Divine Luck: SSS-Rank Battle Maid Harem

Liam's death was sudden. One moment, he was a somewhat trusted companion and club member. The next, he had his dagger against Violina's throat, and yet another moment later, he died.

"..." The students could only look at Liam's corpse in stunned silence.

"Agah…" The baby tapped Zach's shoulder while looking at the dead Liam. It was almost like it was comforting Zach. But it could also be that the baby was bored and couldn't reach anything other than Zach's shoulder.

Fortunately, it seemed the baby wasn't using his full strength this time, and Zach only got a bruise that quickly turned purple. He grabbed the baby and held it in his arms after making a tiny club-like toy with his barrier that the baby could hold and wave around. It rattled a little and entertained the baby, but most importantly, it was made from a flexible barrier that didn't hurt what it hit.

Nessa and the others finally returned to the state they had been in before Liam held Violina hostage. They were yet again amazed and confused at Zach's actions.

The baby was clearly an abomination of the Underworld. Its outer shell was but a mere facade. It was a monstrous being that threatened their very existence. Even without being enraged, trained, or more than a day old, the baby had broken through multiple of Zach's strongest barriers.

It was a freak. It wasn't even a freak of nature since it was created with unnatural means.

They might even consider it their responsibility as beings of the natural order to erase this transgression of that very order.

Yet, here Zach was making faces at the baby and poking its soft and round bubbly cheeks. He wasn't going to eradicate that abomination. He was taking care of a baby.

"Zach…?" Dukiel eventually asked cautiously.

He was the club president, the strongest, and the self-proclaimed boss. It was his decision. But they wanted to hear his thoughts.

Zach looked up from the baby and met the gazes of his friends. Their thoughts were written on their faces. He hugged the baby a little tighter, making him squeal like he was being tickled.

The others had a much stronger aversion to the baby than Zach did, even if it was his barriers that the baby had broken with ease.

But he couldn't say he didn't understand them. His instincts had also warned him about the baby and its existence. But the fact that he was holding and playing with the baby like it wasn't anything special was proof that their instincts had been partially wrong.

Underworlders created the baby, but as proven by their surroundings, it didn't hold any special connection to those underworlders. Since it passively absorbed underworld energy, the baby would thrive in the Underworld. But even when the underworld energy decreased, the baby showed no signs of suffering.

Rather than being an underworlder in the shape of a human, it would be more accurate to call the baby a human with the natural disposition of an underworlder. It was a human that could absorb and harness underworld energy without any side effects. The only possible side effect would be the baby's strength unless that was an inherent trait.

"This little one is coming with us," was all Zach had to say about the matter. He wasn't going to kill a baby, no matter its background. And he wasn't going to let the others kill it, either.

The others could only sigh. Now that Zach had decided, there was nothing they could do about it.

In a way, it was a relief. Despite its background, the baby still had the appearance of an innocent baby. No matter who would have been forced to do it, it wouldn't have been easy. Just watching would have been difficult.

There was only one problem…

"Do you know how to raise a baby, Zach?" Nessa asked. They were all the same age, and as far as the others knew, none of them had so much as a significant other, much less progressed far enough to start making babies. They also hadn't spent enough time apart for anyone to have raised or started raising a baby. And it wasn't like the Academy had taught any courses on how to raise a baby.

They didn't know what they were doing, not to mention that it wasn't an ordinary baby.

"How hard can it be?" Zach shrugged. He was the youngest in his family, and he didn't have many memories of when he was a baby. He barely had

any

memories of the time before his fifth birthday. He didn't know much about babies or what they were like other than what his siblings and parents had told him about it.

All they had said was that he was a blessing to raise since he was so easy to handle when he was a baby. Zach was confident this baby wouldn't be any trouble other than its strength. But they should be able to do something about that.

Unaware of the figure hiding in the shadows of the tunnel leading deeper into the Underworld, Zach and the others returned to the surface with the baby. For now, before they could start thinking about

how

to raise a baby, they had to bring it to safety and out of the Underworld's reach.

***

"WAAAH!"

"Dukiel, where's the milk?!"

"I put it on the nightstand!"

"The one that's in pieces?!"

"...damn it! That's the sixth one this week!"

"Ah, found it! Arrgh, it's not working! You little brat, stay still!"

"Try swaying—"

"I AM swaying!"

"Weird. It should work. Do it like—"

"Do you want to take over?!"

"...My shift just ended." Find your next adventure on empire

"Exactly! If you aren't going to do anything, be quiet! Please. I need to focus."

"...Alright."

"Hey, guys. How's it going? I brought a new cradle. I had Alzara make it with soothing materials."

"Are you trying to sedate the baby?"

"Even if it works, it will be like a lullaby and only when he's in it."

"...Let's try."

CRASH.

"..."

"...It looks like a Zach tantrum."n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"I'll get him."

"Hey! Don't leave me here with—...Fuckers."