"You really are a cunning one, darling." My mother says, after she calms down.
"It's because you are so amazing, Mom."
"No empty flatteries here... if I were half as amazing as you, I wouldn't have ended here in the first place."
"But you laid out the path for me. It's like being able to reach higher because I'm standing on the shoulders of a giant."
My mother flushed hard right now. "Oh, the things you say, dear... Are you sure you are only seven?"
"Of course! You saw me coming from inside you, didn't you?" I say with an innocent smile.
And so we bantered happily, until I asked the one-million-dollar question.
"Say, Mom... Now that the Duke knows about my ability, what will he do to me?"
Lillian lets out a deep sigh and closes her eyes. When she opens them again, they look a bit empty.
"He'll probably take you over to serve him at his mansion. He's probably right now looking for a new collar for you."
"A new collar? What kind of collar?"
"One that will make you obey him without question, a collar of submission. They are extremely expensive and very hard to find, so it will take him a bit of time before he lands his hands on one."
For a moment, I just stare at my mother, dumbfounded. A collar of submission? Is that a thing? As if things weren't already super dire without that.
"If he puts that... thing on me... will I..."
"Yes, you will happily attend to his every whim. Even going as far as committing the worst atrocities in his name."
This is... too much. I can't let that happen. I didn't get reborn in another world, with magic, just to end up serving as a mindless thrall.
"I won't let him." I declare, fists clenched, my eyes flaring with determination. "He won't put that thing on me."
"Aurea..." Mom just hugs me again, and then melts down in sobs and cries.
I will kill that man.
I will kill him.
Slowly.
I will make him beg me to kill him.
Only after I do that, and free every single woman in this place, will I be able to start my new life in this world.
I will never be truly alive while that man is still poisoning the air of this planet with his breath.
:::
It takes some time and the help of Cambucy, who had just come back from her 'services', for me and my mother to calm down and be able to think straight again.
"You need to flee." She states, matter-of-factly.
Flee.
That word sounds nice.
"How...? And Mom? And you, and everyone else?"
"Well, if you receive that collar, you will never be able to free us, will you?
"That's true, but..."
"Darling, Cambucy is right. You need to flee when they come to take you again, before they put the new collar on you."
"But Mom..."
"There's no 'but', Aurea. Or do you realistically think that you can take on all of them at once?"
I had no argument to put on. They were right, there's no way I would be able to save everyone right now, and even less of a way with a submission collar.
I sighed and lowered my head.
"In any case, you need to understand what you're putting yourself into. It will be very hard for you to survive out there, and even more with that collar on your neck."
Cambucy was again right on the money. Even if I flee, I'll be on my own in an unknown world. I don't even know what kind of environment is outside these walls.
From the air I felt on the floor with windows, I think it's an arid place, but that's everything I know.
So, I looked at her quizzically, waiting for her to expand on that.
She sighed deeply before continuing. "This building is at the edge of the town of Amapytu. Which itself is right at the edge of the Wild Frontier, it's the last human town before the Barren Wilds."
"Barren Wilds?"
"Yes. It's a region filled with monsters and other dangers, and, as the name implies, it's a barren place. The monster materials provide a steady income to this town, so adventurers are always prowling around, and there are some outposts here and there, but besides that, you won't find any humans living in such a dangerous place."
This time, it was my mother who explained it, but Cambucy quickly stepped in.
"Though it's a harsh land, it's not impossible to survive there. In fact, several beastkin tribes make that place their home, as a way to escape slavery."
"Slavery... is this so common?"
"Yes, Aurea. Most beastkin in this kingdom are subjugated to slavery. Some other nonhuman races are also targeted, but not as harshly as our people."
My fists were clenching again, and my blood was starting to boil, but Mom diverted my attention before it happened.
"The point Cambucy is trying to make is that while you have the slavery collar on, you won't be able to survive for long in the city. Someone will quickly spot you and bring you back to the Duke again."
"Even if I use my illusions?"
"Your illusions are great, my dear, but they aren't infallible. There are always people with charms to dispel illusions. It will take just one minuscule error for you to be found."
"Lady Lilliane is right. You need to remember that the Duke's henchmen will be combing the city after you, and they will certainly target the street urchins for clues on you."
Also, it's not like I can sustain those illusions for too long.
"But what if I find a way to break your collar and you flee with me, Mom?"
"Oh, darling... I wish it were possible, I really do. And I can say it because I'm one of the few people in this kingdom who knows how to do it. You would need several more years of training in some specific areas of engraving and enchanting before you could pull it off."
"Is it so hard? Why?"
"What use would there be for an anti-magic collar that can be easily broken?"
"Fair."
"For centuries, mages have developed methods to break out of them, and the collar makers have developed methods to counteract the ones the mages developed. Each generation, the collars simply get better and better. Breaking them is not something a novice could hope for."
"But... Why didn't you start teaching it to me already? I could very well be able to do it right now if you had."
"Oh, but I did, dear... all the knowledge I've been imparting to you the last four years has been a preparation for it. But as I said, it's not something a novice can accomplish."
Defeated, I hang my head, looking at the floor.
"So, fleeing to the Barren Wilds is my best bet, then?"
"Exactly... though, it won't be easy."
"But I'm sure that if anyone can pull it off, it's you."
Cambucy and Mother put in some words of encouragement, but I know they are right.
And even if I die there...
It's better to be dead than to be without life.
That said, there are still two things that need to be addressed.
"Right. I want to do it. But then... two questions. First, how do I escape? I have my illusion magic and nothing else. Second, how do I survive the wilds? Again, I don't think I can eat my illusions."
"About the escape, I will teach you your first lightning spell. It doesn't do much damage, but it makes the person be shocked in place for some precious moments that might be just enough to be able to escape."
"And about surviving the Barren Wilds..."
"Uhh... excuse me. I think that I can help."
"Huh?"
One of the newest arrivals, a small-framed fox beastkin, called Mimby, butted in, offering her help.
"I grew up in the Barren Wilds, so I can teach you some survival tips."