Divine Luck: SSS-Rank Battle Maid Harem-Chapter 448: Cursing Zach

Yan slowly turned to Zach and Mandra.

"What are you saying?"

Wasn’t it obvious not everyone was a warrior? They needed chefs, people to tend to the horses, people to help forage for food, and people to take care of the injured. A warring party like the camp of barbarians was more than just fighting.

So what if there were a few non-combatants in the camp?

Zach met Yan’s gaze.

"There are families down there."

"Families?" Yan questioned.

Zach nodded.

"Families."

"So?"

Zach held back a sigh.

"The warriors brought their families, wives, and children with them. What do you think that means, Your Highness?"

"...That they didn’t want to leave them behind in the possibly dangerous and hostile environment of their homes?"

"Okay, and if their invasion fails?"

It finally clicked in Yan’s mind.

"Holy shit. They’re not planning on failing." He turned toward the camp with wide eyes.

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The barbarians weren’t just not planning on failing. They were betting everything on succeeding. Either their invasion succeeded or they perished.

Yan slowly looked at Garad.

"I think there might be more to their invasion than greed," he said.

Garad shrugged without answering, but his face was also set in a deep frown as he thought about the revelation that the warriors had brought their families along.

If they had done that, they should have also brought along as much food and supplies as they could carry. But the surrounding area was still picked clean of most things edible. It also didn’t look like there was a lot of food stored in the camp.

Something wasn’t adding up.

"I think we might need to change our plan," Zach said after a minute’s silence. He wasn’t going to launch a bunch of sneak attacks on a camp filled with children, the elderly, and those directly unrelated to the war. That was crossing a line.

However, Yan slowly shook his head.

"...Our mission hasn’t changed."

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"You can’t be serious…!" Zach said in disbelief.

Yan turned to meet Zach with a sharp glare.

"I repeat, ’So what?’ What does it change that they brought along their families? This is WAR, Zach! It’s them or us! Don’t forget, the only way for you to prove your innocence is to follow my orders," Yan warned with a stern expression.

"Hmph," Zach scoffed.

"If being a traitor means refusing to kill children, I’ll make sure to go down as the biggest traitor in history."

"Then don’t kill the children! Kill the adults!"

Zach met Yan’s suggestion with a cold glare. Yan sighed. This wasn’t the place to hold this discussion. They should retreat before talking about this.

Zach glanced toward the camp.

Yan was about to suggest that they fall back when Zach stood up. As if they had expected it, his maids followed him.

"What do you think you’re doing?!" Yan grabbed Zach’s arm and tried to pull him back down. Zach shook off his hand. He took a step forward.

Yan’s eyes opened wide as he realized what Zach was doing.

"...Where do you think you’re going?" He asked in a blisteringly cold voice while staring daggers into the side of Zach’s head.

"...To stop this war."

Yan reached for Zach again, but Lahso put a hand on the prince’s shoulder and held him back. Yan, Lahso, and Garad could only watch as Zach and his maids left the hill and walked toward the camp, which soon noticed his approach and turned hectic.

Yan’s expression was dark as he glared at Zach one last time before turning around.

"Let’s go," he ordered Lahso and Garad. With Zach defecting, they had no choice but to return to the city. Even if they could still technically proceed with the plan, that would be a lot more difficult if Zach told them about it and even more so if Zach volunteered to help the barbarians stop them and catch the second prince.

Before it was too late, Yan had to return to the city with his guardian knight and guide. It would not be good for them to be caught outside, even if Lahso was strong. He wasn’t invincible, after all.

Garad led them away from the barbarians without being detected and back to the city. Along the way, not a single word was spoken among the three. They were busy thinking about what Zach had just done.

They had seen for themselves how much Zach cared about the people of the East. They had seen him rebuff the barbarians’ attack with ease and give Rittel a much-needed victory.

Yet, he had all of a sudden walked into the barbarian camp without even looking back.

He had said he was going to end this war. But wasn’t there only one way for wars to end? It was when one side lost more than the other.

Walking into the enemy could be because he was confident he could take them down alone from within. But with the context of his argument with Yan moments before, maybe Zach decided that maybe someone who didn’t want to kill children and families deserved his assistance more. Maybe the barbarians could give him the answers he sought to what his family had done, supposing he hadn’t lied about that part.

So, when the mustached military officer received Yan, Lahso, and Garad at the city gates when they returned, worriedly asking what had happened and why Zach wasn’t with them, Yan could only answer in one way.

"He was a traitor, after all."

It didn’t take long before those words spread through the city. In minutes, everyone knew what Yan had said.

Most believed it. Zach saw a chance to leave the Empire in favor of the barbarians, and he took it.

But there were some who were skeptical.

Every step of the way, Zach had outshined Yan, the second prince, in terms of warfare and assisting the troops.

Maybe a high-born someone was a little envious and decided to get rid of competition?

But thoughts like those were treasonous and were never voiced as Rittel went from thanking Zach to cursing him again.