Five minutes later…

Zzap… Zap. Zap… Zap…

「Urrgghhhhh… Hhhhrrgghhh…」

The slave collar continues painfully shocking Stripe while she grunts and rolls on the floor with each loud zap. Her nerves burn from her neck up to her brain, and down to her spine.

「…You know this will stop if you just speak up?」

Straf asks while looking at her with a bored gaze.

Zap! Zap! Zap!…

「Nnnhnggggghhhhhh… Nnnneverrr!」

She growls back through her teeth, clenching her fists while breathing in quick gasps.

「If the roles were switched, you'd get sold out in seconds…」

Straf replies, and lets out a large sigh.

Zzap! Zzap! Zzap!…

「She'd… Never!… Grrrghhhkfff!…」

Though her will remains strong, her body grows feeble. Stripe is reduced to lying on the floor, slumped over her arms with her temple to the ground, twitching from shocks.

「She, huh?… What else can you tell me?」

He nonchalantly asks with his mouth aslant.

「I'm… Not!… Guhhh!…」

She replies through the strained grunts of pain.

「…Make it stooppfff!…」

Stripe lets out a pathetic cry, practically pleading Straf. Cycelia exchanges concerned glances with Will and Greaves.

Zap! Zap! Zap!…

「You know how to make it stop. You think she'd do this for you? Don't make me laugh. The world loves to churn through idealists like you…」

Straf says, raising his brows in mildly pitying look.

「…My comrades would never abandon me! I'll die for them if I have to!… Pft.」

He adds in a mocking tone, scoffing while Stripe writhes in pain.

Zap! Zap!…

「…If I caught you both at the same time and put you into collars, you'd be getting zapped like a dumbass, while I'd already know your exact shoe size from her.」

Spreading his hands, Straf shrugs.

Zzzzzap! Zap! Zap!…

「That's not!… Grrrgggghhh!…」

「What? That's not true? Does she have a sob story about being left to die? Was she picked up by a replacement daddy? Did she have loyalty instilled into her?…」

Straf asks and asks while the collar continues to shock Stripe. Her face becomes visibly weary from the pain.

「…When are you going to start looking out for yourself?」

He leans forward, resting most of his weight on his elbow against the armrest while looking down at her on the floor.

In an instant, the shocks stop. Stripe is breathing heavily, her face covered in sweat once again.

「She's not… Haaaah… She's not like that…」

She replies with her golden eyes still on the floor.

「You say that, but you don't believe your own words. Why don't you tell me her name?」

Straf asks, spreading his arms as he leans back in his cozy chair. Cycelia, Will, Greaves, and Alicia appear to be relieved Stripe is no longer being shocked.

She visibly clenches her teeth, and remains silent for a prolonged while.

「…Sparrow.」

She reluctantly replies in a quiet voice.

「What, another weird name? Or does she actually have one?」

「She has one… But I don't know what it is. We're not supposed to exchange our real names. All I know is that she's from the Eastern Kingdoms.」

Stripe says, and with some effort, lifts herself back up to her knees.

「Yeah?… And do you have a secret base or something? A place where you meet up, and plot evil spy stuff?」

Straf asks as his brow rises…

…

An hour later, in front of the unassuming residence in the capital…

Sparrow is on her way back from the market, politely stepping out of the way of the people rushing past her. She takes a turn at a crossing and walks towards her home.

「Wha-?…」

Her eyes widen when she sees Ministry of Security agents surrounding its open door. She turns on her heel and walks the other way.

《What is this?… Is this a random search?- No, it can't possibly be…》

Disconcerted, Sparrow heads back to the market.

Thump.

「Hey, watch it!」

A man angrily calls out when Sparrow bumps her forehead into his chest, and bounces back a step.

「S- Sorry.」

She bows a little, and the man walks past while shaking his head in disapproval. Distracted by her thoughts, she continues onward.

《What happened? What lead to this?… Was I followed?- No, that can't be right either. They'd just arrest me…》

Nervous, her eyes dart left and right in search of Ministry agents that may be looking for her. She sees none, and takes the street leading to the market.

《How, then? Did Stripe-?》

Her eyes snap open when realization dawns on her face.

《…Was Stripe captured? Did she tell them? If so… How much?》

Sparrow looks over her shoulder for anyone following her, but nobody seems to be on her tail. She makes her way to the market…

…

Less than half an hour later…

Sparrow returns to her empty meat stall and blankly stares at the counter while thinking.

《Did the Hammerer get her? When? She delivered the package safely… I wasn't followed back. They must have gotten the information out of her… 》

She furrows her brows intensely, and leans onto her stall's counter.

《…It must have happened somewhere between the package delivery, and a few hours ago. They wouldn't have waited with that kind of information.》

Sparrow bites her lip in frustration, clenching her fist.

「Um, hello?…」

Mary bows her head in a meek greeting as her eyes dart around the empty stall.

「Ah?… Yes?」

Sparrow snaps out of her deep thought and looks at the woman in front of her stall with a look of surprise on her face.

「Do you have any unsold meat?…」

She asks, blinking with her head tilted.

「No, sorry… All sold out today.」

Sparrow shakes her head with an apologetic expression.

「Ahh… I see…」

Mary nods, grimacing a little as her disappointed gaze drifts down.

「…Well, business is doing well, at least? Ha ha.」

She shrugs her shoulders, smiling softly at Sparrow.

「Yes… Yes, you could say so…」

Sparrow nods back, looking at Mary with wary eyes. An awkward atmosphere fills the air as a prolonged silence begins.

「Well… The kids will be disappointed, but it is what it is. I'll see if there's something left tomorrow. Good evening…」

Mary politely bows again, and turns to leave.

「Wait!…」

Sparrow calls out, halting her. Somewhat surprised, she looks at Sparrow over her shoulder, then turns to face her.

「Yes?」

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

She asks while Sparrow is fumbling with her pockets.

「…Take this.」

「Hm?…」

Sparrow hands Mary a handful of papers. She unfolds them, and realizes it's five 10-denomination golden drakes.

「Wha-!? I can't! I can't, please, take them back!-」

「Ssh. Just take them.」

Mary protests loudly, trying to force the drakes back into Sparrow's hand, but she refuses to take them. She hushes Mary with a finger in front of her own lips.

「But… But this is an immense amount of money. This must be months of your income. I can't take this much- Why are you even giving me this?」

Mary asks, furrowing her brows.

「…It's a little something to make up for the lack of meat. I'm moving back home, so I thought I'd reward my loyal customer.」

Sparrow nonchalantly replies, crossing her arms.

「But-」

「No buts. I want to do something nice for your kids before I leave. Use that money for them.」

Mary briefly protests, but she's immediately shut down by Sparrow pointing her finger at her. Briefly hesitating, Mary looks at the drakes in her hand, then closes her fist around them.

「…Very well. This will be enough to buy them all warm winter clothing, and there will be plenty left over still.」

She lets out a troubled sigh, then nods her head, smiling a little at Sparrow.

「Good to hear. There's interesting times ahead, so prepare well. Take care.」

Sparrow nods back as she walks out from beyond her stall, and promptly leaves Mary alone at the stall, merging into the thin evening crowd at the market.

「Interesting times?…」

Mary tilts her head, and looks at her fist once more before carefully packing the drakes into the small leather satchel slung over her shoulder…

…

Half an hour later, in Straf's office…

With his boots on his desk, Straf is reclining in his chair, precariously leaning back on its rear legs, while Stripe is kneeling beside it, facing him. The door opens.

「Minister, the search is complete. They didn't find her.」

A Ministry of Security agent salutes with his fingers against his peaked cap's brim and reports. Stripe lets out a large, relieved sigh as her shoulders slump.

「So it was a false lead?…」

Straf asks, glancing at her while he's ruffling her hair between her ears.

「No sir, it appears it has been used until recently. They found dozens and dozens of pigeons in cages in the attic, along with an ash-filled metal ember box.」

The man shakes his head, then continues to report.

「Pigeons?」

Straf furrows his brows, smirking a little.

「…We use them to communicate over large distances. They're for vital messages and orders.」

Stripe chimes in, though she refuses to look at Straf.

「Ah. IP over avian carriers, huh?… So now we can send them false messages? All is well, send us all your spies?」

He asks, grinning a little.

「No. If you didn't find her, then it's likely she has already sent a message that our primary hideout is compromised.」

She shakes her head, still keeping it lowered.

「And where would the secondary one be?」

「What makes you think I'd know? Idiot.」

Straf asks, and only then her golden eyes rise up to meet his. Her face bears an expression of indignant frustration. She scoffs with a huff from her nose, and turns her head away.

「…Is that all?」

He turns his eyes to the agent in the doorway.

「For now, yes sir. Nothing else to report. It's a fairly standard residence, pigeons aside.」

The agent nods, and shrugs his uniformed shoulders.

「Alright, get out of here.」

「Sir.」

Straf waves the man out of the room with his fingers. He salutes and leaves, closing the door behind himself. Straf continues to ruffle her hair.

「So… How does it feel?」

He asks, looking at Stripe with his brows raised.

「…To be a traitor?」

She asks back with a sour expression on her face.

「To look out for your own ass for once… But yeah, I suppose you're a traitor to them now. A lifetime of loyalty and they'll lop your head off for breaking under interrogation?」

Straf says with a snide smirk.

「…I should have killed myself when I was cornered. I knew this would have happened.」

She replies, lowering her head in shame again.

「Well, that would have been real fuckin' stupid of you. You'd seriously kill yourself because someone told you to? You wouldn't last 5 seconds on the internet.」

He scoffs while petting her head. Her ears flicker.

「Stop touching me… And what is the internet? Is that your kingdom's secret weapon? I've heard you talk about it with that girl.」

Stripe meekly protests before turning her eyes back up to Straf's amused face.

「It's a tool to look at cats. Guess I don't need the internet for now.」

「What?- I am not a cat.」

Straf nonchalantly replies, smirking at her. Confused, her golden eyes blink for a few seconds before she realizes what Straf meant.

「Suuure. You're a tiger… Something. Tigers are big cats, though, y'know?」

「I'm not a tiger either… I don't know what I am. They gave me the name Stripe because I'm striped like one… But then I look nothing like them.」

She replies, and a prolonged silence begins. Straf continues to nonchalantly pet her, every now and then giving one or the other ear a quick rub.

「Say…」

Stripe meekly calls out. Straf peels his eyes away from the door and turns them back to her.

「…Yeah?」

「…Why haven't you done anything to me yet?」

She asks with her brows furrowed, briefly glancing up at his face.

「Like what?」

「Like… Lewd things…」

Stripe replies, turning her head away.

「Huh?」

Somewhat surprised, Straf narrows his eyes at her while she refuses to look at him.

「…You could make me do anything with this collar… So why haven't you? 」

「What, are you disappointed? Should I be more proactive?」

He scoffs, grinning as he ruffles her hair. Her face immediately flushes red.

「No, stupid! I just want to know why you haven't done anything to me!… It's not like I could stop you. You just put your hands where they didn't belong… And that's it.」

Stripe quickly barks back while her golden eyes keep escaping his gaze, red-faced and grimacing heavily.

「Well… To most, a slave means girlfriend. To me, it's just a fucking cliche. If I'm gonna order you to do some nasty stuff with me, first, the collar comes off.」

Straf shrugs, rocking precariously on the back legs of his chair.

「Hah… As if. You're not going to make me do anything with it off…」

She replies with her eyes turned away, and a tight-lipped grimace on her face.

「I will… Unless you don't want to. Your choice.」

He nonchalantly shrugs his shoulders again, adding a gentle tilt of his head. A brief silence begins again.

「…Most men would jump at a chance to abuse me. Honestly, I expected worse. The collar is painful, but it doesn't seem to injure me.」

Stripe remarks, raising her gaze up to Straf.

「Yeaah… Most people have a power fantasy and are really nasty if they get a morsel of power. Who'd guess?」

He scoffs, smirking a little.

「Why are you different? You have power, and you are just… Bored? Disinterested? It's like you don't care at all.」

「It's hard to care when nothing really matters.」

Straf shrugs, grimacing a little while his palm brushes the hair between her ears. Her brows furrow as she tries to extract the meaning from his response.

「…Are you really satisfied with just petting me? Stop it already.」

「Yup, I am. Though I might give your ears another rub later. That was fun.」

「No you won't!」

Stripe quickly replies, and covers her ears with her clawed hands, staring at his grinning face with wide-open eyes.

「…So, what now? You said I'll have to earn my keep… Will I have to run a business? I can read and write. Putting me to manual labor would be a waste.」

She asks, looking into his eyes.

「Now?… I think I'm going to make you my secretary. You'll be doing exactly what I tell you to do. That should get some workload off my back.」

Thinking while looking at the door., Straf shrugs.

「What do you even do? Did you make that thing that makes your kingdom's money?」

「Yup.」

「All by yourself?」

「Yup.」

She asks, and Straf nonchalantly nods back.

「…How?」

Stripe's face becomes deeply perplexed, and she stares at him with greatly furrowed brows.

「Do you understand why I want a secretary yet?」

With his mouth aslant, Straf turns his bored eyes to her as he asks…