The Lustful Villain: Every Milfs and Gilfs are Mine!-Chapter 88. Nine Devoted Women and a Pretty Face. (My To-Do List Just Got Longer.)
The group started to get back together. Soldiers cleared demon bodies from the road, and civilians got back into the carriages.
Rex was back in the same carriage as before, but this time the mood was much more tense.
Rex sat quietly and let his mind work through everything that had happened while they continued their journey. He had gotten godlike powers from a real goddess when he woke up.
He had lived through an attack by a demon. He had found one of the Goddess of Life’s Apostles among the people he was traveling with.
And he was about to go into a big city that, if Lustia’s warnings were true, would be full of both chances and dangers.
Lily was pressed against his side again. Her fear had changed into a need for physical comfort.
He let her stay there with one arm around her shoulders while he thought about what to do next. The mark on his hand pulsed once, so faint that only he could feel it, and he smiled.
...
The landscape changed as they traveled, becoming more cultivated and less wild. Farmland appeared, worked by people who stopped their labor to watch the carriage convoy pass.
Small villages dotted the roadside, each one looking prosperous and well-maintained in a way that spoke to effective governance and security.
Then, as they reached the top of a final hill, they finally saw Aethelgard.
Rex had seen large cities before, both in his previous life and in the brief time he’d spent in this world. However, Aethelgard was a completely different experience.
The outer ring was made up of what looked like permanent settlements, with dozens of villages that had grown together to make a huge suburban network. These weren’t slums or shacks.
There were real communities with real roads, stone buildings, and what looked like organized infrastructure.
And the wall rose up behind them, like a monument to civilization itself. It was at least a hundred feet tall and made of white stone that glowed softly in the afternoon sun.
At regular intervals along its length, guard towers stood out, each one manned by soldiers whose armor caught the light. The main gate was huge; it could fit three carriages side by side.
On either side of it were statues of what Rex thought were historical figures or maybe gods.
As their convoy approached, the gates began to open, massive mechanisms moving with smooth precision that suggested both magic and engineering working in harmony.
The guards knew Theo right away and waved him through without doing the usual security checks. The convoy drove through the gate and into the real capital.
The interior was just as impressive as the exterior promised it would be. Big streets paved with something that looked like marble but was probably stronger.
The city was filled with a mix of practical buildings, such as stores and homes, alongside impressive architectural wonders that reached six or seven stories high. People bustled about with determination, dressed in various attire that ranged from simple work garments to elaborate outfits befitting nobility.
And there was a building that stood out from the rest of the skyline and made everything else look small.
The building combined elements of a castle, a cathedral, and a wizard’s tower, making it difficult to categorize. It was huge, at least fifteen stories high, and had many wings and towers that branched off from a central structure.
The architecture was both beautiful and intimidating, and every surface seemed to have decorative elements that served both aesthetic and probably magical purposes.
"That’s the Academy," Helena said, seeing where Rex was looking. "The Grand Academy of Magical Arts and Combat."
"It’s the best academy of its kind in the whole world."
Rex said, "That’s actually kind of impressive," and he meant it.
"It’s where I learned everything about magic that the road couldn’t teach me," Helena said. "It’s where Diana honed her archery skills with masters who had been doing it for fifty years."
"And it’s also where Elliot learned how to use a sword from real-life legendary heroes." She stopped. "That’s also where you’ll probably end up if you stay in Aethelgard for a while."
"They have programs just for reincarnators to help you get better at what you do." She said that while whispering at him.
Rex put that information away because it was crucial. The academy was teeming with talented individuals, many likely reincarnators with unique systems and advantages, all gathered in one location.
It could have been a target-rich environment or a minefield, depending on how he played it.
The convoy moved through the city streets, taking a route that seemed to avoid the busiest areas. They strolled by bustling marketplaces, neighborhoods with children playing in courtyards, and government buildings inhabited by individuals who appeared to be employees.
Finally, they reached a big plaza in front of the academy.
The carriages came to a stop, and people began disembarking.
Theo quickly began working with other soldiers who had come to meet them. He ensured the correct distribution of supplies and relocated the civilian refugees to temporary housing.
Iris stepped in to help, and her natural efficiency made her a valuable part of the organized chaos.
Rex got out of the carriage and stood still for a moment, taking in his surroundings and letting his enhanced senses stretch out.
That’s when his body went completely crazy.
[DETECTION PROTOCOL: MULTIPLE REINCARNATORS IN RANGE]
[PROCESSING]
[PROCESSING]
[REINCARNATOR DETECTED: ACADEMY STUDENT, CLASSIFICATION: UNKNOWN]
[REINCARNATOR DETECTED: ADVENTURER, CLASSIFICATION: UNKNOWN]
[REINCARNATOR DETECTED: MERCHANT, CLASSIFICATION: UNKNOWN]
[REINCARNATOR DETECTED: ACADEMY STUDENT, CLASSIFICATION: UNKNOWN]
[REINCARNATOR DETECTED: ACADEMY STUDENT, CLASSIFICATION: UNKNOWN]
The alerts kept coming, a steady stream of detections that showed just how full Aethelgard was of souls that had come back to life, and there were a lot of them.
They’re walking around, going to study and learn at the academy, running businesses, and being guards. There are dozens, maybe hundreds, of them in the area.
"Holy fucking hell... there are many shitholes everywhere, and it seems like this place really does need some genocide." Rex thought to himself.
Most of them were basic reincarnators, people who had been given a second chance but didn’t have anything special to offer other than what they learned in their past lives.
Some showed signs of small system blessings, which are small advantages that would help but not make them powerful.
And then, cutting through all the noise in the background, one detection brought Rex’s full attention to the task at hand.
[REINCARNATOR DETECTED: APOLLO BRIGHTSOUL]
[CLASSIFICATION: APOSTLE OF LIFE - RANK: PALADIN]
[THREAT LEVEL: EXTREME]
[SYSTEM BLESSING: HAREM KING PROTOCOL + DIVINE FAVOR (GODDESS OF LIFE)]
[CURRENT HAREM COUNT: 9 BONDED]
[OBSERVATION: TARGET IS SURROUNDED BY DEVOTED FOLLOWERS, RECEIVES POWER BOOST FROM THEIR FAITH AND LOVE]
[RECOMMENDATION: PRIORITY ELIMINATION TARGET - EXTREME CAUTION ADVISED]
Rex’s eyes automatically found the target after following the system’s directional ping.
There was a young man standing in the plaza near the main entrance to the academy. His appearance suggested that someone had crafted him based on a list of qualities essential for a compelling protagonist.
He was tall but not scary, and he had golden blonde hair and blue eyes that sparkled in the sun. He was good-looking in a way that was almost generic.
His armor was both useful and attractive. It was white and gold with symbols that Rex recognized as belonging to the Goddess of Life.
Nine women, including a young woman and an older woman, were arranged in a loose semicircle around him. They looked both protective and loving at the same time.
Each one was beautiful in her own special way. One of them was a warrior woman, characterized by her red hair and fierce eyes. A mage donned elaborate robes adorned with mysterious symbols.
There was also a healer, dressed in white and silver, who seemed to have the power to heal people simply by smiling. An archer with elvish looks and grace that can’t be explained.
And five more, each one clearly devoted to the golden-haired main character in the middle.
Rex saw Apollo Brightsoul laugh at something one of the women said. His face was open and warm, and there was no sign of darkness or doubt.
The women laughed back, and their faces lit up with real happiness, like flowers turning toward the sun.
This sight was disgusting to him, yet it was precisely what Rex had been seeking.
An apostle of life, blessed by the goddess who had tried to punish Rex for his sins. He was a harem protagonist who grew stronger through love and devotion, rather than through desire or obsession.
This rival personified everything that Rex detested about the pure, ethically sound form of power that the Goddess of Life favored.
And the best part was that Lustia had told him to kill this person.
Rex’s smile was predatory, not warm.
He had found his main goal in Aethelgard. And he was already excited to see Apollo Brightsoul’s perfect little world go up in flames.
