William Hanson.
Once a shabby-looking individual, now with long black hair, sparkling eyes that could be seen from far away with a single spark, and a body physique twice the size of Jared's.
In other words, he was five times better than he was before he awakened his five-star.
A smile hugged his face, like a man who had just won the lottery; his entire face flourished with pure joy.
"I awakened," he whispered to himself, his arms stretched forward as if seeking some kind of proof to be sure he wasn't dreaming.
Moving from a four-star to a five-star has always been nearly impossible to accomplish, and yet, not just one, but two people under Jared had done it.
"Lord Jared, I did it!" said William as he gave Jared a look of pure and untainted happiness.
Even Lucy couldn't help but smile, forgetting that moments before, William had challenged her.
Ria was no different; she remembered William being a tad bit stronger than the rest of the villagers, but not to this extent. One couldn't blame her, since she wasn't fully aware of her brother's ability.
Jared wasn't all that impressed; in truth, he was expecting something of a six-star, or maybe the highest, which was seven stars.
Then again, it wasn't that unfamiliar for people to move from five-star to six-star on their own.
"Yeah, I see it, William. Congratulations on awakening. Now then..." He stood up, "I believe we'll have some guests visiting us soon; we should prepare for their welcome."
"Guests?" Ria and Lucy uttered in unison.
"Are you expecting a visitor?" William asked.
"I might be wrong; I've been expecting them for days now. Maybe they might show up today too, but as I always say, you can't be too ready," Jared replied, while still standing.
"A... Right. I'll get on with it." William bowed his head and walked out of the tent.
Right after, Lucy did the same thing; she wanted to make sure the fences were still active.
But as soon as she walked out, she noticed William was standing there, as if waiting for her.
He didn't seem all that excited as he was back inside the tent; this time, there seemed to be some kind of competition written on his face.
"Lucy, I just got my five-star awakening," he said ever so calmly.
Lucy didn't give any reply; there was nothing to reply to.
"As such, that should make me on equal footing with you. I would like to test that theory once the young Lord's guests are gone." William didn't stutter; he was very clear with his intent.
"You want to duel?"
"I wish to duel you, yes. You've always been faster than I am; I remember the old chief calling you the lightning flash back in the day, due to how you ran faster than everyone here. Still, if you were the old chief's favorite, then I shall be Lord Jared's favorite, by beating you in this duel." William clenched his spear, still resting on his shoulder.
Leaving aside the fact that Lucy spent most of her life taking care of Jared, she had never once thought the former village headmaster, Richard Hunter, viewed her as his favorite.
In fact, for the most part, it seemed as if he pushed her the hardest, almost isolating her from the village, just so she could be stronger for some unknown reason she didn't know back then.
Still...
"Is that how you truly feel?" she finally spoke back, not once did she shift her attention away from him.
"A warrior's heart does not lie. I wish to battle for that right," William replied.
"You take things too seriously." Lucy slowly turned around, "As you wish, once this is over, we can duel. But I don't intend to lose, as I also want to be Lord Jared's favorite." She walked away.
William sighed, "That woman can be really scary sometimes. A man such as myself can tell that much. I must be strong; this is for the master," he said to himself, almost as motivation, before he walked away.
Just as Jared had instructed, most of the men in the village that were fighters stood guard around the village, all in different positions, their minds at their peak as they waited for something they knew nothing of.
At the center of this squad was William, his spear safely resting on his shoulder, his eyes fixed on the gate like a hawk watching its food.
And then, he saw them.
The group of people heading toward the village in numbers on horseback.
"Hmm..."
Jared was right; visitors were going to show up.
Calmly jumping down from where he was seated, he uttered to one of the men—
"Inform Lord Jared; people approach the village."
Hastily, the man ran toward Jared's room to inform him.
"Lord Jared! We have visitors!!!" the young man yelled at the top of his voice.
Knock!
The man banged on the door as respectfully and hard as he could.
As the door creaked open, Ria's beautiful silver hair slipped out, followed by her pink eyes, "Yes? Are they here already?"
"Lady Ria..." The man moved back a bit, "Where is the young master?"
"I'm here." The door opened a bit more, and out came Jared.
"Ahh, thank the gods, the visitors, Sir William believes they are the ones nearing the village."
"Oh? They are here already? It's not even noon yet; works for me, I can end this quickly."
Jared walked out of the room, and in his hand was a huge sniper, taller than the young man who stood before him.
The man's eyes went blank the moment he saw it; to him, Jared was either holding a baby dragon or something completely out of his world.
"Let them come; we've already won this."