「A magic what collar!?」

Cycelia asks, blinking her large emerald eyes at Straf, then at Stripe while she's still curled up on the floor, looking back at her.

「Slave collar. I saw her ears, so then I thought, jackpot, and I put it on her. Pretty cool, huh? I knew there were animal people somewhere out there, but it's my first time seeing one.」

He replies with a grin, pointing his hand at the woman on the floor.

「Straf! Slavery is illegal! It's extremely illegal!」

「We tried to tell him…」

Cycelia shouts, pointing at him with an expression of shocked disbelief. Will chimes in from the side, adjusting his glasses as he calmly explains.

「Oh, come on, Lia… I wouldn't honestly classify it as slavery, she consented to it!」

Straf spreads his arms with a shrug of his shoulders.

「She consented?…」

She asks, and her head perks up in light of the new information.

「That's a lie! He's lying!」

Stripe shouts out, rapidly rising to her knees. Cycelia's eyes snap to the woman, before returning to Straf's face.

「Oh yeah? Then why did you put your neck in the collar?」

He asks with a smug smirk and his fists on his hips, leaning to the side towards the slave.

「Because you held it out in front of me!」

She shouts back, glaring up at Straf with her golden eyes, clenching her fists.

「Oh? And you just put your neck into it?…」

He spreads his arms and looks at Cycelia, who is now utterly confused by the exchange.

「Kuhhhh!… You are twisting things! I did not consent to this!」

Thud.

Stripe insists, briefly glancing at Cycelia with a heavily dismayed, frustrated grimace on her face before slamming the floor with her fist.

「Straf, if she insists that she didn't…」

Cycelia fidgets with her medallion, furrowing her brows while she looks at the two.

「Of course she'd say that. Remember, Lia, she consented. It's her thing, you know?…」

「No!」

Straf replies and Stripe denies, clenching her bared teeth in anger. Her canines are notably pronounced.

「…She's saying「No! Noo!…」while at the same time meaning to say, oh yes, please, do go on. I'm sure you understand.」

He adds, nonchalantly shrugging his shoulders.

「I… Um… I guess?…」

Cycelia reluctantly nods her head, still fidgeting with her silver medallion hanging off her neck.

「I didn't give you a permission to touch my ears! You just went and did it without asking!」

「Yeah.」

Stripe shouts, pointing her clawed finger up at his face. With a little grimace, he casually concurs. Her anger flips into utter confusion in an instant.

「…And you admit it?-」

「'Cause it didn't sound like you hated it. I was kind of waiting for your tongue to start lolling and your eyes to roll back, y'know?…」

Straf cuts in, interrupting Stripe. Her face flushes red again, baring her teeth more.

「I told you it took me off-guard! And you touched my tail! Y- You even put your hands underneath it! You're a damn pervert!」

Thud thud thud.

Stripe shouts, banging her fist on the floor in indignant fury.

「Underneath it?…」

Cycelia echoes quietly, staring at the two as the concern on her face grows.

「Yes! He…」

Stripe shouts back, and gestures gripping onto something cylindrical in the air before her, sliding her hands alongside the mystery object. She peels her thumb away from her hand, and lowering her head in shame, she wiggles her thumb slightly beneath her lead hand. Cycelia's emerald eyes snap to Straf's with her mouth open and her brows heavily furrowed.

「…Like that.」

The beastwoman quietly adds, hanging her head as her hands return to the floor.

「First of all, you know very well that was for the sake of figuring out whether or not your tail randomly grows out from your ass, or if it has some anatomical basis to it.」

Straf explains, holding his index finger out as he looks at Stripe kneeling in front of him.

「Y- You have no right to do that! Is that what you do to all women, you pervert!?」

She shouts back. Her flushed face bears a tight-lipped grimace of embarrassment.

《Straf does have a tendency to get a little touchy…》

Cycelia lets out a large sigh with a fatigued grimace. Her shoulders slump.

「Straf, for now, how about you tell me what happened, and then we can discuss the matter?」

She asks, briefly glancing aside at Will and Greaves.

「…Right. Have a seat, and I'll get started from the beginning.」

He nods with a little grimace on his face and sits back down in his cozy chair, kicking his legs out. Cycelia sits down beside Alicia, and stares attentively towards Straf.

「So… After that meeting with that boring prick, I went and started looking for women in cloth hats. I didn't find shit, but then these two guys ran up to me and told me…」

Straf explains while Cycelia nods her chestnut head every few words, watching his gesturing hands.

「…Niklaus wants to see you! Someone stole money! It wasn't from the bank though!…」

He continues, poorly quoting the two agents that stopped him. Cycelia keeps nodding. Stripe's golden eyes drift aside with a less-than-pleased expression on her face….

…

Five minutes later…

「…And she kept getting tormented by the collar. At one point, I thought it was going to kill her, but then it stopped. He ordered her to put the knife away…」

Will explains, adjusting his glasses.

「…And she did. Then we made our way back. That's about it.」

He adds, and shrugs his shoulders.

「…I see. So the collar makes her unable to do harm?」

Cycelia nods, and asks as she turns her gaze to Stripe's collar.

「Yup. To me, at least. And since I don't feel like testing the theory out on others…」

Straf nods back and likewise looks at Stripe.

「…You are banned from trying to kill, injure, or steal from anyone without my permission. Got it?」

He asks, pointing his finger at her face.

「Khh.」

With her bared teeth clenched, she angrily snaps her face aside.

「For the time being… I think the collar should stay on, for safety reasons… But you are not allowed to have her as a slave, Straf! She's a prisoner!」

Cycelia demands in a demanding voice, pointing her finger at Straf.

「Tsk… I said she consented…」「I did not!」

He rolls his eyes as he throws his hands up, and the slave beastwoman chimes in, protesting his claim.

「Straf! I mean it!… If I find out you are treating her like a slave… I'll have you arrested! Even if it's you!」

「Pft.」

Cycelia insists, causing Straf to sputter and visibly stifle laughter as he turns his head away.

「It's not a laughing matter, Straf! Magical restraints are fine, but… But slavery is illegal! You just can't!」

「Okay, okay, fine… I won't send her to the coal mines…」

「…Good-」

Placing her palm on her large chest, she lets out a relieved sigh, nodding her head.

「…I'll just feed into her BDSM fetish. That's fine, right?」

Pat.

Straf cuts in, placing his hand on top of Stripe's head again, right between her ears.

「Don't touch me!…」

She lets a frustrated growl out through her teeth, trying to pull his hand away, but despite straining and her hardest effort, it does not even budge.

「…What's that?」

Cycelia asks, furrowing her brows again with a worried look on her face.

「That means I'll be treating her like a slave with her consent. There's no problem with that, right? She's an adult… You are an adult, right?」

Straf explains, then turns his gaze to Stripe's scowling face. She refuses to answer.

「I… I don't mind if you call her a slave, but you are not allowed to put her to work without it being her own will!」

Cycelia exclaims, once again pointing at him with a determined face.

「Come oooon, Lia… Am I supposed to just feed her and clothe her on the kingdom's budget?… She's a self-admitted spy! She should work for a living just like anyone else!」

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He spreads his arms, then points his hand at the animal-eared spy before him, forcing her head to face Cycelia with his other hand.

「That's… That does make sense, but… But forced labor for sustenance is the definition of slavery, Straf! I don't want you to keep a slave!」

She replies, fidgeting with her silver medallion and looking at them with an uneasy gaze. He lets out a large sigh, and reaches into his [Portable Storage].

「Alright, if you don't want to keep her, I guess I can just get rid of her for you…」

He sighs out as he nonchalantly pulls the woman's head back and presses her dagger against her throat.

「…Eh?」

Her golden eyes widen when she feels the cold metal on her skin. It takes her a moment to process it through the suddenness of it all, and her face to slowly twist into a look of fear.

Lian only gently raises her brows, while the rest of the adventurer party perks up in alarm with their eyes widened.

「Wait wait wait wait! I didn't mean it like that!…」

Cycelia exclaims, waving her hands in panic towards Straf and Stripe. His brows gently rise on his nonchalant face while he expectantly waits for her to continue.

「…Fine! You can put her to work! Don't just kill her!」

「Okay.」

Straf smirks, and throws the dagger back into the purple vortex. Will, Greaves, and Alicia let out sighs of relief.

Snap.

「I knew there was a big chance you'd change your mind. You're a nice girl like that, Lia.」

He grins as he snaps his fingers and points at Cycelia. Still terrorized, Stripe moves her hand to her throat and feels for it to ensure she was not cut.

「…Big chance? You mean there was a chance that she'd tell you to actually kill me?」

Stripe asks, staring wide-eyed into Straf's eyes.

「No!-」

「Yup.」「Straf!」

Cycelia denies, but Straf nods his head with a smug smile. She pouts angrily, clenching her dainty fists.

「…How big are we talking about?」

「Hmmmm…」

Stripe asks, and Straf humms as he thinks, turning his gaze upwards.

「…Like, slightly bigger than one to one?」

His eyes return to her golden ones as he casually replies. Her jaw drops.

「I was a coin flip away from getting my throat cut!?」

「No! That's not true!… Straf!…」

Stripe exclaims in a frightful shock while Cycelia pouts harder.

「I was feeling good about your chances…」

He smirks, shrugging his shoulders.

「Aaanyway… Now that's behind us… I have a few questions for you. You're going to answer them all honestly and without lying, or you're getting zapped. Got it?」

Straf asks, ruffling her hair between her ears, causing them to flick a few times. With a sour expression on her face, Stripe refuses to answer.

「Alright… Here's a softball. What's your name?」

He asks. Her golden eyes dart up to his for a split-second glance.

「…Stripe.」

She quietly replies with her head lowered.

「I said your name not your handle, or callsign, or whatever it is.」

Straf says, propping up his bored face on his fist.

「That is my name!」

Stripe raises her voice, glaring at him.

「Yeah? What's your last name, then?」

He scoffs, and his brows rise.

「Someone of my status doesn't have one…」

She replies while lowering her head. Straf waits, looking at her collar for a second or two, before shrugging.

「Stripe is a pretty weird name. You mean you were just introducing yourself to people like, 「Hey I'm Stripe. Weird name, huh?」 or something?」

「I wasn't introducing myself to anyone! That's not my role! I am an infiltrator! I go in, and I get out! I don't talk to people! I avoid doing that!」

「Why?」

Straf casually asks, raising one brow. Stripe gains a tight-lipped grimace, and lowers her head.

「That's… Because…」

She says quietly, hiding her face.

「Because?…」

He prods her, ruffling her hair some more.

「…Because I'm not good at that.」

「Not good at what?」

He asks, and Stripe audibly clicks her tongue.

「Tsk… I'm not good at talking to people! I have to mentally prepare! Think of what to say ahead of the time! If someone suddenly walks up to me and starts talking, my mind blanks!」

She shouts back, then immediately lowers her head again.

「…How are you even a spy?」

Straf's bored face twists into a snide smirk while he looks down at her.

「I was sent to the Eastern Kingdoms… And they thought a beastman spy would be very useful, since I'd otherwise pass as a native, so they trained me…」

Stripe reluctantly replies, keeping her lowered the entire time.

「…They taught me everything I know, and how to make my pupils look round so that I could pass off as a human with very little disguise.」

She adds, then glances at Cycelia and the adventurers.

「So that's why you're here, huh?… What were your tasks?」

Straf scoffs again, then asks.

「That's…」

Stripe briefly makes eye contact with Straf, then turns her eyes downward.

Zzzzap.

「Agh!…」

The collar on her neck crackles, and she clutches at it while wincing in pain.

「I… Nghh…」

She visibly hestiates, grimacing with a mixture of negative emotions on her face before letting out a resigned sigh.

「I'm here to investigate a pillar of light that appeared somewhere around this kingdom roughly two, three months ago, and to investigate reactions to the death of Straf Katastrof Vindict.」

Stripe replies, glancing at Cycelia before returning her eyes to Straf.

「…Huh? Where did that last one come from?-」

「I know, I know!… You're not dead, I know!… They probably had faulty, or old information when they sent this order. I don't know what was their idea.」

His brows furrow, but before he can finish his question, Stripe cuts in. She nods her head in anger, and explains.

「This pillar of light… Did you find it?」

Will asks, adjusting his glasses. He and Stripe look at each other with wary eyes.

「…No. The closest I've got was that it happened on this kingdom's coast, but then the trail cuts off. All I know is there was a giant squid arm near a road, and he is somehow connected.」

She replies, lowering her golden gaze in shame. She then nods her pointy animal ears at Straf while listens silently and rubs his chin.

「…The coast?」

Cycelia utters out, tilting her head.

「Three months ago?…」

Will furrows his brows while he and Greaves look at each other, then rubs his chin as well.

「It was probably me.」「Wasn't it Straf?」「I think Straf did it.」

Straf, Cycelia, and Will all say at the same time.

「Yeah.」

With a shrug of his shoulders, Straf immediately concurs.

「Wha-?」

Stripe's golden eyes dart between the three in shock.

「So I've been running around the entire kingdom searching for information when my goal was right in front of me!?」

She exclaims, staring wide-eyed at Straf's bored face and his slanted mouth.

「…Yup. To be fair, I was stuck at the Academy of Magic for two months, so no shit you didn't find anything.」

He nonchalantly replies with a shrug of his shoulders.

Thud.

「Aaaaaagggggghhhhhhhh!… What was all of that even for!?…」

Stripe lets out a pained groan, slamming her forehead down onto the wooden floor, covering her head with her arms.

「Next question… I know you're working for the Eastern Kingdoms now… But are you working alone?」

「Huh?…」

Straf asks, and she raises her head to look at Straf with a wide-eyed look of surprise on her face. Her lips curl inward into a tight-lipped, anxious expression.

Zzzzzzap. Zzzap zap.

「Agh! Ghhhgn!…」

The collar begins crackling again. With her teeth clenched, Stripe winces and recoils, clutching at the metal around her neck.

Zap. Zap. Zap…

「Hrrghhhhh!… Ngghrghhh!…」

While she continues grunting in pain, her head drifts lower and lower to the floor. Straf watches on with an unimpressed expression and a slanted mouth.

Zzzzap! Zap! Zap!…

「Straf, is this safe?…」「Arrrrghhhnnnnhghh!…」

Cycelia asks with her brows furrowed while the animal-eared woman writhes on the floor.

「Yup. Absolutely… Come on, speak up. If you don't, it'll probably shock you forever. I know if you'd be working alone, you'd answer right away, anyway…」

Straf casually nods his head, grimacing a little while he watches Stripe's face twist into many pained expressions. Suddenly, the shocks stop.

「Haaah… Haaaah…」

「…Well?」

He asks as his brows slowly rise. Stripe is trying to catch her breath, propping herself up on her elbows.

「…I'm not… Haaaah…」

She reluctantly replies in a barely audible voice, visibly weary and with an apologetic look about her golden eyes.

「Thought as much. How many of you are there?」

「Just one that I know of…」

Straf nods his head, and asks another question.

「Okay. And who is it?」

He asks, and her golden eyes snap to his again. Her face bears an expression of dismay mixed with fear.

Zzzzzap. Zzap. Zap.

「Aaaaaghhhhh!… Hmmmmghfffff!…」

Thud.

Her fear very quickly turns into pain, and she drops onto her side, desperately clutching at her slave collar. Will, Greaves, Alicia, and Cycelia all exchange troubled looks.

Zzzzap. Zap. Zap…

「Hrggghhhh!… I'm not going toooohhhnnnghh!…」

Stripe tries to exclaim through the punitive shocks while tears form at her eyes forced shut.

Zzzzzap. Zzap. Zap…

「Ahhhh… We're going to be here the whole night at this rate…」

Rolling his eyes, Straf lets out a large, exasperated sigh while the beastwoman wriggles and writhes before his cozy seat…