There’s an artifact called the Enslavement Collar. Originally an ancient artifact; a few centuries ago a Sandra archmage managed to mass-produce them.
Originally designed to bring uncontrollable, ferocious beasts to heel — but at some point, the application shifted to humans.
At first, only criminals, I’m told. But the collar eventually gave birth to a class of being in this country: the slave.
A thing stripped of all rights, treated as property.
Most are criminalized, or self-sold, or sold by others — legally (by this country’s lights, anyway). But of course, there are always bad actors.
Bandits and slavers collude — bandits raid a village for valuables; slavers acquire the young women through the black market. That pattern flourishes in the shadows.
In any form: once the Enslavement Collar is fitted, freedom is gone. The wearer is registered with the merchants’ guild and treated as personal property.
The people Rebecca-san was leading were taken this way.
Rebecca-san, Logan-san (the axeman), and Will (the boy) had been hired as a slaver-merchant’s traveling escort. Job didn’t go through the guild, so they didn’t know he was a slaver.
During the journey, on hearing the captives’ stories, they got incensed — were about to turn on the slaver — when the slaver’s caravan was hit by bandits. The merchant took an arrow to the head — quick, unceremonious death.
A man who’d colluded with bandits dying to bandits — call it karma.
Rebecca-san’s group put down the bandits, took the slaves, and tried to slip out of the country without being spotted. Caught by the guild and the slaves would just be transferred to a new master.
But they’d been caught in a sandstorm during the cross-country dash and ended up stranded.
”…That’s it?”
“Roughly that.”
Right, well — there are some shady people out there. Human trafficking, in this world too. Apparently Sandra Kingdom doesn’t have much exchange with other countries — fairly insular, with its own culture preserved. Then again, crossing from Mismid through the Great Forest, then the scorching desert, isn’t trivial.
“Enslavement Collars, huh.”
Apparently if someone tries to remove one, severe pain hits the wearer — death in the worst case. Charming. They prevent the wearer from harming their master, prevent disobedience. Run away and the master only needs to think come back — that’s the end of it. Resist — endure pain.
Only the master can remove it. But that master — the merchant — died. Meaning their collars can’t be taken off anymore. They’d be returned to the guild, get new masters, and only get freed if the new masters chose to release them. Otherwise… …Right, there’s one more way.
[Apport] to extract… but it’s a borderline size. Women’s necks aren’t all that thick. Could it fit in my palm?
I two-handed my own neck to check the circumference. Slimmer than mine — maybe CD-sized? Should be fine. If not, nothing happens. Try it.
“Maybe — I can take those collars off.”
“What?”
“Really!?”
Will the boy bit at it harder than Rebecca-san did. Eyes wide, locked on me.
“It’s a try. If it doesn’t work, nothing happens. So…”
“Please! Free Wendy!”
Wendy? Will quickly took the hand of one of the collared girls and led her over.
About 13 or 14 — same as Will, maybe. Tanned skin, dull blond hair braided in twin plaits down to her chest. Youngest of the seven. She hid behind Will, watching me nervously. She’s afraid — that stings a bit. Well — I did that to the Sandcrawler in front of her, so…
“Apport.”
Don’t want to scare her more — skip the preamble. I pulled the collar over. Already in my hand: the dull-black collar. Success.
“Eh!? Wha—!?”
Will, seeing the collar in my hand, spun to look at Wendy behind him. Sure enough — no collar.
“It’s off! Wendy, it’s off!”
“Eh…?”
Wendy stroked her own neck. As the realization hit, tears welled up; she covered her mouth. Will pulled her into a firm embrace. Ah — so that’s what’s going on. No wonder the kid was desperate. Youth.
”…Hey, hey — what did you do?”
“Null magic — [Apport]. Pulls objects toward me.”
I left Logan-san frozen in mid-shock, and one by one removed the rest of the collars. With all seven in hand, I incinerated the lot with fire magic.
Watching the collars burn, Rebecca-san murmured stunned:
”…Who are you?”
“Adventurer, same as you. Look — guild card.”
“Red!?”
The three adventurers reacted to my card’s color. They huddled around it, eyes widening further.
“Dragon Slayer and Golem Buster!? You serious!?”
“No wonder he dropped the Sandcrawler that fast…”
“Wow… I’ve never seen one in person…”
Three flavors of surprise — thanks. I took the card back and asked Rebecca-san about their plan from here.
“Even freed, the registrations aren’t expunged. Staying in this country gets complicated. Looking to move them to another country.”
“How about Belfast? Good country. You can stay at my place a while.”
“Hold on — Belfast is — how far is that from here…”
I cut Logan-san off and opened a [Gate] in front of us. Stuck my head through, called Yumina down from the Garden.
“Wh-who?”
“How do you do. Princess Yumina Erunea Belfast, daughter of King Tristwin Ernes Belfast of the Kingdom of Belfast.”
"""Eh!?"""
All three froze. Yeah, that’d do it. Moments like this make me realize Yumina really is a princess. Even without the gown, the upbringing and carriage are unmistakable. The four in front of us were fully overwhelmed by her presence.
“I overheard your circumstances. Our country can accept all of you — what do you say?”
Yumina smiled and met each person’s eyes one at a time. Magic-Eye-checking them, presumably. Anyone with hidden ill intent and we’d need to surveil them in Belfast for a while.
After looking at each one, Yumina smiled at me too. No issues, apparently.
Rebecca-san, who’d been frozen, suddenly knelt — full dogeza style.
“Y-yes ma’am! W-we beg your kindness!”
Logan-san, Will, Wendy, the rest — all followed her down. What’s this? Like the “Behold!” scene in a period drama…
“Then please bring them to Belfast. Touya-san, if you would.”
“Got it.”
Walking them through [Gate] one by one is a hassle. I had them stand, opened a [Gate] beneath their feet. Exit set in my mansion garden at one centimeter above the ground — moved the [Gate] upward so they passed through cleanly.
Was going for the “transporter pad” effect from old sci-fi shows. Failed. Bad idea — disorienting.
Like that thing where you climb stairs, miss the last step, and your foot lurches because there isn’t one. The ground vanishing under you, even instantly — it’s awful.
Only Yumina and I noticed; the others were just confused by the new scenery.
“Wh-where…?”
“Royal capital of Belfast. This is my house. Stay here for a while. Lime-saan!”
I called for our super-butler. He appeared from the terrace at once with the maid squad — Lapis-san, Cécile-san, Renee.
“Until we return, please show these guests every hospitality.”
“Of course, master.”
Lime-san bowed deeply and signaled the maids; Lapis-san led the group inside. Rebecca and the rest followed, looking around in wonder.
“We’ll sort out the long-term later. Let’s get back to the Garden.”
“Yes.”
Rebecca’s group are adventurers — they can guild-work into capital inn lodging eventually. The others — can’t take seven on staff at the mansion. They’ll need jobs found.
《Master!》
“Hm? Kōhaku?”
The telepathy hit suddenly — startled me.
《What is it, Kōhaku? Something wrong?》
《Strange creature has appeared suddenly in the desert. Glittering, crystal-like, you know?》
Not Kōhaku — Kokuyō’s voice this time. Crystal monster… no way!?
I opened a [Gate] and transferred to the monolith in the Garden. Everyone was staring up at the monolith — and on the screen, a massive crystal creature floating over the desert, emitting a high-pitched resonance.
The one we’d met was cricket-shaped. The one Leen met was snake-shaped. The third crystal monster — Phrase — took the shape of a Manta.