My memory became a blur after that.
I was placed in a wooden crate, and when I opened my eyes, I was in a cabin, which I believed was inside a ship.
Then, another battle began.
I could hear explosions around me. I felt hopeful because I thought that my rescuers had arrived.
For a brief moment, I thought I heard Millie's voice. But several minutes later, the fighting ended.
My hope waned as we journeyed far out to the sea.
I knew that with every hour that passed, the lower the chances of me being saved became. There was even a time when I thought that I would never see my family again, but it didn't last because I was aware that I was a valuable hostage and my father would pay a great price for my return.
I felt ashamed of myself when the image of my proud, honorable, and loving father bowing his head to terrorists for my sake, filled my mind.
I hated it.
I HATED IT!
Then suddenly, a loud explosion rocked the entire ship.
Two of the Rankers that were guarding me left the room and ran to the deck of the ship. Several minutes later, the sound of cannons being fired reverberated in the surroundings.
Everything was in chaos, and the only thing I could hear were the sounds of explosions being set off all around us.
Then it happened.
The wall of my room exploded and several Wind Blades passed before my eyes.
There was only one person that I knew who would risk her life to save me, and that was none other than Millie. She was my Protector, who was always with me no matter how difficult the situation was.
Half a minute later, I saw her enter the room through the destroyed wall and fight against the Ranker who was guarding me.
One of their Dark Faction's members, a Dwarf lady who seemed to be in her early twenties, grabbed me and took me into the hallway.
The entire ship was shaking due to the relentless attacks that were hitting it from all sides.
"If you want to escape, listen closely to what I am going to tell you and listen well. You will be devoured by a Slime, but don't resist. My Master is waiting on the other side."
That was what the scarlet-haired lady said to me as she carried me in her arms.
"Who is your Master?" I asked because I was genuinely curious about who that person was.
"You'll meet him soon enough. Make sure to tell him that he shouldn't order me to do anything unreasonable in the future."
Then, the Harrus named Ranker appeared, and for a brief moment, my heart skipped a beat. I thought that I would be used as a hostage to force those who wished to rescue me to compromise.
Just as I was lamenting my bad luck, the Ranker was pulled down towards the bottom of the ship, disappearing right before my eyes.
After a moment of hesitation, the scarlet-haired lady then jumped over the hole that the Ranker created, and tossed me towards the baby Slime that I played with back at the Baron's house.
Yes. This was the Slime that belonged to Sir Lucien. The one who Millie had said was a probationary member of the Order of the Griffin.
An organization that belonged solely to the King and carried out his will without fail.
Just as the scarlet-haired lady had instructed me, I didn't resist when the Slime devoured me. It was then when I found myself in pitch-black darkness.
It was so dark that I couldn't help but feel fear. However, the darkness didn't last long.
One moment I was in total darkness, the next moment I found myself being cradled by two strong arms.
When I raised my head to look at the person carrying me, I saw the man who went by the name Lucien.
At least, that was what he said his name was. However, Millie and I both knew that this wasn't his real name.
Then, the realization hit me.
I was saved.
And the one who saved me was none other than this chubby human, whose strong arms that were carrying me made me feel safe.
Suddenly, I heard an explosion not far from me, and a tower of water erupted from the sea.
Then, I saw him.
The Ranker named Harrus, and he was looking at Sir Lucien with bloodshot eyes.
"It is you! You're the one responsible for all of this mess!"
For a brief moment, I felt Sir Lucien's body stiffen, but this stiffness immediately went away as he gazed at the Ranker whose killing intent was oozing out of his body.
"Die!"
The Ranker named Harrus charged at us back then. I subconsciously closed my eyes and buried my head into Sir Lucien's chest. I knew that the one holding me in his arms right now was only an Apostle.
An Apostle had no chance of winning against a Ranker.
I feared that the next time I opened my eyes, the one who tried to save me would be dead.
"Y-You Bastard!"
Hearing Harrus' voice filled with surprise and hatred, I opened my eyes and looked up just in time to see the sneer on Sir Lucien's face.
"I will not lose to this petty trick!"
Harrus shouted, and took a step forward. He succeeded, but it only lasted for a second as his body slowly backed away as if he was being pulled by something.
"Your name, Boy?!"
The Ranker asked, and I could tell that he planned to engrave Sir Lucien's name to his memory, so that he could kill him at a later time.
'No! You mustn't tell him your name!'
That was the thought that passed through my head at that moment. However, before I could form my thoughts into words, Sir Lucien opened his lips and gave him an answer.
"Randolph. My name is Randolph."
Randolph? I almost laughed out loud after hearing such a silly name. I almost felt sorry for this person because I knew that the Ranker with reddish-brown hair would look for him, thinking that he was Sir Lucien.
'I see,' I thought. 'He has this childish side to him.'
"Randolph? Good!" Harrus growled in anger. "I'll remember you! The next time we meet, you're dead!"
Oh, Mr. Ranker, do you still not realize that Sir Lucien is merely teasing you? I was tempted to say this out loud, but in order to protect my savior, I decided to cover my lips, just in case I laughed out loud due to my savior's shamelessness.
Again, I uttered a silent prayer in my heart to whoever this Randolph was. Sir Lucien also had this mean side to him.
No good… for some reason, I find myself strongly attracted to his daring personality.
Several minutes after that incident, the ship I was on finally left the scene.
I had been successfully rescued and was currently being carried by two strong arms, which made me feel as if they could carry me all my life.
Unfortunately, this blissful moment didn't last because Sir Lucien handed me over to Millie, whose face was covered in tears.
Although I was happy that my loyal retainer had come to save me, I wished that she could have waited for five… no, two more minutes before she made her appearance.
That way, I would still be held by those two strong arms and be close enough to hear the heartbeat of the person who had devised a plan to save me from my captors.
All my life, I had seen many handsome young men among the ones that tried to ask for my hand in marriage.
Even though the person who I reluctantly parted with wasn't good looking, was fat, and was a Human, I felt that it wouldn't be so bad to have him by my side, so that he could keep me in his embrace forever.
No matter what he looked like, no matter what his race was, it would not change the fact that he was there when I needed him the most.
He was none other than…
The first person who truly made her heart skip a beat, not out of fear, but a feeling that made her long for a human's touch.
