# The Story After, Tina & Tanha (2)

Tina is the only conscience in the hero’s party. That’s what Lug still thinks even now.

First of all, she doesn’t lie well and tries to respect others.

Yes, her actions might trouble someone, but there’s no malice behind them.

That’s why Lug could understand.

There’s no malice in any of these actions, and no petty excuses like punishing him or not trusting him.

For Tina, all of this is simply natural.

“I’ll make a kitchen here. We’ll have to eat preserved food for a while, but don’t worry. The preserved food made from the Eye of Truth is quite tasty.”

All of Tina’s actions were filled with goodwill, and she judged them as if they were perfectly natural.

Lug could understand.

‘Dragon’s blood…’

This is simply a characteristic of dragons.

Just as every creature has distinct traits, Tina’s dragon characteristics are becoming prominent.

Tina, unable to control her greed like a newborn child.

Seeing her like this, Lug couldn’t help but resent La•Pa inwardly.

Since all dragons originated from La•Pa’s blood, all this greed and madness must have come from her.

“This is our living room, spacious, right?”

“Yes, it is quite spacious.”

An utterly desolate living room.

So spacious that there’s nothing in it.

If one were to look for anything, perhaps the stalagmites rising from the floor and stalactites hanging from the ceiling?

The most eye-catching feature was where they connected to form a single column.

“And this is your room.”

“…It’s spacious and nice.”

“Right?”

Lug answered with a lifeless voice.

The room was indeed spacious.

The underground area they had entered through the sinkhole was wide enough to be called a cavern.

And just as spacious, it was empty.

The only decorations were still stalactites, stalagmites, and columns.

But they just moved in, so what could be done? Furniture would accumulate over time.

And by then, Lug knew well that things would reach a point of no return.

‘Am I already being treated as Tina’s possession?’

Lug had become Tina’s treasure.

This might sound like an honor, but when it comes to a dragon’s treasure, it’s a different story.

The common heroic tale of defeating a dragon and claiming its treasure.

In other words, it meant that a dragon never lets go of what it has claimed until death.

“Go inside, Lug.”

“Pardon?”

“Go inside.”

Tina offered no explanation.

It was as if she expected obedience as a matter of course.

“Lug?”

“Ah, yes.”

Lug obediently entered the room.

By dragon standards, Tina is like a newborn child. And children are naturally stubborn.

But while a human child’s stubbornness might be cute, a dragon child’s stubbornness can be cruel and even eerie.

Would a dragon, an arrogant being, have any reason to spare a lower species that doesn’t obey?

Even if Lug is currently considered Tina’s “treasure,” it’s a different story if that treasure tries to escape the treasure vault on its own.

Better to enter voluntarily than to be thrown into the room covered in restraints.

And even if Tina’s current state is extremely unstable, time will eventually resolve it.

Yes, for now just…

***

With such optimistic judgment, two days passed.

During that time, nothing particularly special happened to Lug and Tina, and their living situation was just stabilizing.

Although Tina had semi-forcibly abducted Lug, she didn’t seem to want anything special from him, and apart from sticking close to him, there wasn’t much going on.

So for a while, Tina would stick close to Lug, fall asleep with cat-like purring sounds, wake up, and repeat the cycle while coming and going from underground to the outside.

What was she doing?

The answer wasn’t difficult to find.

“How’s this?”

“I like the clean design.”

“Right?”

Every time Tina went out and returned, furniture appeared in the underground space.

First came a wardrobe, then doors, and gradually signs of habitation began to increase.

All in just two days.

That’s what frightened Lug.

Where could she possibly be sourcing these items from? Didn’t they seem like things prepared well in advance?

Whenever Lug felt moments of comfort in the increasingly lived-in underground space, he would think:

‘This is dangerous.’

He was getting used to this space.

If even he felt this way, what about Tina?

For her, this space might already be complete as a home.

He thought time would resolve things, but it seemed urgent action might be necessary. However, such thoughts were meaningless.

“…”

In this vast underground space, the only exit was the hole above where light leaked in.

The only way to escape from this space he’d entered when the ground collapsed would be to either fly or find the edge of this vast underground area and climb along the wall to the exit.

Yes, meaning it was impossible for Lug, who couldn’t use magic and whose physical strength had dropped to that of an ordinary person.

“Why are you looking there? Want to leave?”

“…”

And that’s with Tina’s watchful gaze upon him, even when he just briefly looked up.

Even if he tried to seize an opportunity when she was away, escaping before she returned would be impossible.

In the end, there was nothing Lug could do. With physical escape routes blocked, he had no options.

“No, I was just looking.”

Lug shook his head, lifted Tina who was lying with her head on his lap, placed her on his knees, and naturally embraced her from behind.

If you can’t avoid it, enjoy it.

Just as Lug was beginning to give up on escape and accept reality.

“This natural atmosphere isn’t bad either. Right, husband?”

“…I’ve been waiting.”

The only escape method Lug had been waiting for opened its eyes.

Yes, unlike Tina who was like a newborn dragon cub, the original owner of the Dragon Heart that Tina possessed.

“Tanha.”

It was the moment when the original owner of the Dragon Heart that Tina possessed opened her eyes.

***

It was inevitable.

The fact that Tina displayed dragon wings, horns, and a tail meant that dragon characteristics were becoming prominent, and this was evidence that the Dragon Heart was more active than ever before.

If normally all Tanha could do was watch Tina’s actions from within and offer advice, when the Dragon Heart was activated, it was natural for that relationship to be reversed.

The Dragon Heart is Tanha’s source, and its strengthening means Tanha’s soul becomes more prominent as well.

“Hmm… It feels quite stiff coming out after so long.”

“Oh my, that won’t do. Let me give you a massage.”

“Hahaha, there’s really no one like you, husband. Then I’ll take you up on that offer.”

Tanha smiled at Lug who was trying to flatter her, then leaned against him.

Lug’s large hands began kneading Tanha’s shoulders, and simultaneously, their conversation began.

“What should we do?”

“About what?”

“This situation. You must know a solution.”

“Isn’t it fine? You could spend your life here playing and eating without lifting a finger. Tina would take good care of you. You have plenty to do normally, so why not just enjoy it?”

“…Tanha.”

“Hehe, I’m joking. Just joking.”

Tanha laughed off Lug’s serious tone with a jest.

Her body relaxed under Lug’s massage, and with her cheek pressed against his as she leaned back.

Tanha whispered:

“We all originated from Mother. Our instincts are essentially the strong manifestation of Mother’s characteristics.”

Mara-papiyas, the mother of all dragons, is an evil deity and the very source of impurity, filled with all negative emotions including the five desires and seven emotions.

However, at the same time, she can be considered the purest of all.

Revealing one’s negative emotions without hiding them might, in some sense, be better than those who wear masks and deceive others by concealing their true feelings.

In other words, her power was both purity and naturalness.

“Even though we possess great power and wisdom, in reality, we’re not much different from beasts.”

“By that logic, humans aren’t much different from beasts either.”

“Indeed, you become quite the beast at night, don’t you, husband?”

“…”

“Ahem, ahem. Well, let’s discuss that later. Right now, we need a solution to this situation, correct?”

“Yes.”

Tina cannot control her desires right now. That’s why if Lug expresses a desire to leave, she’ll be displeased, and that displeasure will immediately lead to restraint and confinement.

To prevent that situation, it’s necessary to remove the dragon nature that has taken over Tina’s body.

If it were the old Lug, he could have removed the greed residing in her body, but now he’s just an ordinary human.

“Tina is anxious right now.”

“Afraid I might run away?”

“Exactly.”

“Well, it shows.”

Tanha smiled, indicating that was an important point.

“Dragons are an arrogant species. In other words, they can be described as beings filled with confidence.”

“That’s…”

“For Tina right now, you’re not yet a treasure completely in her possession.”

That’s why she’s anxious.

If she were certain you were hers, she wouldn’t need to worry about you possibly escaping.

Then you need to show her that you’re not her possession.

“So to firmly imprint that you’re not Tina’s possession, you need to show her the hierarchy, that you are above.”

“Me?”

“Yes.”

“To Tina?”

“That’s right.”

“How?”

Lug was serious.

There’s no way he could defeat Tina. Even his former self couldn’t win, let alone now.

“By using your specialty?”

“My specialty…”

Tanha pressed herself closer to Lug with a sly smile.

Then he could feel the presence of a massive magic sword touching her body.

“I think I know which beast would be superior at night.”

The only means by which Lug could defeat Tina lay there.