「What's the hold up!? Are you waiting for it to be completely dark!?」

Frustrated, Straf throws his hand up while looking at Stripe hiding behind the cabinet's door. Her clawed hand clutches at its edge, feebly trying to crush it out of anger.

「Khhkkk… You scum!… You pervert! You degenerate!」

Stripe shouts back from her meager concealment, with her gray, boring underwear now in the pile of clothes.

「Hey, she's stealing your lines…」

Straf says towards the canopy, looking at it with a bored gaze. Whoever Straf is addressing remains silent.

「Kuh!… Here, you pervert! I'm practically naked!」

Stripe makes one large, forced step outside the safety of the cabinet's door, and shows herself to Straf.

He turns his eyes to her flushed face, then looks down on her body covered by the straw-colored rags. Her arms cover her chest for additional protection, which only inadvertently reveals the sides. Straf's gaze drifts lower, to her hips, namely to the side slits in her dress-like rags, where shapely legs and the edges of her hips stick out from beyond them. With his cheek on his fist, Straf nods his head in approval with a little grimace on his face.

「Nice.」

He simply declares, and sits up on his bed. Try as she might, Stripe can't muster enough mental strength to even turn her golden eyes in the direction of his face, and simply evades looking his way.

《This scumbag… This is turning him on, isn't it!? The fact I'm dying inside from shame is actually his thing!》

She clenches her teeth while tugging at her rags to cover herself just a little more, trying not to think about it, and failing miserably.

「Hmmm… There's definitely an audience for this…」

Straf adds while rubbing his chin, and reaches into the purple vortex that abruptly opens beside him.

「Eh?…」

Stripe manages to snap her eyes to the vortex, and sees Straf pull out the camera.

「…Not that thing again!」

She exclaims, recoiling as Straf hops off the bed and looks for a good angle. He circles around like a shark with a bored, slightly inquisitive expression on his face.

《Noooo!… He's going to put me into that perverted book!… Everyone will see!》

Stripe shuts her eyes and clenches her teeth in anguish, tugging at her barely decent rags.

Click click click.

「Stop it!…」

She feebly demands as her eyes fill with tears of shame.

「Nope. You're my slave, so you don't get human rights…」

Clickclickclick.

Straf shrugs, and takes a few more photos of her bared fangs with a bashful glare full of disdain.

「…That's a good face, hold that for a moment!…」

Clickclickclick.

「Kuhhhh!…」

Stripe turns her gaze downward to avoid the camera, gnashing her teeth while Straf takes more photos.

「…Hmm. You're also not a human, so you don't really deserve human rights….」

He pauses for a moment, idly glancing up at his bedroom's ceiling as he thinks. After a few seconds, he brings the viewfinder up to his eye, and snaps a few more photos.

Click click… Clickclickclick…

「…To be frank, the so-called human rights are a very tenuous concept to begin with. I mean, what is a human? Do I get the right to others' labor? Does my right to live overrule the others'?…」

Straf pauses again, bringing his chin between his thumb and finger, and tapping it while he ponders, staring at the ceiling.

「…Slavery is illegal in this kingdom! You should lose your head! Scum!」

Stripe barks back with her face as red as a tomato, glaring at Straf.

「Except as a punishment for crime. Really, I'm just your manager, and you should be thanking me. I'm helping you pay off your living costs without the backbreaking labor.」

He shrugs, spreading his hands, and brings the viewfinder up again, taking another angle.

「I'll thank you by ripping out your throat, bastard! Take the collar off and see what happens!」

Stripe crosses her arms, turning to the side slightly. As soon as she's done shouting, she averts her gaze, trying to act like the camera doesn't exist.

「Ahh, nice. I was guessing that's the case, but you're pretty athletic…」「E-!? Ehhh!?」

Straf remarks, surprising Stripe by pointing the camera at her from the floor. The curve of her thigh connecting her rear is plainly visible through the side slit of her rags.

Clickclickclickclickclick…

「Stop it! Stop it, stop it, stop it!」

She shouts, blocking the view with her hands and flushed red on her face with her golden eyes wide open.

「Sideboob.」

Clickclickclickclick.

「Noooooo!…」

Stripe clenches her teeth in anguish again, moving one hand to cover the side of her chest in an endless, futile effort to cover all angles.

《Wait!… Wait, wait, wait! That's right! This turns him on! This bastard gets turned on the more I show I'm embarrassed!…》

Clickclickclick… Click click…

She thinks, turning her hateful glare to Straf and his camera while it clicks at her.

《…If I just pretend I'm not bothered, he should stop, right!?》

Gaining a tight-lipped expression on her flushed face, she clenches her teeth, gathering determination.

「H- Hah! Whatever, you scumbag! D- Do your thing! I don't really care!…」

Stripe suddenly declares, turning to face Straf with her fists on her exposed hips, visibly giving him a slight pause. Her eyes dart away from his face every now and then.

Straf lowers his camera, furrowing his brows while he looks at her, and begins to rub his chin in silence.

《It's working!? It's working, isn't it!? He's stunned! Baffled! He lost all interest!-》

She thinks while staring at Straf with a defiant expression.

Snap!

Suddenly, he snaps his fingers.

「Nice. Good idea! We can sell an entire story progression in the next issue that way! Shy beastgirl slave slowly warms up to her master! That's a gold mine right there! Hold that pose!」

Straf's face gains a massive grin, and the viewfinder snaps up to his eye.

Clickclickclickclickclickclick!…

「Wha-!?」

Stripe's jaw drops in wide-eyed shock as Straf rapidly twists and contorts on the floor, occasionally jumping back to his feet to take photos from all angles possible.

「Nice, I just got a great idea because of that face! Get on your knees!…」

Straf quickly gestures his hand down to the floor a few steps aside without lowering the camera. Stripe gulps as cold sweat washes over her.

「W- What are you going to do?…」

She hesitantly obliges to avoid punishment, and kneels down like a proper eastern lady with her hands on her thighs, staring at Straf's camera with eyes full of worry.

「…Now raise your hand like this! Show me your claws!」

「E- Eh?…」

Straf raises one hand slightly, and curls his fingers inward. Confused, Stripe mimics the pose.

「Great! Do that with the other hand too! Show your fangs! This is gold! No way this won't sell! The printer might break!…」

Clickclickclickclickclickclickclickclickclickclickclickclick!…

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

Straf leans left and right, spreading his legs, wobbling around with the viewfinder in front of his face, rapidly snapping more and more photos of Stripe. She's looking at the camera with her hands raised just above her chest, kneeling, showing her sharp beastman claws and fangs, as if she was in the middle of a ferocious roar, or a meow, blushing heavily.

「Eh!? You want me to do what, master!? Act like a cat for you!?… Only for you, master!…」

With his pitch slightly raised, Straf quotes the supposed slave girl from the soon-to-be-magazine.

《It didn't woooooork!…》

Stripe clenches her teeth in dismay. The door to his room opens.

「Minister, the mansion-」

A frigid-faced maid declares as she opens the door and finds Straf looking at her over his shoulder, while a barely dressed beastman is kneeling in front of him with tears in her eyes in a terribly shameful pose. With a tight-lipped grimace, he stares at the maid, slowly raising his brows. The beastwoman turns her golden eyes to the maid, then hides her red face in her arms as she slams her head down on the floor.

《Noooooooooo!… It's over! It's actually over!…》

Stripe clenches her teeth, pressing her forehead against the wooden flooring.

「…What do you want? I'm busy working.」

Straf nonchalantly asks with his mouth aslant.

「…The mansion has been prepared… Minister. Additionally, I came to verify if the painter's name is Olivia. We tentatively informed her of the invitation. Should we go through with it?」

The maid replies. Her voice is seeped with blatant, lethal venom, and her narrowed eyes glare at Straf with no effort to conceal her wrath even a little. If a gaze could kill, Straf would drop dead.

「Yeah, didn't I say so? Now leave us be, I'm busy.」

He shrugs, briefly spreading his hands.

「…May I ask what you are busy with… Minister? Perhaps we can assist you?」

The murder-faced maid suggests, tilting her frilled head slightly. Though her words are friendly, her tone is anything but.

「Not really! I'm taking photos of the cat while she's-」

Straf points his hand at Stripe, then takes a look at her. She's collapsed on the floor, still kneeling, curled up and hiding her face from them both. Straf's shoulders slump at the sight.

「…Tsk. Well, whatever. I've got enough I guess. Never mind, then.」

He clicks his tongue, throws the photo camera back into his [Portable Storage], and throws his arms up with a lightly frustrated, tight-lipped grimace on his face.

「…Can I put my clothes back on now?」

Stripe quietly asks without raising her face.

「Yeaaaaah, I guess… Now I've got more work to do, and it's all drudgery. From a job to a job… Some fucking fantasy this is.」

Straf shrugs, briefly rubs the back of his neck, then turns to leave with a sigh. The maid reluctantly steps out of the way just in time to make space, glaring daggers at him.

With him out of the room, Stripe finally gathers enough courage to raise her flushed face up. Her gaze meets the maid's, who is looking at her with great pity in her eyes.

「Noooooo… Don't look at me like that!… Khhkhhh!…」

Clenching her teeth in anguish once more at the sight of the maid's soft, apologetic face, Stripe's eyes turn downward. The maid bows slightly, and gently shuts the door…

…

Late at night, in the printer warehouse…

Fwwwwop-tfwap. Fwwwwwop-fwapp. Fwwop-tfwap. Tfffwooofp-tfwap…

Lying on his side on top of a crate with his fist on his cheek, Straf thinks while the gigantic machine spits out a photo magazine one after the next, all bound and ready for sale.

「Maaaaaan… Doing all that by hand is way too much work. Teaching the peasants how to do it takes time, and it's a pain in the ass…」

Straf thinks out loud, and lets out a fatigued sigh.

His gaze aimlessly drifts to the growing pile of magazines with Stripe on the front cover.「Autowagons!?」is printed in large font off to the side, inviting the viewer to check the page number.

「…Factory, my ass. I could replace the peasants with vampires, but vampires need to be paid… I could replace vampires with slaves, but that's illegal…」

He remarks while watching the stack grow in the dark warehouse. After a moment, he lets out another sigh, and his gaze drifts up with no purpose to another random point.

「…Man, how do I solve this? Offshore labor? They'd just steal everything…」

His finger begins to idly tap his temple while his bored gaze stares at the shadowy ceiling.

「…The starved skeletons from Parnatau are already throwing themselves at farm jobs, so that at least keeps the riots away… If only I had workers that don't need to sleep, or be paid-」

Straf grumbles, letting out another sigh. Suddenly, his head perks up, and his eyes widen.

Snap!

「I'm so stupid!- No wait, I'm stupid, but I'm a genius!…」

Sitting up, he snaps his fingers with a grin growing on his shadow-wrapped face. The noisy machine continues working.

「…How did I not think of this before!? Factories are full of this! They don't even need to be complex! In fact, it's better if they're simple, so a monkey could do it!」

Straf jumps off his crate with a smug grin on his face.

…Ffffffwap-tfwap. Ffffffwap-tfwap. Fffffffwap-tfwap…

「…It's over for you, meatbags! Your jobs will be terminated!… Craft!」

Straf exclaims, throwing his arms aside with his grin growing. The crafting screen opens before him…

…

An hour later…

With the printer working on another stack, it is now joined by another machine. Comparatively small, the new machine has many wheels to turn, cranks to operate, and switches to flip. A conspicuous drill bit sticks out, pointing towards the empty vice on a sturdy swivel of steel. Straf throws a sheet metal lid on its side shut with a loud slam.

「Alright! Let's see if an illiterate monkey with an alcohol problem could contribute to the kingdom's economy!…」

With his fists on his hips, Straf nods at the machine, grinning. He pulls a cube of dark metal out of his [Portable Storage], placing it between the vice's clamps.

「…Right! Infinite growth, go!」

Clack!

He spins the crank on the vice, squeezing the cube tight, and slaps a button surrounded by a series of diagonal, yellow and black stripes.

Whiiiiiiiiirrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!…

The drill bit spins to life with an irritating whine, while a stream of water squirts on its tip. It moves forward towards the box, and makes contact.

Vrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrmmmmmmmmmm!…

The irritating whine turns into a terrible grinding noise as the drill begins to carve out the inside of the cube. Straf takes a step back, and watches the process with his fists on his hips.

The clamp swivels and rotates in perfectly synchronized motion with the drill, carving out channels within the box with stunning precision. Long strings and chips of the material are blasted away by both the stream and the rotation, scattering all over the floor. Straf grimaces slightly, staring at them.

「…Shit, I'll need to fix this later. Good enough for now.」

He shrugs, and continues watching.

Vrrrrrrrrrmmmmmmmmmmmmm!… Whirrrrrrrrrrrrrrffffff…

A moment later, the drill moves away from the cube. The grinding noise stops, the whirring begins a new, then quickly dies down as the drill spins down, and the spray of water stops.

「Let's see…」

Straf walks up, brushing the metal debris away with his boot. He unclamps the cube, quickly blows some air into it, and squints heavily while looking inside, trying to shine some light from the windows above into it. After a moment, he nods slightly with an approving grimace on his face.

「Not bad. A little too inefficient for mass production, but I could probably fix that with a better drill…」

He thinks, rubbing his chin with one hand, while idly juggling the carved-out box with the other.

Tfwap.

「…I can't keep paying for gem charging, though. What a ripoff. I have more than enough mana…」

Straf catches the box, rubbing his chin and staring at it with a thoughtful grimace on his face.

「…This could probably power the capital for a century if I charged it up, huh?… Gotta get a few of these… Damn, the VTOL is a mana-hungry beast, too…」

He pulls out a tiny red gem the size of a pebble out of the purple vortex, and looks through it at the window. He shrugs, and throws it back in with a fatigued sigh.

「…Whatever. I earned a break. Proper industrial revolution tomorrow, then the ads, and then I can start worrying about charging these.」

Rubbing the back of his neck, Straf throws the box into his [Portable Storage] as well, then heads over to the stack of the magazines on the floor.

「…Hup! Guess there's no harm if the Ministry of Fortune opens next year.」

He throws them in too, and turns for the exit. Before leaving, Straf takes one last look at the CNC machine, shrugs and shuts the door on his way out…