Chapter 93: 93. Apollo Brightsoul Has No Idea What’s Coming. Neither Does Anyone Else.

Marceline gave Rex a price that he thought was below market value, probably as a favor to Helena. Helena paid right away, counting out coins like someone who didn’t care much about money but found it useful.

She turned to Rex and said, “There we go.”

“You’re paid through the end of the season.”

“Marceline here will take care of anything you need, and I’ll be staying with Mother at her estate on the Academy grounds, but you can reach me there if you need something.”

“Thank you, Helena,” Rex said, and he meant it. “This is very kind of you, and I don’t know much of how to repay that kind of stuff.”

“Oh, come on now, Rex. Don’t act like a stranger with that talk,” Helena said, but her face was warm. “You’ll be going to the Academy, so you’ll need a place to sleep and study nearby.”

“This is the perfect place, and I’ll let Lily hang once in a while.” Helena giggled with a teasing look.

That look immediately shot Rex in the heart because he knew that Helena probably realized what had happened to her daughter Lily, who was always attached to him.

She said her goodbyes, then she picked up Elliot, Diana, Lily, and Evelyn with the clear goal of getting them settled at the Starlight estate.

Before she left, Lily hugged Rex tightly and whispered, “See you tomorrow,” in a way that made it clear she was already thinking about when they would be alone again.

“Yeah, this is why Helena looks like this. It could also be my way to get close to Valentina and the Nightwing family.”

…

In the common room, only Rex, Mara, Garrett, and Marceline were left.

“I’ll show you to your rooms.” Marceline said, “We can do the whole tour later, but at least you know where you’re going to sleep.”

She showed them around the inn, pointing out the kitchen, storage areas, and staff rooms along the way. Mara and Garrett got a small but comfortable room on the second floor, not far from where they would be helping to run things.

They took Rex up to the third floor and into a room at the end of a quiet hallway.

Marceline opened the door and jokingly said, “And here we have your own mini castle to live in.”

Rex had thought the room would be smaller, but it was actually bigger. It had a real king-size bed instead of a cot, a desk by the window for light, a wardrobe for storage, and even a small seating area with two chairs.

The furniture was simple but well-made, and it was meant to be comfortable for a long time, not just for a short stay.

’A king-size fucking bed… now this shit is good! If only there were a camera in this world, I could make a lot of porn videos with all the women I steal.’

Marcelina said, “Just let me know if you need anything, like extra blankets, meals outside of regular dining hours, or information about the capital.”

“During business hours, I’m usually in the common room or the kitchen. If you need something right away, my personal quarters are on the second floor.”

“Thank you so much.” Rex said, “This is just right.”

Rex saw that Marceline’s smile changed her face from just lovely to really beautiful. She was in her late thirties and had the kind of mature beauty that made it look like she had aged well and would keep doing so.

Her eyes were kind but smart, and she had a natural warmth about her that made her seem like she was just doing her job.

[MARCELINE BANCEY DETECTED]

[AGE: 38 – CLASSIFICATION: INNKEEPER/CIVILIAN]

[STATUS: NOT A REINCARNATOR]

[DESIRE LEVEL: 0/100]

[STATUS: ELIGIBLE TARGET]

Rex put her in a file as someone he wanted to get to know better. She was lovely, well-known in the area, and had already shown that she was kind.

All of these traits made her a desirable target for future attention.

“Alright then, I’ll let you get settled for now.” Marceline said, “Oh, and… Rex, welcome to the Silver Rest.”

“I hope you feel at home here.”

She left and shut the door behind her, and then Rex was finally alone.

He went to the window first and looked out over the capital as night fell. Aethelgard stretched out in front of him, lit by thousands of magical lights that made a tapestry of light against the darkening sky.

From this perspective, he could see the Academy’s towers rising above everything else. Beyond them, he could see the huge walls that kept the capital safe from outside threats.

Then he went to the bed and lay down, feeling how real the mattress was and being grateful that he had somehow ended up in such a comfortable situation.

And it’s time to find out some important information for him in the future.

“System,” he said softly, knowing that the words would only be in his head. “I need to understand something better.”

“The demons talked about a ’Apostle gathering.’ Valentina said it’s a formal event where divine champions work together to fight threats.”

“But… the thing is, how well-known is this idea of Apostles? Why did Theo and others talk about it so casually?”

[INFORMATION REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGED]

[ACCESSING RELEVANT DATA]

[APOSTLES: WIDELY RECOGNIZED PHENOMENON IN THIS WORLD]

[EXPLANATION: DIVINE INTERVENTION THROUGH MORTAL CHAMPIONS IS ESTABLISHED HISTORICAL FACT, NOT SECRET KNOWLEDGE]

[CURRENT ERA: APPROXIMATELY 200-300 ACTIVE APOSTLES ACROSS THE KNOWN WORLD]

[DISTRIBUTION: VARIOUS GODS AND GODDESSES MAINTAIN CHAMPIONS FOR THEIR INTERESTS]

[PUBLIC KNOWLEDGE: MOST EDUCATED INDIVIDUALS AWARE OF APOSTLE EXISTENCE AND GENERAL FUNCTION]

[GATHERINGS: OCCUR OCCASIONALLY WHEN MAJOR THREATS REQUIRE COORDINATED DIVINE CHAMPION RESPONSE]

[CURRENT GATHERING: ORGANIZED BY VALENTINA VON STARLIGHT IN RESPONSE TO MORDECAI VRAEL’S DEMON LORD ACTIVITIES]

[EXPECTED ATTENDANCE: 20-25 APOSTLES OF VARIOUS RANKS AND DIVINE PATRONS]

[YOUR STATUS: SECRET – ONLY YOU AND LUSTIA AWARE OF YOUR APOSTLE OF LUST DESIGNATION]

[RECOMMENDATION: MAINTAIN COVER AS ORDINARY REINCARNATOR UNTIL STRATEGIC ADVANTAGE REQUIRES REVELATION]

Rex thought carefully about that information. People like Theo and the demons could talk about Apostles without thinking too much about it.

The idea wasn’t secret or strange; it was just a well-known group of people with power and trust from the gods or goddesses.

So, when Rex finally showed his Lustful Villain form, he wouldn’t have to explain what an Apostle was. People would already know what the basic idea was.

They wouldn’t know which god had blessed him or even who he was because of his secret identity, and that was something he could control when he told them.

Rex asked, “How many Apostles of Life are there compared to other types?”

[APOSTLES OF LIFE: APPROXIMATELY 40-50 ACTIVE]

[APOSTLES OF OTHER MAJOR GODS: 30-40 EACH]

[APOSTLES OF FORBIDDEN GODS (INCLUDING YOURSELF): ESTIMATED 20-30 TOTAL, MOSTLY OPERATING IN SECRET]

[NOTE: GODDESS OF LIFE MOST ACTIVE IN APOSTLE CREATION DUE TO HER EMPHASIS ON HEROISM AND SAVING MORTALS]

[NOTE: FORBIDDEN GOD APOSTLES RARELY ADVERTISE THEIR PATRON TO AVOID PERSECUTION]

And that was exactly what Lustia had told him. The Goddess of Life was very pushy about giving champions power, which meant that Rex would have many targets to find and kill.

But the Forbidden God Apostles kept their ties secret, so Rex could be the Lustful Villain without anyone knowing right away that he was working for Lustia.

“Last question.” Rex said, “The Apostle gathering is in three days. What’s the plan? How does it work?”

[APOSTLE GATHERINGS: TYPICALLY FORMAL COORDINATION MEETINGS]

[STRUCTURE: HOSTED BY LOCAL AUTHORITY (IN THIS CASE, VALENTINA VON STARLIGHT)]

[PURPOSE: SHARE INTELLIGENCE, COORDINATE STRATEGIES, ASSIGN ROLES FOR UPCOMING OPERATIONS]

[ATTENDANCE: VOLUNTARY BUT STRONGLY ENCOURAGED FOR REGIONAL APOSTLES]

[EXPECTED OUTCOME: FORMATION OF STRIKE TEAMS TO TARGET DEMON STRONGHOLDS]

[YOUR ROLE: ATTEND AS NEWLY RECOGNIZED REINCARNATOR, OBSERVE AND GATHER INTELLIGENCE ON OTHER APOSTLES]

[OPPORTUNITY: IDENTIFY PRIORITY TARGETS FOR FUTURE ELIMINATION, ESTABLISH CONTACTS AND ALLIANCES]

In the dark, Rex smiled.

He needs exactly three days to get ready.

He needs three days to adjust to the Academy, familiarize himself with the students, and strategize how to manage the gathering.

Three days from now, he would find himself in the same room as Apollo Brightsoul and possibly a dozen other Apostles of Life.

The mark on his hand pulsed once, barely noticeable, as if it was responding to his excitement.

“This shit is going to be very interesting…”

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