“Your Majesty. General Hades first returned to Caleb’s private estate… Ah, yes. He must be treating his injuries.”

Manut gave a flexible answer, omitting the subject of whose injuries.

Although Hades hadn’t specifically ordered to keep the matter of Latifa secret from the Sultan, Manut’s instinct, honed from years of serving Hades, told him to do so.

“Oh my. Are his injuries so severe that he can’t even participate in the parade?”

As the Sultan spoke loudly enough for all to hear, a young man with brown hair who had been chatting nearby joined the conversation.

“Father. Hades is quite an eccentric fellow. He probably stubbornly insisted on not coming out unless he was in perfect condition.”

That young man was Prince Ruhan Basili, the Sultan’s first son.

As the handsome and tall Ruhan appeared, the eyes of all the young women gathered in the banquet hall turned towards him.

“We are honored by your presence, Prince Ruhan.”

“Congratulations on your victory in the war, General Manut. We are truly proud of you all.”

He sat down on the large, plush cushion next to him and patted Manut’s shoulder.

“Hades sent me a message. He said his injuries aren’t too serious, but he’s not in the mood to join the parade, so he returned to his estate first.”

Ruhan smoothly told a lie, conveniently omitting the part about Hades requesting a doctor skilled in gynecology.

“Who can stop the mad dog Hades?”

Iota, standing next to the Sultan, spoke with a haughty voice, as if disgusted. The Sultan also stroked his black beard as if understanding.

“A man who even received the title of Ignite… Tsk tsk. If he had been born a beggar somewhere instead of in Caleb, he would have been beaten to death by someone long ago.”

People who disliked the mad dog Hades whispered, but the Sultan defended him with a benevolent expression.

“It’s important to maintain military discipline with strong charisma. Hades is naturally ferocious, so don’t blame him for idle gossip. It’s because of his youthful spirit; he’ll become more mild-mannered as he ages.”

“Ah, Sultan. I still feel my blood run cold when I recall the day he sent a box full of snakes to the harem.”

Iota smiled beautifully with a coquettish voice. Despite having borne two children and aged, she was still the most beautiful woman and the de facto mistress of the harem.

“Hades went on an imperial expedition yet still acts like a child. That’s his charm, though.”

At Ruhan’s words, the Sultan looked at him with a slightly ambiguous gaze.

But soon he erased that look and raised a golden goblet filled with fruit wine.

“Though he’s not here, let’s bless him for excellently leading the march as an Ignite. And let’s pray together that his madness lessens as well.”

At the Sultan’s jest, everyone laughed merrily and enjoyed the banquet.

**

“The Sultan sent word that you must attend tomorrow’s final banquet.”

It was very late, but in Grand Bazaar with its long days, it was still bright.

Hades sighed as he sat on the railing of an arched corridor, watching the sunset turn pink and purple.

“Whether I go to the banquet or not is my choice. The wisest Sultan is doing such a useless thing.”

“The Sultan said so, but Prince Ruhan also said the same.”

“Hmm…”

As soon as Ruhan’s name was mentioned, Hades’ black pupils, which had narrowed vertically, slowly relaxed.

“Prince Ruhan specifically told me to convey this: ‘If you want to wash away the stigma of being Grand Bazaar’s mad dog, come to the banquet quickly and receive the royal family’s congratulations on the victory.'”

“They’re being so annoyingly bothersome!”

Hades burst out angrily and roughly waved his hand as if shooing away flies, chasing away the young servant who had come from the palace.

He who had been watching the sunset stood up abruptly, his mood ruined.

His taut, bronze chest muscles were blatantly visible due to the loosened black silk belt, but he seemed to have no intention of covering them.

With one sleeve of his long crimson robe not properly worn, he walked along the arched corridor in an ambiguous state – neither fully dressed nor undressed.

His lengthening black shadow, due to the setting sun, completely disappeared into his dark bedroom.

In that dark bedroom, he checked on Latifa’s condition, who was lying quietly without even turning on the lights.

It had been two days since she received Omar’s prescription, but she still showed no sign of movement.

“Should I cut that guy’s salary?”

Hades sat on the large windowsill of the bedroom with slightly impatient hands and lit the incense burner placed beside him.

Soon the room was filled with fragrant smoke mixed with jasmine and fennel.

“… Wash away the stigma of being a mad dog?”

Hades smiled self-deprecatingly as he fiddled with the gold bracelet on his arm.

“Even if I’m not a mad dog anymore, who would believe me now?”

It was then.

“I can… talk to animals.”

Latifa’s voice softly flowed out.

“Hm?!”

At the small desert language that shouldn’t have been audible, Hades hurriedly got up from the windowsill and went to her.

“… You really… believe me…?”

She was pleading to someone with her brows deeply furrowed.

Hades immediately realized she was dreaming of the day she had confided her secret to him. Her moonlight-cold silver hair shook slightly as Latifa shivered.

Hades spread out a seat at her bedside, lay down, and smiled as he twirled her silver hair around his fingers.

“Yes. Let’s keep it a secret between us that I’m not a mad dog and you can talk to animals, Latifa.”

“… Ah.”

Her silver eyelashes fluttered and her small lips moved slightly.

And then her pure blue jewel-like eyes looked at Hades.

“Ugh. General Hades…? Where is this…?”

Still weak, Latifa barely managed to ask in a tiny voice.

At that question, Hades gently covered her eyes again with his large palm and whispered quietly.

“Shh. The darkness in Grand Bazaar is short.”

Soon, along with Latifa’s wheezing breaths, the night in Grand Bazaar was coming to an end.

**

“He’s going to make that woman his Frau, they say.”

The maids of Caleb’s private estate were chatting as they finely ground aromatic powder and mixed it with water.

“Is it okay to make a person a Frau? Wouldn’t it have been better to issue a concubine decree? That way, the woman’s later years wouldn’t be so miserable.”

One maid said with a concerned expression.

“I heard there are some eccentrics who occasionally make people Fraus. Hades is Grand Bazaar’s mad dog, so why be surprised? Besides, that woman isn’t even from the desert, she’s an imperial prisoner. Ah, this is a blend of daffodil and pomelo, isn’t it too strong?”

Just as a maid with cute long braids was sniffing the fragrance, it happened.

“Yes. It seems a bit strong.”

They were startled by the black shadow that suddenly appeared behind them and hurriedly knelt down.

The owner of that voice was Hades.

Hades began to walk around, sniffing each of the small bowls of fragrances one by one.

“Is this from the rose family? Quite an effort, but too common. This is fennel? Unique. There’s mint, daffodil. A fresh and sharp scent, but it doesn’t suit her.”

Hades gave his impressions as he smelled each fragrance and even tasted some with his finger.

But for the maids, it couldn’t have been anything but a disaster…

– Thud. Crash. Thud. Thump.

It was no less than a disaster, given that he immediately threw the blended fragrances the maids had worked hard to create onto the floor if they didn’t please him.

The turquoise-colored tile floor of the fragrance blending room was now filled with broken porcelain pieces and fine fragrances all mixed together, emitting a beautiful yet strong scent.

“No. This falls far short. How lamentable. Has the level of Caleb’s maids plummeted in my absence? Or has your respect for me diminished?”

“O Ignite, we sincerely serve you, the flame of Grand Bazaar!”

At Hades’ dissatisfaction, the maids immediately bowed their heads.

Hades, who had started disciplining the maids, sniffed the red fragrance placed right next to him and opened his eyes wide.

“Musk? Are you trying to make me into such a trivial man wallowing in infatuation with a woman?”

– Slash.

Hades finally drew his scimitar and forcefully stabbed it into the long wooden table in front of him.

Despite being quite a large hardwood table, it split in half and collapsed, unable to withstand the sword piercing its center.

“Musk scent wafting through Caleb’s private estate? Nonsense!”

“We, we were trying to create an alluring scent befitting Hades’ Frau. Please forgive us.”

As one maid who had made that musk scent apologized with her forehead touching the ground, Hades finally spoke to her calmly.

“Do you want my Frau to be someone who seduces men?”

At that moment, the elderly head maid Yanan appeared and respectfully spoke.

“I apologize, Hades. That child is new to Caleb’s estate and not fully trained yet. I will discipline her properly, so please withdraw your anger.”

At Yanan’s response, Hades let out a small sigh and pulled out the sword stuck in the table, sheathing it.

“Enough. What I want is the scent of a goddess. How could we mere humans know the scent of a goddess?”

“We’re sorry, Hades.”

“Yanan. I’ll trust only you.”

As if without a shred of lingering attachment, Hades turned his back and left immediately, and the maids busily began cleaning up the messy fragrance room.

“Hades is really scary, just like the rumors say. It’s so hard to please him.”

As the scolded child made a tearful face, Yanan comforted her in a gentle voice.

“He doesn’t scold without reason. He’s a person with clear rewards and punishments, so just do your role well.”

The wise head maid Yanan knew.

That beyond the fragrances, Hades had helped establish discipline among the new servants who had arrived while he was away, and raised the young maids’ respect for Yanan.

Hades couldn’t be called a merciful and kind ruler, but he was someone more skilled at handling people than anyone else.

**

Latifa could only blankly stare out the window at the unbelievable sight.

She was sure she had been in the middle of a desolate sand desert before closing her eyes, but now looking out the window, there were high castle walls, and beyond them, a bustling desert city.

“This is Grand Bazaar…!”

Not only the scenery outside the window, but this room exuding a thick jasmine scent was also full of strange and wondrous things.

Blue, red, and various colored glass crafts, tapestries embroidered with elaborate geometric patterns, cushions with glamorous golden tassel decorations, and oddly shaped pipes.

There was nothing familiar to her wherever her eyes landed.

Silver trays and wine glasses with beautiful curved and leaf patterns, strangely shaped fruits she couldn’t even name.

Even her own reflection in the hand mirror placed beside her looked somehow awkward and strange.

They said she had been sick for days, so she should have looked a mess, but apart from looking thinner, her face was as white and soft as if she’d had a massage, and her hair was combed silky smooth.

Moreover, instead of her tattered skirt and robe, she was wearing clothes made of what looked like very expensive silk fabric.

The sleeves were short, but the body was so long that she might accidentally expose her naked body to the side, so she could only move awkwardly, held in place only by a silver silk ribbon tied at the waist and a brooch decoration.

“Is this a bed? Or not…?”

She wasn’t sure if it could be called a bed, but where she had been lying was a long, low marble platform that looked just like a sofa, and on top of it was spread a gorgeous indigo carpet.

Judging by the layers of cushions of various sizes and vibrant colors and silk blankets piled up, she could barely guess that this was a ‘desert bed’.

“It’s completely different from what I just read about in the Hero’s Tale of Harsept!”

As she was frantically looking around the room, someone suddenly entered through the large window.

“How do you like Grand Bazaar so far?”