The crowd loved it, cheering and thanking the heroes who were there, clearly starstruck by the fact that real heroes were in their dying town.
Rex looked more closely at the group. All together, there were five of them.
The first was Elliot, the hero with the light purple hair. He looked like a classic hero, with a noble demeanor and a strong sense of justice.
Elliot was the type of person who likely delivered speeches about justice and safeguarding the innocent without a trace of irony.
And there's a woman who looked a lot like him standing behind him. Rex can tell she was clearly his mother.
If Rex had to guess, it would be Helena Von Starlight, based on the nametag she wears on her gear. She looked younger than she was, probably in her early forties.
She had the same light purple hair as her son, but it was styled in an elegant long hairstyle. She walked with dignity and grace, and her armor was more for show than for protection, which made it seem like she was more of a support mage than a front-line fighter.
There were two other women who had to be Elliot's sisters. The older one, who was probably in her mid-twenties, also had light purple hair and looked serious. She wore leather armor that was useful and had a bow on her back.
Rex saw her name, Diana, in the nametag. She looked like she really knew how to fight, unlike her brother, who was just showing off.
And then the younger sister looked like she was only 20, with bright eyes and a look of excitement on her face that made it seem like this was her first real adventure. Rex knew the name Lily, also from the nametag.
She held on to a staff that was probably too big for her, which made her look like a trainee mage.
But it was the fifth person in the group that really caught Rex's attention.
A woman stood a little away from the Starlight family. She was so beautiful that even Rex, who had seen many beautiful women, noticed her.
She had pale skin, long dark purple-ish hair that caught the light like real starlight, and features that looked like they belonged on a statue. Her armor was silver, and it fit her body in a way that made it look good and protected her.
She moved like someone who had trained a lot in combat.
She stood close to Elliot in a way that made it clear they were in a relationship.
Her name had to be Evelyn Astralight, written on her nametag as well, and she can be called the hero's girlfriend.
"Perfect," Rex said softly, his mind already working.
Rex starts rubbing both his palms while his tongue is out like a freaky monster. "It's fucking perfect."
Mara looked at him. "What?"
"Nothing. Just looking at the heroes."
Elliot was still talking, and his voice was loud enough to be heard across the square. "We will be in your town for a week to look at the damage from the bandit attack and help with the rebuilding."
"We will also teach any able-bodied volunteers basic combat skills to help protect against threats in the future."
The crowd cheered, and Rex saw hope spark in the faces of people who had been resigned to a slow decline just moments before.
It was hope, and it was a perilous and foolish emotion that left people vulnerable.
Rex could deal with that.
Elliot looked around and said, "We'll need a place to stay while we're here."
"Is there an inn or tavern that could fit us?"
Many people pointed to The Broken Wheel, and Elliot's eyes followed their directions until they landed on Mara and Rex in the doorway.
"Great," Elliot said with a big smile as he got closer. "You must be the owner of the inn."
"This is my party, and I'm Elliot Von Starlight."
"We would be grateful if you could give us rooms for the week.
Rex could see up close that Elliot was as annoying as he had thought. Elliot had perfect teeth, clear skin, and eyes that sparkled with real heroic conviction.
This guy believed in all that other bullshit that got in the way of living a normal life, like right and wrong.
This man also had three beautiful women in his family and a girlfriend who was just as beautiful.
Rex's earlier anger at Mara's rejection began to fade a little. Four more doors had just opened when one closed, but he still needs to clear his first mission before he dies and can't feel their bodies.
"Of course," Mara said, putting her instincts as an innkeeper ahead of her own feelings. "We have rooms available."
"It will be tight, but we can make it work."
"Wonderful," Helena said with a smile as she stepped forward. "We're very thankful."
"It was a long trip to get here, and a really comfortable room will be very welcome."
Rex stayed back a little as the Starlight party entered the inn. Elliot put his hand on Evelyn's lower back and moved, which was a possessive move that the dark purple-haired woman seemed fine with.
They were comfortable with each other like a couple who had been together for a while.
Diana, the older sister, was looking around the inn with tactical eyes, probably because she was used to looking for ways to defend herself and escape.
Lily was so excited that she was practically bouncing. She whispered to her mom about how adorable and real everything was.
And Helena acted like a noblewoman who was slumming it with the common people but was trying to be nice about it.
Rex thought, "This is perfect." His disappointment about Mara turned into excitement.
"An idiot hero, his noble family, and his beautiful girlfriend."
"Everyone is staying in the same house for a week."
The system made a sound.
[NEW OPPORTUNITIES DETECTED]
[HELENA VON STARLIGHT: AGE 41, MARRIED, SEPARATED FROM HUSBAND]
[DESIRE LEVEL: UNKNOWN]
[DIANA VON STARLIGHT: AGE 26, SINGLE, CAREER FOCUSED]
[DESIRE LEVEL: UNKNOWN]
[LILY VON STARLIGHT: AGE 20, SINGLE, ADVENTURE FOCUSED]
[DESIRE LEVEL: UNKNOWN]
[EVELYN ASTRALIGHT: AGE 24, IN RELATIONSHIP WITH ELLIOT]
[DESIRE LEVEL: UNKNOWN]
[WARNING: ALL TARGETS ARE AFFILIATED WITH HERO PARTY]
[WARNING: PURSUING THESE TARGETS WILL CREATE CONFLICT]
[RECOMMENDATION: FOCUS ON COMPLETING CURRENT MISSION FIRST]
[TIME REMAINING: 11 HOURS]
Rex didn't pay attention to the warning about conflict because he knew that conflict would only just make things interesting and possible for him as the soon-to-be villain.
But the system was right about one thing. He still had to finish his mission with Mara first.
He only had half a day left to get five more desire points from a woman who had just kicked him out and said their night together was a mistake.
Elliot was saying, "Mara, is there someone who could help us carry our stuff to our rooms?"
"We have a lot of equipment that needs to be carried."
"I can help," Rex said right away, stepping forward with a big smile on his face. "I work here."
"The name's Rex Rexilion."
He held out his hand, and Elliot shook it with a firm grip that showed he knew how to be polite.
"Nice to meet you, Rex."
"Thank you for your help."
Evelyn noticed Rex as he started to gather bags and gear. With a cool, critical eye, she regarded him as if she was accustomed to assessing threats.
"Clever girl...she's already judging me with those eyes that I will break soon enough." Rex said in his mind.
"You're very kind to help," she said in a calm, smooth voice.
"Just doing my job," Rex said with a smile. "Also, we don't get real heroes staying here every day."
"It's so exciting when you think about it."
"I'm sure," Evelyn said, and the way she said it made it sound like she didn't completely believe his helpful worker act.
Rex, put that away. He knew she was smart, and that would make things more fun.
He helped move the equipment upstairs and learned who was staying where. The biggest guest room would be shared by Elliot and Evelyn.
Helena would get a smaller, private room, while Diana and Lily would both stay in the third room.
All of them are near Mara and Garrett's room. It was easy to get to all of them.
Rex made plans as he went up and down the stairs several times. His top priority was still the mission with Mara.
He didn't want to die because he hadn't finished his goals. After resolving the issue, he had a week to focus on four new targets.
Four women who are available and want different things.
A hero's mother, who is probably lonely because she is not with her husband.
A hero's sister who is focused on her career and probably not taking care of her own needs.
A hero's younger sister who is innocent and probably wants to know more about the world of adventure.
And a beautiful and devoted girlfriend of the hero who might feel like she is being ignored because of his heroic duties.
Rex thought, "This will be fucking fun."