Ch.61XX Tina (6)

# XX Tina (6)

Tina, who had been clearing a path through the ruins’ debris and deliberately triggering traps, suddenly slumped down.

“Phew, shall we take a short break? Everyone’s bodies still seem to be recovering. Let’s rest here before heading out.”

They would soon be able to get outside.

If enemies were waiting to surround them when they got out, they’d have a hard time holding up in their current state.

They’d cleared enough of a path already, so they needed to recover as much strength as possible before enemies could gather.

Of course, they couldn’t rest too long as reinforcements might arrive, so a suitable compromise was needed.

Tina planned to rest as much as possible for that moment.

“Lug, come over here.”

“Ah, yes, Lady Tina.”

After Tina had been clearing the path for some time, Lug, who had regained consciousness, was just blankly watching as usual.

Since Lug being Lug was nothing new, the hero party had left him alone without expecting anything.

When Tina called for him, it naturally drew everyone’s attention.

“Here, kneel down.”

“Do you want a lap pillow?”

“Yes, I’d like to lie down for a bit.”

“Will you give me one later too?”

“Uh…? Y-yeah, sure. Ahem, ahem…”

Though Tina blushed at Lug’s blatant request, she still rested her head on his lap.

Despite everything, she was exhausted. She had been injured as badly as the others, but since she was the only one who could clear a path, she had worked almost without rest.

The environment was cramped to begin with. They were practically trapped, and the air could become scarce, so they needed to find a way out as quickly as possible.

Now that she had finally succeeded in breaking through to the outside, Tina could finally rest.

Yes, she could rest, but…

“Um, this is uncomfortable.”

Tina felt suffocated by the stares of two people looking intently at her.

Why? Why are they staring like that?

Tina had good intuition. She knew this situation wasn’t good.

“Ahem, ahem… I think I’d rather sit than lie down.”

So after checking Eirene and Millia’s expressions, she had no choice but to get up before even a minute had passed.

However, there was one person who didn’t have such good intuition.

“Then it’s my turn.”

It was Lug, who casually lay down with his head on Tina’s thigh.

“Huh? Wha?!”

Flinch!

Tina flinched for a while, then looked around with a flushed face to gauge the atmosphere.

As much as her face turned red, the surrounding atmosphere grew chilly.

And the first to speak in that atmosphere was Millia.

“I want to lie down too.”

And she was the type to show action rather than words. She immediately placed her head on Lug’s thigh as he was lying down.

A strange situation where Lug was using Tina’s lap as a pillow, and Millia was using Lug’s lap.

“…”

In such a situation, even Eirene found it difficult to maintain her dignity.

Sometimes she needed to act foolishly too.

Otherwise, Millia, a strong competitor, would take Lug away.

Without making excuses or declarations, she quietly rested on Lug’s other leg.

Thus came a peace treaty. Even Tina, who had been blushing and watching her companions, could now relax and stroke Lug’s bangs with ease.

What an extraordinary scene.

‘They’re all showing off.’

One person was left out.

The hero, Esmeralda, thought.

She wouldn’t do it. She would never do it, even if she died. What nonsense was this?

Those who usually talked about nobility and dignity were now putting on quite a show. And what angered her most was seeing Lug in the middle of this harem-like scene.

‘Why is that bastard so natural about it?’

He wasn’t embarrassed or anything.

He was enjoying the moment as if it were perfectly normal.

Even the great Esmeralda found it difficult to say anything about his preposterous confidence.

A strange silence fell.

But unlike before, it wasn’t a suffocating atmosphere, but rather a comfortable silence that finally brought rest.

“Hey.”

The silence was broken by Tina, who had been silent with a flushed face.

Though she had Lug’s head on her thigh, she was avoiding eye contact out of embarrassment.

But her voice sounded perfectly calm, and the way she stroked Lug’s bangs seemed remarkably familiar.

“Remember? How I didn’t really like you at first.”

“I remember. But rather than disliking me, you were looking out for me.”

Tina had opposed Lug joining them.

Not actively opposing, of course. If anything, she just gave him looks like a disapproving sister-in-law because she didn’t approve.

She thought Lug would die. An ordinary villager didn’t fit in a hero’s party.

She knew this from her own experience as a member of the hero’s party.

“But seeing that such a guy is still alive, I think my judgment can’t be trusted.”

Everyone agreed with that.

Tina’s judgment was terrible.

How could she not notice that Lug was a demon?

It was rather surprising that she could disarm traps and find paths in ruins.

“A guy with nothing made it this far, but do you think I can continue when I’ve lost everything and might lose even more?”

“Tina, wait. That’s…”

“Shh, Esmeralda. I’m asking Lug right now.”

“…”

Esmeralda fell silent under the strange pressure.

The once-incompetent Lug was still active as the hero party’s porter.

Then what about herself, a mere pickpocket who had been supported by the <Eye of Truth>? Could she continue well in the hero party without that support and backing?

Only Lug, who had nothing, could answer this question.

“Of course you can. Even with all you’ve lost, you’re still more amazing than me.”

“All I have left is a kid with bad habits? I might just be carrying an unnecessary burden since I could be targeted.”

“Do you want to quit the hero party?”

“If that’s the right thing to do, I will.”

“Then don’t quit. The hero has already noticed the Eye of Truth and even mentioned it openly, so you’ll be targeted whether you’re here or not.”

Esmeralda’s face turned pale.

Not just because of the content, but because Lug seemed smarter than usual.

Typically, when Lug made sharp observations, trouble followed.

Though not as good as Tina’s, Esmeralda’s intuition was good enough that she had to observe the two from an awkward position.

She had a bad feeling. It seemed like something was about to happen.

“Then wouldn’t it be better to help from the side?”

“Hmm, that makes sense. Then what if they offer to leave me alone if I hand you over?”

“We’re a hero party, not some politicians or nobles. We shouldn’t compromise like that.”

“Oh, you’ve become quite eloquent. Does even an ordinary villager grow to match the role after staying in a hero party for a long time?”

Tina messed up Lug’s hair as if proud of him.

She was acting like an older sister to a man much larger than herself.

Lug saw Tina’s gentle smile as she looked down at him.

He had often thought she was childish, but in moments like this, she seemed more mature than anyone.

However, Lug couldn’t help but stiffen when his eyes met Tina’s.

“…”

Tina, who had been avoiding eye contact out of embarrassment, was now staring intently at Lug.

But her pupils…

“This is nice. I want to have it.”

They were vertical like a predator eyeing its prey, not in human form.

“…Lady Tina?”

Lug could tell that some change had occurred in Tina.

And the once-gentle atmosphere changed in an instant.

“Eek?!”

“Ow!”

Tina pulled Lug up and pressed herself against the wall.

This caused Millia and Eirene, who had been resting their heads on Lug’s thighs, to hit their heads on the floor and scream.

The only one who could clearly observe the situation was Esmeralda, who had been watching the group with disapproval from a distance.

[Dragon Transformation Lv. 1]

[Total Estimated Level: 535]

‘What is that? It wasn’t there until just now…’

The change in Tina that belatedly appeared in her vision. The suddenly increased estimated level and new trait.

Seeing the behavior different from usual, Esmeralda immediately stood up.

“Haha, Lug. You said you wanted to quit the hero party. Why don’t you run away with me?”

“Um… Lady Tina?”

“Tina, what are you suddenly…”

While Lug and Esmeralda were confused by the sudden grab, Eirene and Millia also got up, holding their bumped heads.

The situation was strange.

She was reaching a conclusion that didn’t match the conversation they’d been having.

As if she herself didn’t know what she was saying.

“Esmeralda. I’ve decided to leave this party.”

“It’s hard to understand such a sudden conclusion… but first, may I ask what that has to do with you kidnapping Lug?”

“Ah, this? Um… yeah? Why am I suddenly doing this…?”

Something was wrong with Tina’s condition.

Esmeralda could tell even without exchanging many words.

And the other party members felt the same. They could tell something was off about Tina.

“How should I put this? I didn’t want to give him to you all. You’re my friends, but going against this feeling is too hard for me…”

Strange heat in her eyes.

Movements seized by impulse.

Corners of her mouth twitching as if unable to hide her ecstasy.

“Yes, that’s it. If I had to say, I wanted to have him all to myself.”

Tina pulled Lug closer to herself while grinning.

An irresistible impulse.

A confused mind.

Even the gradually changing body and the sensation that seemed to constrict her body like it was burning.

She could calmly understand everything happening to her body and soon reached one conclusion.

“Ah, damn it.”

She had betrayed her friends.

She had succumbed to the desire to possess and ruined everything in an instant.

Regardless of her will.

The well-suppressed feelings began to lose control and run wild.

The question she had asked Lug, his answer, and the moment she found it attractive, she ended up like this.

Tina had good intuition. She could tell where this change in her had originated.

A scene flashed through her mind.

The red bead she had playfully put in her mouth.

<Dragon Heart>

As soon as that thought occurred to her, Tina trembled and said:

“La•Pa. What did you feed me? This… this is too…”

Tina hugged Lug as if refusing to give him to anyone, even as she struggled and grinned.

“It’s too hard to resist.”

Wings and a tail that had suddenly sprouted held Lug even tighter.

“Lug, you like it too, right? Being with me from now on. I can give you everything you want.”

The dragon’s instinct began to take over her body.

“Lady Tina.”

And Lug.

The man who normally would have enjoyed embracing Tina in a lustful daze.

“Will you really give me everything?”

He enjoyed it.

Because he was always the same man.