Divine Luck: SSS-Rank Battle Maid Harem-Chapter 575: Refugee Camps

Zach slept for most of the trip. He woke up every now and then when the carriage bumped hard on the uneven roads wracked by the war. His familiars could do something about the weather and the monsters that attacked them on the way, but they couldn't do much about the road, at least not without wasting a lot of energy and time.

Zach woke up once and caught them in the middle of doing that and told them not to. He wasn't in a hurry to get to the capital, but the sooner he was done with the affairs there, the sooner he could take a proper rest before getting started on helping his familiars evolve and figuring out what the deal with Chaos was.

He still had a feeling he was forgetting something, though.

To Zach, it didn't feel like it took that long to reach the capital. They even caught up to and surpassed some of the stragglers who were slow in evacuating. But it was still a trip that took around two weeks normally, and this time was no different.

Along the way, they saw several refugee camps and tents set up to house and take care of the people who escaped the war in the east with their lives intact.

However, the Empire's citizens weren't the only people using those facilities.

The Sesha were using them, too.

With the looming threat of the Hydra and her possible Children, the Empire and the Sesha had set aside their differences and helped each other out.

Of course, there was still some hostility, and fights broke out every now and then. But if people had the energy to fight, they had the energy to help out.

It looked like a desperate situation at first glance, but Zach could see the first seeds of a different future sprouting slowly.

At the same time, there was no denying the tragedy.

Countless people had lost their lives. Twice as many more had lost their families and homes. The East was almost nothing but ruins and unmarked graves.

The emergence of the Children and Yan's quick and decisive response to them, as well as his realization of the greater threat had saved a lot of lives.

The Empire was lucky to have a prince like him.

Zach closed his eyes again. It would be a while until they managed to enter the city and even longer before they reached the palace.

As soon as they arrived, Lexi wanted to hop out and start shopping.

Two reasons stopped her.

The city had heard the news that the war was over and that the threat of the Hydra had passed. But who could celebrate with thousands of bereaved outside the central region's cities?

This wasn't the time to go for a leisurely stroll around the markets and boutiques.

The other reason was her clear dark orange hair that branded her as an Evandiel.

The war was over, and information had spread to the point where important people knew that the Evandiels hadn't necessarily betrayed the Empire and the East. It was a supposedly necessary step in the plan to defend the Empire against the Hydra.

A few more important nobles and officials knew that, but not much else.

The citizens didn't know about it. Even if they did, it was unclear how many would care.

The means did not justify the ends. What the Evandiels did was unforgivable.

Lexi saw the way the guards looked at them when they entered. Oria was treated with the utmost respect. She was a war hero who helped Yan save lives. She put an end to the war and unified the two sides against the Hydra and the Children.

But the moment the city guards turned to the side and saw the orange hair on Lexi's and Zach's heads, their gazes turned into anything from disgust to hatred. A few realized what the maids around Zach meant.

Those who realized that only looked at Lexi with those gazes.

Zach was the exception to the Evandiels. He had been betrayed just the same as the rest of the Empire, and he had gone on to help out on the frontline. He helped the injured and traumatized. His maids also helped out. The first battle he participated in was a smashing victory, all thanks to him.

Even when he left, there were voices who did not forget what he had done. And when Yan realized what was going on in the background, he raised those voices high so that everyone could hear them.

There was also the fact that Zach's company was one of the last groups to leave the East. The news about the Rising Sun and Savior of the East were already spreading.

Zach was the hero who defeated the Hydra and stopped the war.

He didn't do it alone, far from it, in fact. But it all started with him, and it all ended with him.

The ones directly involved in the fight knew that Zach wasn't the only one who fought against the Hydra or did damage to it. They also knew that the Hydra wasn't defeated.

But to the spectators who watched from afar, it looked like Zach had jumped up like a rising sun and beat the shit out of the Hydra's heads alongside his maids. He had even called down divine judgment upon the Hydra.

When he was on the brink of death, the others showed up and finished it off. In some retellings, those 'others' were anyone from the Emperor to the old man next door. In some retellings, they didn't show up at all.

Rumors spread like wildfire over the capital about the events and conclusion of the war.

Zach's carriage was no secret as it rolled over the cobbled streets with a rhythmic clacking.

But Zach was asleep.

The citizens gave him the peace and respect he deserved.

The survivors of the war bowed in his direction when he passed. Thanks to him, their families and friends could rest peacefully, knowing their home was safe again and free of war.

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The Sesha, who had nowhere to go after their tribes were split up or demolished by famine, death, or plague, bowed. Thanks to him, they had a place to go. Zach had talked to several of the Sesha about introducing them to the Empire after the war was over and peace was established. That was becoming reality.

The citizens of the capital bowed to him. They no longer had to fear losing their countrymen to a needless war or their country to a monster of myth.