In the main entrance hall of the Wycliffe household, Cass stood dressed in a slim-fit navy blue outfit fit for a young lord. Cass had grown tall over the last 18 years, taller than anyone else in the household. He was almost 190cm tall, but he was built very lean and tapered.
His years of training with Marcus and manual labour from his jobs around the village had left him with a well-trained musculature. His facial features resembled his father's, except for his eyes and hair, which he got from his mother. The combination of all these meant that when he walked through the village, he turned heads.
He found himself surrounded by his parents and many of the village residents with whom he had spent most of his adolescence. The villagers who served in the war with his mother and father had come in their old soldier uniforms.
First, there was Willem, the manager of the agricultural trading centre. There, Cass had learned about the correct way to manage food resources. How much of what grain is necessary for each person, how much that grain costs, and how it could be stored. He used the education he received to calculate expenditure and profits.
'I will be sad to see you leave, lad. When you first came to me, you were a stubborn squirt with some brains and not much else. Now, I am going to have a difficult time replacing you.'
It had been decided that after awakening his system, Cass would no longer continue working in the village. As the son of a baron and heir to the village, a serious discussion about his future was needed.
'Thanks, Willem, but I will still be dropping by occasionally when I start making rounds in the village.'
The next person to approach Cass was the blacksmith Orin. Under him, Cass had learnt how to process raw ore into pig iron, how to refine that pig iron into steel, and how to forge that steel into basic shapes. Thanks to Orin, Cass could comfortably make basic blades and tools.
'Talk to your father for me, Cass. Now you won't be helping me out twice a week, I need apprentices more than ever. Convince him to go to that damn port town and bring me back a couple of young orphans who wanna learn to smith.'
'Thanks, Orin. Now that my father intends to pass some responsibility to me, I am in a position to actually do something to help. We can talk about it soon.'
Cass continued to circulate the hall, sipping on wine and talking to the village residents. There was great food and drink, and the smell of roasted meat permeated the whole house. Despite the lively atmosphere, Cass had been feeling a little down since the afternoon. Luna was not there.
He had asked his parents where she had gone, but his mothers just told him she would be back in time for the party. But she was late.
Cass was approached by Nimri the catkin, who taught him to fish. She was wearing a tasteful yellow gown, which Cass never imagined he would ever see her in.
'Nimri, you look lovely in that. I never thought I would see you out of your fishing gear.'
'It was a gift from your father to repay me for teaching you to fish, but, honestly, I think my dungarees suit me better. Now that you are an adult, don't be a stranger. I still expect you to come fish with me from time to time.'
'Of course I will. I fully intend to go spear fishing when egg-laying time comes again for those fish. The family couldn't get enough of what I brought back last time.'
As he finished talking, he felt a strong hand on his shoulder. 'Happy birthday, Cass. Now you have a system, I am sure hunting will be far easier for you now.'
'Thanks, Harric. Is Darin around?'
'No, Darin isn't here tonight. I know you wanted to see him, but he is on watch duty at the cattle farm. Some beasts have been seen prowling the area, so he is set up there ready to deal with them. He sends his regards, though.'
Alongside Luna, his friend Darin also hadn't come. Darin had been shy when they first started training in hunting under Harric, but they soon grew close. It was fair to say that Darin was probably Cass's only male friend of a similar age.
The final pair of people who approached him were his stepmother's adoptive brother and his daughter. The villagers in the hall bowed and made way for him as he passed, but he waved it all off and said, 'I am not a viscount today, I am just here as an uncle, please don't bow to me. Instead, let's share in the wine as fellow people who wish Cass the best.'
He then walked over to the hunter who had been talking to Cass, and the pair shared a nod and clinked glasses. After that, nobody tried to prostrate themselves before him again and just treated him like any other common guest.
'Cass, happy birthday! Congratulations. Now you are an adult you have to come spend a few days in the city with us, you have a lot to learn and very little time to learn it. One day you will be baron of this land too.' Cass's uncle, Godfrey, was a tall fat man with ginger hair, and he was dressed like a typical aristocrat. Cass liked his uncle, he was born into nobility and had inherited a viscountcy through his adoptive father, but he was always cheerful and polite.
'Thank you, uncle, I fully intend to do that after I take care of a few things. I do need to learn a lot more about the relationship between our village and your port city. Hello Liscia, it's good to see you again.'
Liscia was Godfrey's daughter. She was a couple of years older than Cass, but they had always been pretty friendly. She had red hair like her father's, which curled all the way down to the small of her back. She was wearing a red dress that clung to her body, showing off her womanly curves. Cass managed to restrain himself, but he couldn't help but notice that she looked positively sinful in that dress.
'Hey, Cass. It's been a while, huh? Now that you have a system, do you wanna go outside and spar? I really wanna see what you've got.'
'Liscia, he awakened his system this morning, he probably doesn't even have any more than a single mana point. I know you want to test yourself, but this could just be seen as bullying. If you want to fight, just wait until you return to the tower.'
'I took a leave of absence to come here for this, so I haven't been able to spar like I wanted. I was only going to do it if he agreed, and I wasn't planning on using any mana.'
Awooh!
The distinctive sound of Luna's howl echoed throughout the room. Everybody turned to see where the sound was coming from and saw Luna standing in the doorway, dressed in the leather gear she usually used when training. It was splashed with purple-red blood, and Luna's skin was blackened with dirt and soot. But the biggest shock for Cass was that Luna's collar was gone.
Cass immediately moved towards her. 'What happened?'
Instead of answering, Luna turned around and marched out the front door. In front of the house was the carcass of a 2 star beast. Everyone who piled out behind Cass to see what had happened was curious. Some were confused seeing the scene outside, while others silently watched with knowing smiles on their faces.
Cass was about to inquire what happened again when his Mother forestalled him with a hand on his shoulder. 'Watch her in silence, don't you dare speak or interrupt. You will know when it happens, but make the decision whether you accept or not without hesitation.'
Cass watched as Luna silently, and without looking at him, piled wood and lit a small campfire. As the campfire was burning, she took out a hunting knife and began to dress the 2 star beast. She eventually cut a few small slices off the thigh and skewered them with a pointed stick. After grilling the slices of meat, she turned to Cass, held the grilled meat between her fingers, and looked him dead in the eyes.
'Mas.... No. Cass. Ever since that day you took me out of that cage, my life has been nothing but wonderful. I have experienced so many amazing things while being your slave. I have felt the love of this family and this house. At first, I thought of you as my benefactor, then as my friend. But now that I am free, and I can choose what I want in my life, I choose you. I love you. I don't want to be your slave anymore, I want to be your woman. Will you accept me?'