a large iron shield, hotly seasoned inside, with his pole.

“Here, here. I just brought these fresh things from the livestock market early in the morning.”

Manut opened a large bundle piled with banana leaves.

“Ugh, look at that color.”

What the young warriors were admiring was a bundle of fresh reddish-pink meat.

“Beef, pork, lamb ribs, and even chicken and quail. Whether it has two legs or four, I’ve specially prepared them for you.”

Sizzle.
On a very hot sizzling iron shield, Manut placed a long piece of meat, and it began to sizzle and roast, emitting a delicious smell and bubbling hot oil.

Perhaps afraid of missing the scent of the delicious meat, a low and cold voice echoed through the crowd of young novices gathered closely, kneeling on the ground, shivering with fear.

“Oh, that looks really delicious, Manut.”

“Heek! General Hades!”

The young novices knelt on the dirt, their faces pale with fear.

Manut, who was grilling the meat, knelt down with a slightly chubby expression and gestured towards the approaching figure.

“May the protection of the desert gods be with you, General.”

Although the neck looked ascetic, rising high, with a golden appearance, the sleeves were absent, and Hades, wearing a dark crimson robe with good mobility, approached them with a smirk.

“For those of you who tirelessly strive day and night for the prosperity of the Grand Bazaar, may protection be granted. However, it seems you’re striving in the wrong place.”

Chiiik.

Behind the scent of the deliciously roasting meat, cold sweat trickled down the spines of the novices.

Even though it was Palaestra, where young novices were present, the soldiers of the Grand Bazaar were known for their strict military laws and discipline, stronger than those of other countries.

“Oh, Manut, this shouldn’t be happening. This is not right.”

With a small dagger thrown and caught in his hand, the approaching crazy dog, General Hades, resembled the grim reaper.

Srrrung!

The bright sunlight of the Grand Bazaar reflected on the small dagger, glittering, and at the same time, Hades’ hand swiftly moved through the air several times.

“Ugh!”

The novices, who had tightly closed their eyes, finally opened them and saw in front of them a lump of pork covered in knife marks.

“Manut, this is not how it should be. You must cut deep into the pork. That way, it will cook well inside and won’t be raw.”

“I will accept the honorable advice of the general.”

The novices, who were somewhat adorable with their pouting expressions, started to giggle.

In response to their giggles, the novices, with a sense of relief, exchanged glances and offered words of praise to Hades.

“We have always admired General Hades. The tale of the imperial conquest last time was truly remarkable!”

“We aspire to join the same generation as General Hades in the future!”

“Enough with your compliments. Enjoy today, expressing gratitude for Manut’s kindness. Later, you must follow the unwritten noble tradition of Palaestra for your juniors.”

With a renewed sense of vigor and cheers, Hades wiped the pig oil from the dagger onto his pants and approached Manut.

“I didn’t know you were in the palace.”

“The Pig Princess can’t let go of her desires for my Frau. I plan to stay here for a few days. Where are the young novices this year? Quite promising.”

Unlike the empire’s soldiers who were constantly on standby as regular soldiers, the soldiers of the Grand Bazaar, when not on duty, took turns acting as mentors in Palaestra.

That was because the original duties of the soldiers of the Grand Bazaar were more akin to mercenaries’ tasks.

As a kingdom of merchants, it was always easy to become a target for someone’s greed due to the wealth and resources gathered there, so a strong and solemn defense was necessary.

Additionally, when caravans of the Grand Bazaar engaged in trade, crossing the desert with dozens of camels, it naturally attracted the attention of thieves. Therefore, there was a need for protection.

Thus, the soldiers of the Grand Bazaar paid fees and protection money, employing the palace soldiers as mercenaries.

While it might seem odd for individuals from the palace to engage in business, considering the purpose and appearance of the Grand Bazaar’s palace and Sultan, it wasn’t really strange.

This particular expedition against the empire was just a special case due to the ongoing war.
“They are creatures that easily capture and devour a cow with overflowing energy of the sun and flames. But what’s going on here? Are you wearing ceremonial armor? After Merkatus ends, you should rest deeply instead of going out on a campaign immediately.”

“No. I stopped by, wondering if there might be leftovers from the previous war in this place.”

“Leftovers from the war? I think they would have taken everything worth taking.”

Manut expressed confusion as he flipped the tempting meat.

“Even if it’s not worth it, it doesn’t matter. If it’s just an imperial item, it’s fine.”

“Hmm. I remember shoving miscellaneous items, seemingly useless, into the abandoned materials in the north. Wait, are you looking for such items for your Frau, by any chance?”

Manut began to gaze at Hades with a big smile, looking teasingly.

“It’s useless. Roast the meat. It’s burning.”

About to say, ‘It seems like it’s burning elsewhere,’ Manut hastily gathered the cooking meat when he saw it truly catching fire. When he turned his head again, Hades had already disappeared.