Captured by the Desert Tyrant (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 10

“Stop! Kyaaaah!”

-Thud!

Latifa, running as fast as she could despite her injured leg, finally tumbled forward with a roll.

At Latifa’s sudden appearance, Hades lowered the sword he’d raised high and quickly caught her rolling body, helping her up.

“Owwie…”

“Latifa?”

Snapping back to her senses at Hades’s dazed voice, Latifa hurried over to the bound horse lying on the ground. The horse seemed too exhausted even to cry anymore, panting heavily with ragged breaths.

Latifa quickly placed her hand on the horse’s head and gently stroked it. Then, calming the horse in her mind, she asked,

‘It’s okay now. Who do you miss? Can you tell me?’

Seeing the gray horse twitch and flash its white eyes, Hades grabbed Latifa’s shoulder.

“That’s a mad horse. Step aside.”

“It’s not mad! It’s just excited!”

“Do you think I can’t tell the difference between an excited horse and a mad one?”

Hades muttered, sounding slightly offended, but Latifa didn’t hear him—she was focused entirely on the horse, struggling to summon a silver spirit.

‘Ah… please. If you don’t appear, you’ll die.’

Her desperate plea seemed to work—soon, a faint spirit rose gently beside the gray horse’s head.

[I miss my sibling. They took my sibling away. Please find them.]

Tears welled up in the horse’s eyes.

‘Alright, I’ll find them! Who’s your sibling? What do they look like?’

[Black and white. White spots on the face. Black fur. I miss them.]

“Black and white? White spots…? Black fur?”

Latifa quietly murmured the gray horse’s message.

‘I’ll find them. So can you stay calm for me? You’ve been breaking things everywhere, and people are angry.’

[But humans took my sibling first.]

‘I’m sorry. They probably didn’t know it was your sibling. I promise I’ll find them.’

[Will you bring them back?]

‘Yes. I’ll bring your sibling back.’

Latifa gently stroked the horse’s head. The gray horse responded with a soft whinny, as if answering her touch. To any onlooker, it seemed as though Latifa had merely stroked the horse once, and it instantly calmed down.

“Who’s that Imperial woman?”

“She’s the one General Hades always brings along.”

“The mad horse is calming down.”

The soldiers murmured among themselves.

-Neigh.

The gray horse began whinnying gently, as if it had never gone wild just moments before. Even its ragged breathing had noticeably settled.

“There, good girl.”

Only after seeing the horse calm down did Latifa slowly rise and say to Hades,

“You were wrong. It’s not mad—just excited.”

“…….”

“Please untie it.”

Hades silently stared at her, then gestured to the soldiers—a clear signal to release the ropes.

“Um… are you sure it’s safe to untie?”

“Untie it. It doesn’t look like it has the strength to thrash anymore.”

At Hades’s words, the bindings were loosened. The horse snorted in slight irritation, then slowly rose to its feet, swaying its legs. It then began nudging Latifa’s back, as if urging her forward.

“If it’s not mad, then what’s got it so worked up?”

When Hades asked Latifa, she simply shrugged.

“I don’t know either.”

That was a secret she alone had to keep.

**

“Black fur with white fur. Spots on the face, right?”

After barely calming the horse, Latifa went to find the soldier who’d been in charge of the gray horse.

“Was any horse from the same pen as the one that went wild earlier moved elsewhere?”

The soldier seemed briefly surprised that Latifa spoke Desert Tongue. Then he firmly shook his head and shooed her away.

“That’s military intelligence. I can’t tell you.”

An unexpected obstacle.

“Go away!”

The soldier waved her off almost roughly and returned to the stables.

“Ugh. I guess I’ll have to check every single barracks one by one…”

She helplessly glanced back and forth between her injured leg and the scroll Hades had handed her.

There was a mountain of work to do. But as the saying went—your fate is what you weave yourself.

‘Shouldn’t have volunteered.’

Just as she let out a deep sigh and turned to leave, someone tapped her shoulder.

“Hm?”

She turned around—it was the same soldier. He must have come back to scold her again for still being there.

But his earlier intimidating demeanor was gone; now he looked frightened. Upon closer inspection, cold sweat even beaded on his forehead.

“I was just about to leave.”

“No, I mean… uh… I’ll tell you.”

“Tell me what?”

He kept glancing sideways instead of at her, stammering nervously. When Latifa reached out to check if he was alright, he flinched backward in panic.

“The—the horse! I’ll tell you!”

“Really?!”

“Yes! I mean… y-yes? Of course! Here, the list.”

‘It’s not the horse that’s mad—it’s this guy.’

“I—I’m actually quite kind! Really! It’s just that I look stern, so people often misunderstand me!”

Latifa accepted the list from the visibly terrified soldier, bowed slightly, and stepped far away.

‘Best not to stand near a madman.’

But then she remembered she worked right beside the maddest man of all—and another sigh escaped her.

**

It seemed that since her unit had joined the frontier forces, there’d been a lot of troop movements in the borderlands. Naturally, the horses had been moved around a great deal as well.

She’d worried she’d have to track down every horse on the list—but that concern vanished quickly. The list was extremely well-organized.

“Desert folk are incredibly meticulous.”

The list was laid out in a clear table, with dates, responsible officers, and detailed notes on each horse’s traits and special conditions.

“This must be it.”

-Name: Koon. Breed: Andalusian mix, medium draft horse. Color: Black and white. Traits: Many white spots on head, gentle temperament. Leg injury. Approved for cart duty. Assigned to 12th Army stablemaster: Kapur.

“So it was reassigned to cart duty because of its injury. That’s why it was worried about its sibling.”

Horses had feelings too—if a companion it had always lived with suddenly disappeared, how anxious it must have been. And then people, misunderstanding its frantic behavior, nearly killed it.

‘Luckily, I found it in time. Otherwise, it would’ve been put down…’

Her heart swelled with the thought that she might have actually helped.

She’d always thought her ability was useless—never imagining it would be used like this.

Back in the Imperial Palace, she rarely even saw animals, so she seldom had a chance to use her gift. And she’d spent all her time cooped up in the library or the side palace—how could she have practiced?

‘But even if I go to the 12th Army, can I really take Koon?’

She couldn’t just drag a horse off without permission—and certainly couldn’t say, “I used my special ability to find out, so I’ll borrow this horse.”

But perhaps she’d worried for nothing.

“Is this the horse?! Ah—not Khan, Koon? Bring it out quickly!”

“Just a moment, please.”

“Ah! No—I mean, we’re very kind people!”

The burly, fearsome-looking Desert warriors grinned exaggeratedly and readily handed over the horse.

“Do you know who I am, that you’re giving me the horse so willingly?”

Sensing something odd, Latifa asked timidly. The soldiers shuffled awkwardly, glancing furtively somewhere as they replied.

“Don’t you work alongside General Hades?”

“Yes.”

“If General Hades entrusted you with a task, it’s fine.”

‘So they recognized me because I work with General Hades.’

After all, how many whispers had she overheard and how many stares had she endured while assisting him?

They’d even shared the same horse and tent—by now, rumors about her must have spread like wildfire among these Desert soldiers.

Just then, a horse with black-and-white fur and a face full of spots was led toward her by someone. Latifa took the reins and smiled politely at the suspiciously kind soldiers.

“It’ll only be a moment. I’ll bring Koon right back.”

“But you really speak Desert Tongue well.”

“How did you calm that mad horse?”

“How did you catch the general’s eye, anyway?”

Once the ice broke, the soldiers began subtly peppering Latifa with questions.

-Thwack! Thwack!

“Ugh!”

Suddenly, the men who’d spoken to her cried out and started rubbing the backs of their heads—they’d been hit by thrown stones.

‘Stones flying out of nowhere?’

“A-are you okay?”

“D-don’t touch me! I’m fine! Haha! Now that you’ve got the horse, go quickly!”

“Go! Hurry up and go!”

“Don’t forget—we’re kind!”

The soldiers abruptly shoved Latifa out of the barracks. Bewildered, she walked away, leading Koon.

“Desert folk are so strange—moody and obsessed with being kind.”

-Prrr.

The horse walking beside her whinnied contentedly. As she stroked its head, she murmured softly,

“Your brother was very worried about you. Let’s go.”

**

[My sibling!]

“Is this your sibling?”

When Latifa brought Koon, the gray horse whinnied joyfully. Koon also happily nuzzled the gray horse.

-Hiiiiing!

[Yes! Yes, it’s them!]

“Your sibling injured its leg and has to work somewhere else now.”

[I thought humans took them to kill them. Because of the leg.]

The gray horse eagerly pushed its head toward Latifa and licked her thoroughly with its long tongue. Above it, a silvery spirit glowed brightly, conveying its voice.

“Well… you couldn’t talk to them, so you must’ve felt frustrated too.”

[Thank you.]

“Don’t cause trouble again. People are seriously planning to put you down, thinking you’re mad.”

[Okay! I won’t anymore.]

Both horses rushed to Latifa, nuzzling her head affectionately.

Watching the loving siblings filled her heart with warmth. Could she ever build a family like that someday? A family that leaned on each other, worried for one another, cherished and comforted each other?

It was a distant future she’d never once considered during her days of fleeing as a refugee. That she now had the chance to dream of such a future again felt like a dream itself.

‘If I go into exile, I’ll need to buy a house with gold first. A big house… and find a job. What kind of job, though? What can I even do?’

It was a future she’d never imagined even in the Imperial Palace. In the past, she’d vaguely assumed she’d simply marry someone—like roasting beans in a lightning flash—whenever a suitable match appeared.

That had been the only future available to someone who was merely a princess in name.

“Ugh. Tomorrow’s going to be another mountain of work.”

Latifa leaned her chin on her hand and quietly muttered in front of the fence where the two horses played.

**

-Hades. You must be working hard out on the frontier. Don’t worry about me—focus on your duties. I’m not as foolish as I seem, you know. Remember, Tarek can’t do anything without Iota. I’ll pray for Ignis, the Sun of the Grand Bazaar, to return safely.

Hades read the short message, then noticed the postscript and snorted.

-P.S.: Irgos says Manut’s stomach has gotten worse from worrying about you. Isn’t it about time you stopped causing trouble?

At Luhan’s playful letter, a fond smile bloomed on Hades’s face.

“Luhan Basil. You’ve grown so much.”

Luhan Basil.

The current Sultan, First Prince of the Basil Dynasty. Hades and Luhan had been close friends since childhood, studying under the same tutor.

But even beyond that, their bond was exceptional—unlike most Desert folk, who were fiery and passionate, Luhan possessed a gentle and calm nature.

Especially since Luhan had been a frail prince from youth, Hades had gone far beyond being just a companion—he’d sought out everything Luhan desired, liked, or needed, serving him devotedly. And Luhan, in turn, regarded Hades as family and followed him faithfully.

Moreover, Luhan had one more special distinction: he was nicknamed “The Leash of Mad Dog Hades.”

Whenever Hades—the unrivaled, reckless troublemaker of the Grand Bazaar—acted outrageously and drew public scorn, only Luhan could step in and mediate.

People deeply admired Luhan for his kindness, wisdom, and his unique ability to rein in Hades.

“General, we’ll be departing for campaign soon.”

“Tomorrow, we begin the final inspection. Especially regarding water—never neglect its management.”

“Yes, sir. But, General… have you heard the strange rumors spreading about that woman?”

Pretending ignorance despite knowing full well, Hades asked casually,

“What rumors?”

“Ever since that Imperial woman calmed the mad horse, a superstition’s spread that you won’t fall off your horse if you see her.”

“Just falling off? How trivial.”

“So you knew.”

Hades tossed off a dismissive remark.

“I started that rumor myself.”