Five minutes had passed since the entire group of kidnappers had revealed themselves to me.
Those five minutes were the most grueling five minutes of my life up to that point.
Not only were they far from weak, but every single one of them—except for the man named Gaz—worked together with almost flawless teamwork, making it incredibly difficult to eliminate even a single one of them.
In the end, during those five agonizing minutes, I managed to kill three of them: one of the twins, the man who threw daggers at me at the beginning, and the one carrying the massive shield.
Looking back on it now, I honestly wonder how I managed to kill three of them in such a short time, considering the situation I was in. Of course, if the me of today had found herself in that same situation, I'm almost certain I could have defeated every last one of them except for their leader within those same five minutes. But this happened more than sixty years ago. Back then, I hadn't even become a Ranger yet. And it was precisely because my younger self had accomplished something that should have been nearly impossible that, after those five minutes, I found myself in an unbelievably desperate situation.
I was sitting on the ground with my back pressed against one of the Yggdrasill Forest's enormous trees, completely surrounded by the twelve kidnappers who still remained. My legs were covered in so many cuts that, even if I had somehow managed to stand up again, walking would have been an incredible struggle. On top of that, I had barely enough mana left to cast a single spell.
But precisely because I still possessed enough mana for one final spell...
I still had one last ace hidden up my sleeve. Even if it was an incredibly risky one.
"Well, little girl, I have to admit it... I underestimated you. I never imagined you'd actually manage to kill three of my men. In the end, we were right to wait until you were alone. Princess Aislyra is another potential target of ours, so our original plan was to capture both of you together. But after hearing about her strength, witnessing your battle against that Over Beast, and discovering that an unexpected guest had joined your little hunting party..."
The blond man let out an annoyed sigh. "We decided it would be wiser to limit our objective to capturing only you. Especially since your two friends conveniently left you all by yourself. I also have to thank the elf who carried us to this part of the forest. It cost us a fair amount of money, but without his assistance, even with my invisibility spell, we would almost certainly have been discovered by the Rangers before reaching this place. And now that we have you..." A disturbingly satisfied smile spread across the his face. "I'm certain we'll earn back far more than we spent," the blond-haired worm mused.
While he was busy delivering that long speech, I quietly moved my bow behind my back, making sure none of those worms noticed what I was doing. I had already decided to pour every last drop of mana remaining inside my body into this final spell.
At last...
It was ready.
I brought my bow back in front of me. An arrow formed entirely from wind rested upon the string. However, unlike the one created by Wind Arrow, this one possessed a much darker color, resembling the ominous winds of an approaching storm.
The spell was called Elreno Arrow, and both then and now, it remains one of the most powerful spells in my arsenal. Once fired, the arrow creates a massive tornado upon striking its target, engulfing both the enemy and everything nearby. If the caster possesses enough mana, that tornado can expand until it reaches a width of four point two kilometers, while generating winds of up to five hundred and twelve kilometers per hour. However, because of the overwhelming scale of the tornado it creates, if the target is too close, there is a very real possibility that the caster will also be caught within the storm. For that reason, anyone using this spell must carefully limit the tornado's size until their target is far enough away. Even then, controlling the tornado well enough to avoid being dragged into one's own spell requires an extraordinary level of concentration and skill. That is precisely why there are so few users of Elreno Arrow anywhere on the continent.
One of them is my mother. She was the one who taught me this spell. She also made me promise that I would never use it unless it truly became my absolute last resort. Not only because of the enormous danger it posed to me...
But also because of the catastrophic damage it could inflict upon nature itself.
Unfortunately...
At that moment, every condition required to honor my promise to my mother while still using that spell had been fulfilled. Given the situation I was in, there was nothing else I could do if I wanted to save myself.
So, drawing in every last ounce of breath I had left, I began to chant,
"ELRENO—"
But the chant died on my lips the instant I saw the string of my bow being sliced apart. At the very same moment, the storm-wind arrow vanished into thin air.
Then I heard the sharp sound of something embedding itself into wood. A heartbeat later, I saw a dagger lodged deep within the trunk of a nearby tree.
The final sliver of hope that had remained within my eyes...
Was extinguished.
"I'm not entirely sure what kind of spell that was, but since you loaded it onto your bow, I figured you wouldn't be able to fire it without one—and it seems I was right..." said the leader of the kidnappers, his lifeless eyes filled with satisfaction.
Then he picked up another dagger from the belt at his waist before continuing,
"As you've already seen, I'm capable of making even my weapons invisible. And since this spell is different from the one I use to make people invisible—and operates under completely different conditions to maintain its effect—even when I attack, any weapon affected by this spell remains invisible. Only after it has been out of contact with my body for a few seconds does it become visible again..."
As he finished speaking, the dagger in his hand disappeared from sight.
That alone should have made me realize that, when it came to his invisibility spells, that worm didn't need to chant a single word aloud. Unfortunately, at that moment, I was far too busy sinking into the abyss of despair to calmly analyze my opponent.
On top of that, a certain sentence kept echoing endlessly inside my mind. I desperately tried to reject it, clinging to the last fragment of pride I still possessed after this crushing defeat.
I only learn this after everything that happened, but the magic that man was using was called Light Deflection Magic, an incredibly rare Derived Magic that originated from Light Magic. Through its various spells, which bend and manipulate light itself, it allows both people and objects to become completely invisible. However It cannot conceal either scent or sound.
"To be honest, I wasn't even certain that attack would work, considering that even the knife had already been marked with your scent. But perhaps it was because of the speed at which I threw it... or perhaps because you were too focused on casting that spell... Either way, it seems luck is smiling on me today..." he said smugly.
Then he turned toward Gaz and ordered in a stern voice,
"Gaz, tie the girl up. Let's get out of here as quickly as possible. And naturally... You'll be the one carrying her."
"Sure thing, Boss!" Gaz replied.
He immediately took the rope hanging from his belt and slowly approached me.
Oddly enough, he handled the situation with remarkable caution, almost as though he were trying to approach a frightened little deer that might bolt at any second.
Apparently, all the punches I had effortlessly dodged earlier had made even that oversized fool somewhat nervous.
But his concerns were completely unnecessary. With my final trump card gone...
Even if I had still been physically capable of resisting at that moment, I wouldn't have done so. By then, I had completely surrendered myself to my fate.
'Mom... Dad... I'm so sorry...'
And out of all the foolish things I did that day...
This is the one that still angers me the most whenever I remember it. That was absolutely not how the future greatest Ranger of her generation should have behaved. Most of all because, even at that moment...
A tiny glimmer of hope still remained. All I needed to do to grasp it... Was say three simple words.
Although, I have to admit that I understand why my younger self couldn't bring herself to say them immediately.
After all...
Even now, those are words I would still find incredibly difficult to say. Though admittedly, for reasons entirely different from those my younger self had.
"If you need help at any point during this hunt, simply call my name, and faster than a flash, I'll be there to protect you,"
That promise had been echoing inside my mind for quite some time. But the me of that moment stubbornly refused to even try calling his name. Part of it was because I simply couldn't believe that that perverted commoner would ever hear my voice. I had no idea how far away he was.
More than that...It felt like nothing more than false hope. I desperately wanted to preserve the final shred of pride I still possessed. I had convinced myself that asking that perverted commoner for help...
Only for no one to come...
Would completely shatter what little pride I had left.
But then...
The faces of my mother and father appeared in my mind. If these filthy vermin succeeded in kidnapping me and demanded a ransom... I was certain that my parents would suffer far more than I ever would.
So...
I finally let go of that last tiny fragment of pride. And just as the worm named Gaz was about to begin tying me up, I gathered every ounce of strength remaining in my body and screamed,
"HELP ME, FORTORE!"
Even though, at that moment, I didn't possess the slightest hope of being saved. Not even for a single second did I truly believe that the boy would come.
Gaz froze for a brief moment, startled by my sudden scream. Immediately, the blond-haired man shouted,
"Ignore her, Gaz. Those other two kids are far too far away—they won't—"
But his words abruptly stopped.
Right before his eyes, the bald giant's head fell to the ground.
Along with it...
Four more of his men collapsed lifelessly beside him.
They, too, were dead.
"I apologize for making you wait even a single second, Lady Emeralda. To make amends, I'll eliminate these vermin as quickly as possible. After all... they dared to injure your beautiful legs so severely," said a white-haired boy.
My heart began pounding faster than it ever had before. No matter how agitated I had been earlier... Nothing could compare to what I was feeling at that moment.
Standing between me and the seven kidnappers who still remained was a young man whose hair was as white as freshly fallen snow. His armor was so brilliantly white and radiant that looking directly at him almost felt like staring into the sun itself.
That...
That was the exact moment I fell hopelessly in love with the greatest Royal Knight who would ever live. My beloved Fortore.
Practically the instant he finished reassuring me, my beloved launched himself into battle.
And before I even had time to properly process what was happening... Every last one of those filthy vermin who had tried to kidnap me lay dead upon the forest floor, cut down by Fortore's sword.
Every last one...
Or so I initially thought.
Almost immediately, I noticed something strange. There were only fourteen corpses scattered across the path. But there had originally been fifteen kidnappers. Their leader's body was nowhere to be seen. Thanks to his Derived Magic, he must have escaped while Fortore was slaughtering his men.
Damn it...
He truly was a man completely devoid of honor. And since I never heard that he had later been captured or killed, he probably even managed to escape from the Yggdrasill Forest alive. Although, even now, I still hope some Over Beast caught him while he was fleeing and gave him the most agonizing death imaginable.
After sheathing his sword, Fortore walked over to me. He extended his hand with his usual elegance before saying, "Lady Emeralda, please... allow me to help you."
I stared silently into his beautiful blue eyes for several long seconds.
Then, my face burning with embarrassment, I finally managed to whisper, "T-thank you, Sir Fortore..." As I accepted his hand.
Thanks to his support, I was able to stand up without too much difficulty.
Even so...
My heart was beating even faster than before. And my face had become as red as a ripe tomato. At that moment, however, I still couldn't understand why.
Naturally, that wonderful moment was immediately ruined by a certain young girl who possessed far more muscles than brains.
Both Fortore and I heard the sound of heavy footsteps rapidly approaching.
Then we witnessed a sight that, even today, I still can't decide whether to consider hilarious or absolutely terrifying.
A girl who wasn't even one meter and forty centimeters tall was carrying the carcass of a gigantic boar—one standing at least three meters tall—above her head...
Using only one hand.
"Hey, Fo! Why did you suddenly run off like that?" Aislyra asked in confusion.
Then she noticed me.
Waving enthusiastically with her free hand, she shouted, "Emeralda! Did you see?! We finally did it! We finally hunted down the leader of the forest!"
She happily walked toward us.
But the instant she got close enough to see the condition I was in...
The enormous boar slipped from her hand and crashed onto the ground behind her. A burst of panic flashed across her face. In the next instant, she rushed over at full speed, wrapped me in an unbelievably powerful hug, and, in a voice on the verge of tears, began firing one question after another. "EME, WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?!!!!!! WHO DID THIS TO YOU?!!!! WHO CAUSED ALL THESE WOUNDS?!!!! WAS IT AN OVER BEAST?!!!! WAS IT THOSE MEN?!!!! DAMN IT! I'M SUCH AN IDIOT! I SHOULD NEVER HAVE LEFT YOU ALONE!!!! COME ON! I'M TAKING YOU STRAIGHT TO THE PALACE INFIRMARY!!!"
"You idiot... I-I can't breathe like this...!" I managed to choke out.
Naturally, that muscle-headed idiot didn't listen to a single word I said.
Instead, she effortlessly lifted me into her arms—which was utterly terrifying—and immediately began sprinting toward the palace at full speed while shouting over her shoulder,
"Fo! Take care of the leader of the forest! I'll take Eme to the palace infirmary."
My beloved, kind as always, simply nodded.
Although, this time...
I really wish he had tried to stop her.
And so...
The day my first love began finally came to an end.
And from that moment onward, I can honestly say that my true rivalry with Aislyra also began on that very same day.