Around the same time, in the capital, outside the palace…

Exhausted, after crossing the gates, Stripe is sluggishly shambling back to the palace.

Tinkkk… Tinnnk… Tink…

「Ahhh… Being a slave is the worst…」

She sighs out while the bell on her collar jingles with each step.

「…Tsk… And this stupid thing from that bastard.」

Tinktink!

With a click of her tongue, Stripe flicks the small bell with her fingers, causing it to jingle even louder.

「Ahhh… My purpose isn't to repetitively put some baubles together… Is this how my life will look like now?…」

She lets out another sigh, grumbling as she opens the front doors and enters the palace…

…

Thirty minutes later, in Straf's room…

Tinktink!

「I'm back you-!」

Stripe swings the door open and exclaims to the empty room.

「Eh? He's gone?… Where did he go?」

She looks around the room, and finds it remarkably unlived in. Straf's room never showed any signs of life, lacking personal decorations, trinkets, or even personal items. The bed is neat and tidy, and clearly has been made just recently. She paces around the room with the door open while looking around.

Tinktink… Tink… Tinktinktink…

「Huh?… But it's already getting dark… Shouldn't he be back already?」

Her gaze turns to the window and the setting sun outside. She looks at the empty bed again.

「…Did something happen?-」

She mutters out with her brows furrowed, and her golden eyes widen.

「Did I!?…」

《…Did I actually curse him to death!? Did he actually trip and die!?》

Tinktink!…

Stripe's face goes pale as her head perks up, and her heart beats markedly faster. She backs out of the room, staring at the empty bed with large eyes.

「I didn't actually mean to!…」

Tinktink!…

She utters out as she crosses the threshold back into the hallway. A maid carrying a tray lets out a mildly annoyed grunt as the beastman gets in her way.

「…Did something happen to Straf!? Why is he not here!?」

Tinktink…

Stripe looks at her, and points at the empty door.

「…Minister Vindict is currently-」

「…Fighting for his life after he fell down the stairs!?」

Tink!

The maid calmly replies with a nonchalant face, but Stripe cuts in.

「Now that would really be something…」

She remarks in a calm tone, then lets out an almost disappointed-sounding sigh.

「…Minister Vindict is currently out on a trip with her majesty…」

「Wha-!?」

Tinktink!…

Stripe blurts out, and her jaw drops while the maid explains.

「…They should be back within three days.」

She concludes with a cool, calm face. When her eyes drift down to Stripe's collar, she furrows her brows in mild pity. She bows, then walks past Stripe.

《…That bastard! Give me my worry back! Give it back! You don't deserve it!》

Tinktinktinktink.

Stripe shakes her fist in anger, then turns her eyes back to the departing maid.

「Wait!」

She calls out, and the maid stops.

「…Yes?」

She looks over her shoulder at Stripe with a curious gaze, and gently raised brows.

「Can you take this thing off of me!? I hate it! I don't want it!」

Stripe rushes up to the maid, and points her clawed finger at the collar on her neck.

「Ah… The minister's… Collar?」

The maid asks, tilting the frills on her head.

「The collar too if you can get it off!… But I meant this thing!」

Tinktink!

Stripe spreads her arms, then flicks her bell again to point it out.

「The bell?… Did the minister tie it on too tight?」

The maid looks at the small brass bell hanging off the slave collar.

「No! I can't take it off!… Because I just can't! Could you do that for me?」

Stripe throws her arms up in dismay and looks at the maid with pleading eyes.

「…Very well. Let me see.」

The maid starts tugging at the collar and trying to slip it off, when another maid passing by joins them.

Tinktinktink! Tink tink! Tink! Tinktinktink!…

「Hnhmhmpmfff!」

「What are you doing? Trying to take it off? There's no way her head will fit!」

The second maid points her hand at Stripe while she's grunting in discomfort as her cheeks are smushed by the collar.

「Maybe if we got some butter…」

The maid struggling with Stripe's collar remarks.

「Not a chance! It's a snug fit!」

The other maid shakes her head with her mouth heavily scrunched.

「Pfwah!…」

Tink!… Tinktink…

Stripe lets out a grunt as the maid gives up her attempt.

「…Then how about just the bell?」

She asks the maids with a resigned and frustrated expression on her face.

「Let's see…」

With both of her hands free, the other maid grabs the bell's string and pulls.

Tinktink!…

It immediately comes loose and dangles in the maid's fingers.

「Yes! Take that, you stupid bastard!」

Tink!…

Stripe snatches the bell out of the maid's hand, then throws it down the hall.

Tink!… Tink tink tink…

It lands, jingles loudly, then rolls a few more paces until stopping softly at a wall. With her fists on her hips, she lets out a triumphant huff out of her nose.

「Say… Is the minister forcing you to do… Unsavory things?」

The maid that freed Stripe from her bell asks. The one with the tray glances at her fellow maid, but then turns her cool gaze to Stripe as well.

「Well… I guess…」

Stripe looks over her shoulder at the two, then after a brief moment, shrugs her shoulders.

「Nothing changed…」「He just picked a new target…」

Both of the maids sigh and shake their head in disapproval.

「…I'm kind of used to it, though. I'm only good at that kind of stuff, so…」

Stripe adds, shrugging her hands with a resigned look on her face.

「Poor thing…」

The maid sighs, and hugs her tray as she looks at Stripe with eyes full of pity.

「…Don't say things like that! Just because you were treated like garbage doesn't mean that you are!」

The second maid chimes in again, grabbing Stripe's hand and clutching onto it tight with hers. She, too, looks onto Stripe with a pitying, tight-lipped grimace.

「…I wouldn't say treated like garbage… In my line of work you are just kind of expected to serve without anyone even as much as thanking you.」

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Stripe furrows her brows and shrugs her shoulders. Slightly embarrassed by the maids' reaction, she lightly scratches her cheek with her eyes turned aside.

「Your line of work… Were you alone on the streets, or did you work in a brothel?」

「Eh?」

The cool-faced maid asks, and Stripe's confused face snaps to her.

「…You were a prostitute, weren't you? There's no need to be asham-」

「What are you talking about!? I n- N- Never did such a thing! What even brought this on!?」

Blushing heavily, Stripe immediately cuts in with a scream in a wide-eyed shock, ripping her hand out of the other maid's grasp.

「But… But if weren't a prostitute, then what was your line of work?」

The empty-handed maid asks, and the duo exchange confused glances, before returning their eyes to Stripe.

「I am a ninja! An infiltrator! I am not a p-!… I've never done anything like that!」

Stripe exclaims, then runs off into Straf's room, leaving the two confused maids behind.

Slam!

She throws the door shut with enough force to shake the walls…

…

At night, in a small village's inn…

Straf and Cycelia enter the inn. The patrons' chatter immediately stops, and for a few moments, everyone seated glances at them. The chatter then resumes in waves as heads turn back away. The room is rather small and sparsely populated, with most patrons appearing to be the local villagers simply having an after-work drink. Straf nods his head towards one of the round tables off to the side, and sits down with Cycelia. After a brief wait, a young girl no older than 16 walks up to the table.

「You're not from around here! What will you have? Will you be staying over?」

The girl asks with a smile, leaning a little towards their table.

「Yes, yes, and yes.」

Snap.

Straf replies as he snaps his fingers and points at her.

「Huh?」

Confused, the girl straightens out. Straf leans back, crosses his arms and looks at her with his brows inquisitively raised.

「…He's saying that we'll have just about anything. What would you recommend?」

Cycelia translates, smiling at the girl while pointing her hand at Straf.

「Ah! Well, we have very fresh seasonal harvests, so if you'd like a stew or a soup, it's never a wrong choice… We also have fresh beef, so steak's an option…」

Smiling back, the young waitress sticks her index finger out while throwing recommendations out to Straf and Cycelia. Straf remains impassive, and appears bored.

「Steak!… What do you think, Straf? They taste best in inns like these!」

Cycelia puts her fingers together as a large smile appears on her face.

「Do what you want, Lia. We're doing a throwback. Full loop around.」

With a light tilt of his head, Straf shrugs and turns his bored eyes back to the young girl.

「…If you'd like to try something new, why not have a pumpkin burger?-」「What the fuck?」

The girl asks, and Straf shoots forward out of his disinterested slouch.

「Sir?…」

Mildly frightened by his reaction, the girl shrinks back and takes a step back.

「…What the fuck do you mean a pumpkin burger? You mean you put a pumpkin in a hamburger?」

Straf asks with a face full of disbelief, spreading his hands while leaning onto the table with his elbows.

「Heheh… It's true it doesn't have a lot of fans, but I actually like the combination of sweet and savory!」

The girl giggles, then shrugs her shoulders as she smiles at Cycelia, then at Straf.

「…Lia, this place is bad news. I think this is where culinary common sense goes to die. An elephant graveyard for batshit insane recipes.」

With his brows heavily furrowed, Straf remarks as he leans in towards Cycelia while watching the young waitress closely with wary eyes.

「I don't think it's that bad, Straf… If people don't try new things, then how will we find new tasty combinations?」

Cycelia shrugs her shoulders with a placating smile.

「Lia, if I'm not allowed to scream fire in a cinema, I don't think people should be allowed to put a pineapple on pizza either. Some things you just don't do.」

He points his thumb at the waitress, and she tilts her head with a friendly smile on her cheery face.

「…I lack the character development to choose something crazy. I'll have a dead cow between two buns.」

Straf declares as he turns his face to the young girl.

「Hm?… A… Hamburger?」

She asks with a voice lacking confidence in her guess.

Snap!

「Correct. And don't put pineapples or pumpkins in there, I'll feel time slow before I take a fuckin' bite.」

Nodding, Straf snaps his fingers and points at the girl again. He then crosses his arms and leans back once more. After taking longer than normal to parse his statement, she nods.

「…And I'll just have a regular steak. Mashed potatoes if you have them.」

Cycelia turns her emerald gaze away from Straf to the waitress. Smiling, she nods back.

「Got it!… Hamburger and a steak with mashed potatoes…」

She repeats to herself, then looks at their clothes.

「…I have to say, your coats are really fancy. They must have cost a lot!」

The young girl smiles, shrugging her shoulders, and in apparently no haste to relay the order.

「Not really. Cheaper than the shit in stores…」

Straf shrugs, and turns his disinterested eyes away to look around the room.

「I really like it though! It's stylish!」

Cycelia declares with a smile as she grabs onto her collar.

「Yeah… It is.」

Straf nods along, no longer really paying attention to the able.

「…I'm Myria, by the way. My dad runs the inn! He's at the counter!-」

The young girl points her thumb over her back.

「Stop pestering the travelers already! Have they ordered!?」

With his mouth aslant and large arms crossed, the bulky man from beyond the counter shouts at the girl. Startled, she jumps up

「Yikes!… I'll bring you your order in just a moment!…」

She rushes towards the man, grinning awkwardly at Straf and Cycelia.

「…Ah, but feel free to call me if you need anything more! Just Myria is fine!」

Myria adds as she waves her hand back to Straf's and Cycelia's table. She stops by the counter and tells her father their order.

His shoulders visibly slump as he lets out a sigh. He then heads for the kitchen in the back through the open doorway…

…

An hour later…

Cycelia managed to clean her plate, and Straf ordered an extra kvass to go with his hamburger. He raises his hand, grabbing Myria's attention, then gestures her to come over.

「Anything else!?」

She hops up and asks with a smile on her face.

「No, I think we're good… We'll take a room for the night on top. How much?」

Straf quizzically glances at Cycelia to verify that she doesn't want to order anything else, and when she doesn't object, he shrugs and turns his eyes back to the young waitress.

「Let's see… The steak, mashed potatoes, the hamburger and a drink… 67 drakes.」

Myria quickly counts up on her fingers, then replies with a smile. Cycelia's head perks up.

「…Silvers, right?」

Straf asks, nodding his head for confirmation with a tight-lipped grimace.

「67 golden drakes, sir.」

The young waitress clarifies, politely nodding her head with a smile on her face. Straf and Cycelia exchange concerned glances.

「…Silvers, right?」

Staring at Myria, Straf asks after a long pause.

「No sir. 67 golden drakes. That's six tens, and seven ones.」

She shakes her head, still smiling.

「…What the fuck!? Are you shitting me!? We just left the capital, and you're telling me we almost paid a hundred for a hamburger and a steak in the sticks!?」

Straf throws his arms aside, swiveling his head around to see if nobody else in the room finds the price odd. The young girl's face gains a troubled grimace.

「…I know the price seems high, but for some reason, everyone is also paying more for produce and for labor. If you account for that, your order would cost maybe… Three silvers, four?」

Myria nods, and shrugs her arms. A look of deeply troubled realization dawns on Straf's face.

「Oh fuck.」

He utters out, and begins intensely rubbing his chin.

《…All my fucking money is about to become worthless! Can't this fucking month end already!?》

Straf intensifies his chin rubbing, grimacing heavily down at the table.

「Straf?… Are you okay? It's a pretty big surprise, but we can afford it, right?…」

Cycelia tilts her head, furrowing her brows in worry at Straf's reaction.

「Lia, if somebody tells you that the peasants don't have bread, do not suggest that they should eat cakes instead, okay?」

Straf leans in towards Cycelia with his lips narrowed into thin lines.

「Um… Okay?… I'll keep that in mind…」

She nods her chestnut head meekly, and Straf stands up.

「Alright, give us two rooms before they double in price! Quick!」

Straf points at Myria, then nods his head at the stairs up. She glances at her father, who in his confusion, furrows his brows back at her…