The Tanker Does Not Retreat
Edwin’s hand moved slyly, keeping time with the rhythmic rattling of the carriage.
At first, he pretended to merely brush against her knee, but before long, his hand was slowly wandering up Leon’s thigh.
"Lady Lia, your skin is truly like silk. I cannot help but wonder how you care for it."
Edwin offered a greasy smile, stroking the inside of Leon’s thigh with his fingertips. Though goosebumps broke out across Leon’s body at the touch through her clothes, her transformed flesh—perhaps craving a man—throbbed deep in her lower abdomen. Her body was constantly hungering for male essence. Under normal circumstances, she might have seduced this foolish young noble to drain him and replenish her depleted essence. But right now, the situation was different.
This crazy bastard...! I have to endure it.
In this desperate crisis, with the cold blade known as Kyle chasing them down, she had no leisure to idly seek out essence. She wanted nothing more than to snap that greasy wrist right this instant, but Leon bit her lip and held back.
"Ah... Um, young master. That tickles..."
Leon squirmed to avoid his touch, acting as bashful as possible. However, Edwin seemed to enjoy her reaction all the more.
"Haha, even your shyness is adorable. Relax. It is a long way to the Capital."
He picked up a wine glass sitting beside him and offered it to Leon.
"This is the finest wine produced in my family's estate. Take a sip. It will help you unwind."
As Leon hesitated, Elena, sitting opposite them, rested her chin on her hand with a peculiar smile.
"My, young master. My little sister is rather weak to alcohol. Besides, she has an empty stomach, and her drinking habits are quite terrible when she gets drunk."
"Oh? A drinking habit? What kind of habit?"
"Well... She might suddenly strip off her clothes, or throw herself into the arms of whoever is next to her?"
Elena’s playful words made Edwin’s eyes gleam with lust.
"That... sounds like a highly desirable habit. In that case, shouldn't she drink even more?"
Edwin, feigning a gentlemanly demeanor, pressed the wine glass toward Leon’s lips. Just as Leon was about to reluctantly accept the glass under the overbearing pressure she could hardly refuse—
Knock... Knock... Knock.
A knock rattled against the carriage window.
"Tsk."
Edwin, who had been right in the middle of setting the mood, scowled deeply. With an irritated gesture, he slid the window open a crack.
"Jerome! What do you think you are doing? Can't you see we are having an important conversation in here?"
Beyond the window, the helmet of Knight Captain Jerome was visible. Normally, he would have minded his master's mood, but now, his voice was stiff and tense.
"My apologies, young master. I have committed a rudeness because there is an urgent matter to report."
"An urgent report? Did a boulder roll down onto the path?"
"No, sir. Ahead... someone is blocking the road."
Jerome’s voice carried a heavy mix of bewilderment and taut tension.
"Blocking the road? Some worthless bandits? They dare attack even after seeing the crest of the House of Belfort?"
"They do not seem like bandits. Judging by their attire, they appear to be adventurers..."
Jerome paused to choose his words, then added in a low, grim voice.
"Their bloodlust... is extraordinary. Despite our warnings to move, they haven't budged an inch and are simply glaring at us."
At that moment, Leon’s heart sank.
Could it be...
Hiding her trembling hands, Leon cautiously peered through the gap in the window. Elena, too, looked outside with a hardened expression.
In the middle of the road ahead of the carriage stood four figures. The man in the lead, his black longcoat fluttering in the wind, wore a relaxed smile as if he had been waiting for this exact moment.
"Ah..."
A groan like a lament escaped Leon’s lips. Dazzling blonde hair, sculpted features, and beyond them, deep, dark eyes.
It was Kyle.
Behind him stood Luna, Sera, and Ella, each holding their respective weapons, radiating a murderous aura. Jerome spoke again.
"Young master, what shall we do?"
"Damn it, they dare block my path? What kind of crazy bastards are they!"
Failing to grasp the gravity of the situation, Edwin huffed and flung the carriage door open, stepping outside.
"Hey! Are you people out of your minds? Do you know who I am to block my path? Out of the way this instant!"
Despite Edwin’s shouting, Kyle didn't even blink. He slowly took a step forward, walking toward the carriage. The knights nervously leveled their spears and swords at him, but Kyle treated them like ghosts, his gaze fixed solely on the carriage window.
"My apologies, noble lord. It seems a lost item of ours is inside that carriage."
Kyle’s voice was smooth, yet it carried a weight of mana that seemed to pierce the eardrums of those who heard it.
"A lost item? What nonsense is this!"
Kyle stopped and smirked. Then, in a low whisper that nevertheless rang as clear as thunder in Leon’s ears inside the carriage, he spoke:
"Leon, hide-and-seek is over. Won't you come out?"
Leon clamped a hand over her mouth. The memory of that night, when she had been trampled and violated by Kyle, rushed back, making her entire body tremble like a leaf in the wind. On the other hand, Elena, who was watching the situation unfold, had a grim, hardened expression.
That lunatic... Is he really going to mess with us even though he knows we belong to the House of Belfort?
No matter how skilled an adventurer might be, attacking a high noble family without a valid reason meant turning the entire Empire into an enemy, let alone losing the protection of the Adventurers' Guild.
Either he has no intention of dealing with the aftermath, or he's reckless enough to ignore all of it...
While Elena clicked her tongue, Edwin’s face turned pale, then flushed red with rage.
"N-Nonsense! What lost item! Are you bastards assassins sent by my brother? You came to get rid of me, didn't you!"
Edwin screamed at the top of his lungs, interpreting the situation entirely to suit his own delusions.
"Jerome! What are you doing! Make those bastards kneel this instant!"
Elena stared at Edwin as if he were pathetic.
Did I seek help for nothing? It's like trying to avoid dirty water only to fall straight into a cesspool.
Jerome bit his lip at Edwin’s command. The aura radiating from the group before him was by no means ordinary. Yet, he could not disobey his master's orders. Stepping forward, he drew his sword.
"I warn you! Do you understand what it means to cross the House of Belfort? If you clear the way now, we will spare your lives!"
At Jerome’s shout, Kyle let out a sneer.
"The House of Belfort? If I feared such a thing, I wouldn't have come this far."
The moment those words left his mouth, Ella raised her staff and began chanting.
"Fireball..."
Swish! Whoosh!
Before Ella could even finish her chant, Jerome and the escort knights simultaneously drew daggers from their cloaks and threw them. It was the textbook strategy for fighting mages—interrupting them before they could complete their spell. However, Kyle’s party had Sera.
"Divine Shield!"
As Sera extended her hand, a translucent barrier of light unfolded, and the daggers thrown by the knights bounced off harmlessly. Kyle clapped his hands as if impressed by the display.
"Ho, as expected of the Belfort family's elites. Targeting the mage right from the start. Quick judgment."
In the meantime, Ella finished her chant and unleashed a massive fireball.
"Die, you tin cans!"
Boom!
The fireball engulfed the knights, but as the smoke cleared, they stood completely unscathed. A blue light shimmered across the surface of their shields. They were magic shields treated with anti-magic properties.
"Tsk! What is that?"
Ella shrieked in irritation.
"They're absolutely dripping in gold! They're decked out in magic gear from head to toe!"
"I told you to fix your habit of just mindlessly throwing magic, Ella."
Kyle sneered as he stepped forward.
"Hmph, crushing them with raw firepower from the start is just easier. But true magic lies in its application."
Ella pouted and pointed her staff toward the ground.
"Grease... Earthquake!"
In an instant, the ground beneath the knights' feet became slick as oil, then began to violently shake.
Neigh!
The horses, losing their footing, shrieked as they tumbled into the opening fissures.
"Ugh!"
Just as one of the leading knights was about to fall with his horse, he displayed an incredible sense of balance, stepping off the horse's back and leaping into the air. It was a movement truly worthy of being called elite.
Thwip... Thud!
However, an arrow flying from out of nowhere pierced the gap in the knight's helmet, striking him precisely in his right eye.
"Kehh...!"
Luna lowered her bowstring, murmuring coldly.
"Too much movement."
With a single shot, the knight collapsed onto the ground as a corpse. At the same time, Kyle drew his sword and lunged into the knights' formation.
"Block him! Do not let him get near the young master!"
Two knights thrust their spears in a pincer attack, but Kyle slipped between them like a ghost.
Slash!
A flash of light flared, and the magic armor of the two knights tore like paper, spraying crimson blood into the air.
Watching the slaughter from inside the carriage, Elena turned to Leon.
"Hey, Lia. Run."
"What...? B-But..."
"If I don't help you here, you won't even have a chance to escape."
Elena spotted her sword, which had been confiscated by Jerome, sitting in a corner of the carriage and grabbed it.
"Hey! Coachman! Don't just sit there like an idiot, drive! Run and don't look back!"
At Elena’s shout, the terrified coachman hurriedly grabbed the reins. Leon clutched the hem of Elena’s clothes.
"Elena! Come with me! I can't do this alone..."
"Don't get the wrong idea."
Elena pried Leon’s hand away and smirked.
"I'm a mercenary. Once I accept a commission, I have never once abandoned it. My reputation is on the line."
Just then, Jerome’s scream echoed from outside.
"Aaargh!"
It was a desperate moment—Kyle’s sword had shattered Jerome’s shield and was about to sever his arm.
"I told you to go!"
Elena shoved Leon back into the carriage, kicked open the door, and leaped out like a flash of lightning.
Clang!
Sparks flew with the screech of metal. Just before Jerome’s arm could be severed, Elena’s sword parried Kyle’s strike, causing Kyle’s brow to twitch.
"Ho? Not bad for a kidnapper."
"Who are you calling a kidnapper? You crazy stalker bastard."
Elena adjusted her grip on her sword and blocked Kyle’s path. Seizing the opportunity, the carriage began to flee at full speed.
Inside the carriage, Edwin was utterly dumbfounded.
"W-What is... What is going on?"
People had suddenly appeared to block his carriage, picked a fight, and slaughtered his knights in an instant.
And now, Elena, the woman who had been with him, had leaped out to hold off those assassins.
Though trembling in sheer terror, he came to his own convenient conclusion.
"Y-Yes! That woman is trying to protect me... Yes, I am the second son of the House of Belfort..."
Edwin muttered, his eyes darting wildly. "They must be assassins sent by my brother! Damn it! I have to escape quickly!"
Watching Edwin play the victim and spout nonsense, Leon felt a surge of intense irritation.
This idiot is only thinking of himself until the very end.
Leon’s gaze drifted toward the receding battlefield.
The image of Elena’s back, standing alone against Kyle, flickered in her mind.
She was a woman Leon had intended to deceive and use. But had she grown attached to her after sleeping and spending time together? No, calling it mere attachment felt far too shallow.
She was risking her life to protect her, all for the sake of a single word: a commission.
And what about herself?
What the hell am I doing right now?
A wave of shame washed over her at the fact that she was abandoning Elena to run away with this pathetic noble.
Leon bit her lip.
Since when had she become someone who did nothing but run?
I was... a tanker.
The shield that stood at the very front of the party, advancing ahead of everyone else to absorb the enemy's attacks.
The reliable wall that comrades could trust with their backs.
If the tanker retreated out of fear or because the enemy was strong, the party would be wiped out. That was the destiny of a tanker.
Even if her body had become female, she could not allow her soul to grow weak.
"Stop!"
Leon shouted. Edwin looked at her, startled.
"W-What are you saying, Lady Lia! Have you gone mad? If we stop now, we all die!"
"I said, stop!"
Leon grabbed Edwin by the collar, shaking him, and yelled toward the coachman's seat.
"Coachman! Stop right now! If you don't stop, I'll jump!"
Overwhelmed by her fierce, chilling intensity, Edwin gaped at her blankly.
"W-What are you doing! Stop! She told you to stop!"
At Edwin’s urgent cry, the coachman had no choice but to pull the reins and halt the carriage.
The moment the carriage stopped, Leon kicked the door open and stepped out.
Without a moment's hesitation, she ran to the luggage compartment at the back of the carriage and retrieved her massive tower shield, which had been bound with ropes.
Its heavy weight surged through her arms. It was a familiar, nostalgic sensation.
"L-Lady Lia! Where are you going! Have you resolved to die?"
Edwin poked his head out of the window and shouted, but Leon didn't even look back.
Adjusting her grip on the shield, she began to run toward the battlefield where Elena and Kyle were clashing.
While Leon ran toward the battlefield, the situation was already spiraling into the worst-case scenario.
The escort knights had already been brutally slaughtered, their cold corpses strewn across the ground, and Elena was struggling alone against Kyle’s entire party.
Clang! Clash!
Elena’s sword barely parried Kyle’s fierce onslaught. It was a heavy impact that sent a sharp sting through her wrists. But before she could even catch her breath, Luna’s arrow came flying.
Thwip!
Elena instinctively jerked her head to dodge the arrow, but immediately, Ella’s binding magic erupted beneath her feet.
"Earth Bind!"
Chunks of stone rising from the earth attempted to bind Elena’s ankles. Elena channeled mana into her sword and slammed it into the ground.
Crash!
A wave of mana rippled out, shattering the stones. It was an incredible display of skill—deflecting arrows and breaking magic all at once—but Kyle was not one to miss such an opening.
"An opening."
Kyle’s sword thrust forward like lightning. Elena hastily raised her sword to block, but she was pushed back, sliding across the ground under his immense physical strength.
"Ugh...!"
She grit her teeth and shouted.
"You cowardly bastards! Is ganging up on someone your only way? If you're a man, fight me one-on-one!"
At Elena’s provocation, Kyle let out a mocking chuckle.
"Cowardly? This is simply efficiency. Why should we throw away an advantageous situation to fight?"
Kyle lightly swung his sword to flick off the blood.
"Still, you are impressive. It's been a while since I've fought someone of your caliber. If not for our circumstances, I would have played with you a bit longer..."
His eyes turned cold.
"It's time to end this. Elena the Red Butcher. Capturing you and turning you over to the nobles who put a bounty on your head will fetch a pretty penny."
With a sneer, Kyle lowered his stance. A deep blue mana began to gather along his blade.
"Take this, Cross Impact!"
Kyle swung his sword with all his might. A blue flash tore through the air, hurtling toward Elena.
"Damn it...!"
Elena gathered every ounce of her mana and raised her sword.
Boom!
With a massive explosion, Elena’s body was blown back dozens of paces. The ground beneath her feet gouged deeply, and unable to withstand the shock, she coughed up a mouthful of blood.
"Cough...!"
As she raised her head through the agonizing pain that threatened to buckle her knees, she saw Ella’s massive magic circle completed in the sky above.
"Flame Strike."
A colossal pillar of fire was raining down upon Elena’s head. There was nowhere to dodge, and she had no strength left to block.
Elena smiled bitterly.
Good grief, why am I doing this? Risking my life to protect a girl I met only a few days ago...
She had cited grand reasons like a mercenary's code and reputation, but perhaps that wasn't it at all. She had simply taken a liking to her, as she reminded her of the younger sister who had left her in the past.
Well, I suppose it doesn't matter.
Elena closed her eyes, accepting her impending death.
Boom!
With a heavy explosion, the scorching heat was blocked right in front of her.
Though a burning smell and a cloud of dust billowed around her, Elena’s body did not have a single scratch.
"......?"
Elena slowly opened her eyes. She could hardly believe what she was seeing.
Before her stood a back that was both familiar and foreign.
A woman who had slammed a massive tower shield as tall as herself into the ground, absorbing the pouring magic with her entire body.
"Lia...?"
At Elena’s question, the woman turned her head, panting heavily.
Though her face was covered in dust and grime, her blue eyes burned more intensely than ever before.
"Why didn't you run? You idiot, are you eager to die?"
At Elena’s scolding, the woman smirked.
"My name isn't Lia."
"What...?"
"It's Leon."
She—no, he—adjusted his grip on the shield and looked straight at Elena.
"And I am a tanker. A tanker... doesn't know how to retreat."
"Leon...? A tanker?"
Elena questioned the name. But she wasn't the only one shocked.
Ella, seeing her magic blocked; Luna, who had been drawing her bowstring; and even Sera, who had been fidgeting anxiously in the back—everyone in Kyle’s party widened their eyes upon seeing Leon suddenly intrude and block the attack.
Sera’s reaction was particularly intense.
"Leon...! Why, why did you leave without a word! Do you know how worried we were!"
At Sera’s tearful cry, Leon looked at her with a bitter expression. This was the woman he had once loved so deeply, yet now she stood beside the man who had ruined him, blaming him instead.
"Sera..."
Leon softly called her name, then shifted her gaze to Kyle.
Kyle was staring at Leon with deep interest. Surely, on that night when he had violated the gender-bent Leon, she had been nothing more than a fragile, helpless girl. She hadn't even been able to support her own weight, let alone lift a heavy shield. How was she now holding that massive shield and blocking Ella’s magic?
"Ho..."
The corner of Kyle’s mouth curled into a sinister smirk.
"Amusing. It seems my cute little bluebird has learned how to build a nest in the meantime. But..."
He tapped the shield with the tip of his sword.
"Do you really think you can stop me with just that shield?"
Kyle’s gaze remained arrogant. Though Leon’s transformation was intriguing, it wasn't threatening. He simply looked delighted, like a child who had discovered a new toy.
But Ella was different.
She recognized the look in Kyle’s eyes as he stared at Leon—a look he no longer directed at her. It was a subtle possessiveness, a yearning as if gazing upon a beloved partner.
That look again.
Ella’s eyes narrowed sharply. Jealousy coiled around her heart like a venomous serpent.
Leon cannot be allowed to live.
Kyle, enjoying Leon’s gaze, gestured to Luna.
"Luna. It will be troublesome if the rat escapes."
His gaze drifted toward the carriage fleeing in the distance.
"Go handle it."
Luna let out a deep sigh. While she would do anything for Kyle, she did not like this twisted situation.
"Haa... I understand."
Yet, she could not disobey Kyle. Luna threw herself forward, darting toward the carriage like an arrow.