He decided to be honest with the girl and said, "Sorry to break your dream here. If I help you escape from here, the people who imprisoned you would surely come after me, and that is not something I want to be bothered with." He was still in the noble district and was confident that only influential people lived there.

Ina's mood dampened a bit, but she didn't give up that easily. "Please! I have been imprisoned here for over a year now. My uncle and aunt would even be happy if I vanished. If I were to disappear, they would have full access to my parents' trust fund. It would actually benefit them!"

Hearing some inconsistencies in her story, Lando asked accusingly, "And why didn't they get rid of you earlier if they would only profit from your disappearance?"

Ina let out a long sigh and answered, holding back her frustration and anger, "They tried to force me into a marriage with the son of a count. After my father's death, my aunt took over the trading business, and with a count backing them, they would gain new trade deals and expand their business. The boy I was supposed to marry is still a teenager, around 16 years old now. But the problem was not his age; it was his arrogant and entitled attitude. From our first meeting, he looked down on me. I couldn't bring myself to marry an asshole just for my aunt's profit. To her, I was nothing more than a bag full of money, ready to grab as soon as I met an early death." Her frustration grew with every word she spoke. Lando clearly noticed this, but he let her continue her story until he fully regenerated his mana at least.

"I was still young when my parents died," she continued, her eyes filling with tears. "That's when my misery really began. I was living with my father’s brother and sister in law, as I had no other relatives. Over time I realized what my aunt was doing, she cleverly transferred all the deals and valuable assets to her own company, leaving my dad's hard work as an empty shell. The only thing left is some money in the bank. I couldn't access it until my 20th birthday, so they couldn't get it either. They tried to marry me off to the count's heir to make some more profit once they forced the remaining money out of me on my 20th birthday in three weeks." As she mentioned her grim future, she sat down on her bed and stared at the ceiling, continuing her story.

"As I refused to marry the douchebag, they decided to lock me up until I turn 20, just to get their hands on the remaining money. After that, I will live with the count’s heir in his mansion. At least that’s what they told me. For all I know I could have ruined the plan with the count already, when I slapped his son out of rage and they would just kill me off afterwards."

Having lost his parents not long ago, Lando felt a slight sympathy for Ina. However, after hearing her lengthy life story instead of a simple summary, he didn't cave in. In the best-case scenario, her relatives would chase after him, and in the worst case, even the count would get involved.

With his own ambitions in mind, Lando wasn't willing to risk anything without reaping some benefits. As he thought a bit more about it and looked at the room in the meantime, he had to ask some questions to ask.

"You said you would do anything to get out of here. Did you really mean what you said?" he asked, his mind already brewing with ideas.

Ina grew cautious and pondered for a while before replying, "Yes, but I do have my limits, you know."

Pleased with her answer, Lando continued his questioning, "What exactly is your area of expertise? I assume all these books around here are not just for show. Are you a magician? And if so, what element do you possess?"

Somewhat surprised by the questions, Ina still answered them willingly, saying, "Most of the books here are related to various business tactics and finance. Some cover general knowledge, like the basics of blacksmithing and alchemy because a good businesswoman needs to know what she deals with. These books have been my only luxury, allowed by my aunt during my year-long imprisonment. I've memorized most of them by now. You know, I still had dreams of following in my father's footsteps." She spoke with a sad expression mixed with pride, then continued, "As for the magician question, yes, I am a light magician. Unfortunately, I'm only at the apprentice level, as I have to wear one of these all the time." She lifted her dress to reveal a grey collar, obviously a suppression collar that nullified her mana.

Lando was delighted to hear Ina list her skill set. He had a bag full of money and artifacts that he needed to transform into something useful. He was confident that the young woman in front of him would do a splendid job with that. A light magician was an asset as well. If he ever got injured in battle and made it out alive, he would know where to go next.

He weighed to pros and cons and decided it would be worth the trouble. The count may not even survive this revolution. Not that he planned to inform the girl beforehand.

Therefore, he retrieved a piece of paper from his black ring, not worrying about the previous owner since he was dead and listed his conditions. "Alright, Ina. I will get you out of here, but I have some conditions of my own. Listen carefully because we will form a magical agreement based on these terms."

Magical contracts were usually very expensive and rarely used. Lando had only heard about them when he found a stack of them in his black ring. Unaware of their true value, he decided to use one on a whim.

These contracts enforced the agreed terms through a programmable enchantment placed on the signing party's brain. Breaking the contract would result in immediate death, as the enchantment had only two functions: monitoring the fulfillment of the terms and killing the contract breaker. At least, that's what Lando knew about them.

Ina was shocked by the display of wealth from the young man. As a future businesswoman, she knew how valuable those types of contracts were. They were seldom used when signing business deals as they were just too expensive and not really worth the cost. Too stunned to comment, Lando proceeded to list his terms.

"1. I, Ina, will entrust Lando Weber with all the money my parents left at the bank for me within a week after my 20th birthday.

2. I, Ina, will never disclose any information about Lando Weber unless given permission.

3. I, Ina, will work for Lando Weber for 50 years and fulfill any tasks he assigns me. However, I will still maintain my personal freedom, and he cannot force me to do anything unrelated to his business, such as managing his assets, expanding his wealth, searching for items he desires and occasionally heal him when he is injured as long as I receive a standard wage for this type of work.

4. I, Ina, will fulfill the terms of this contract to the best of my abilities."

Lando planned to have Ina manage his assets and help him find the elemental cores he needed, as he wanted to focus on his training. Nearly being sent to the afterlife by a single punch from his opponent was an experience he didn't want to repeat in the future. He needed to grow stronger as quickly as possible.

Ina examined the terms listed on the contract, reading each word carefully to ensure she didn't miss anything that could potentially lead to her death.

The contract demanded not only her inherited wealth but also 50 years of her life. While magicians had longer lifespans than commoners, surviving that long in this world was no easy task.

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Ina was still young, not even 20, but the contract, as harsh as it was, offered personal freedom and a wage. It couldn't be described as a slave contract, though it came dangerously close, considering the consequence of death for failing to fulfill the conditions.

On the bright side, the contract would allow her to pursue her dream of becoming a businesswoman, a dream she had cherished since accompanying her father as a child. While she wouldn't have complete autonomy, the man in front of her didn't seem keen on pushing all his financial decisions onto her either.

The contract was far from ideal, but it was better than being forced into a marriage she detested or killed by her relatives. Her inheritance money would be lost either way, so she didn't have a problem with that. If she signed the contract, she could at least manage it herself, even if it was just an excuse to find some solace in the situation.

Initially, Ina had held a glimmer of hope that the man before her would come to her rescue like a knight in the fairy tales her mother had told her as a child. Perhaps they could even develop a romantic connection. He didn't look bad at all, and anyone was better than her current fiancé.

Letting out a sigh, she muttered, "A girl isn't even allowed to dream, it seems," channeling her mana into the contract and signing it consequently with some reluctance.

Lando overheard Ina's mumbling and chuckled, already standing despite his condition. "Don't worry, if you do a good job, I'll give you a day off or two, or even a small bonus for further motivation," he said with a good-natured tone, stretching out his hand as a gesture of goodwill to his new employee.

Before Ina could grasp his hand, the contract suddenly burst into flames, revealing a construct of enchantments floating in the air. Within moments, the complex magical cluster disappeared into Ina's head.

Lando observed her grabbing her head in pain, and he couldn't help but wonder if this could be considered employee abuse already. "Happy employees are productive employees," his dad used to say when he had temporary workers in his shop.

The process lasted only a few seconds before it finally ended. Still holding his hand outstretched, Lando apologized, "Sorry for the pain. I would have warned you if I had known something like this would happen. Anyway, welcome to the company! Even if we don't have a name, it's just the two of us, and you'll be doing most of the work," he said jokingly.

Not amused by Lando's jest, Ina angrily grabbed his hand harder than usual to confirm their deal.

"So, your real name is Lando Weber?" she asked after a few minutes of rest on her bed.

"I suppose the contract gave you a clue or two, huh?" Lando replied, a touch of sarcasm in his voice. He wasn't sure if the contract would work with his alias, so he decided to use his real name since confidentiality was already included in the contract.

"Why even use an alias? Are you hiding from someone?" Ina inquired, curious to learn more about her new boss.

"You could say I have a bit of a problem with the space-time council. Actually, I'm not even sure if they're specifically looking for me. They were searching for my mom. They only knew her by her maiden name, I believe. My parents were cautious, even back then, and they forged some false papers for me that didn't mention them as my parents. But if the council were to dig a bit deeper and visit my hometown, they'd find out about me soon enough. So, I thought it better to be safe than sorry," he explained.

Ina understood the difficult situation and had some regrets about working for someone with the space-time council as his enemy already. However, the contract had already been signed, and she couldn't change anything now.

To distract herself, Ina lifted her dress to expose her collar and asked, "Can you finally do something about this collar? I've gotten used to it over the past year, but it would be nice to feel my mana again. I could even heal your wounds afterward if you want."

Taking a moment to think, Lando asked her, "Do you trust me?"

"Not in the slightest," Ina immediately replied after Lando finished his question.

"I guess that's fair," he said with a slightly awkward chuckle. He then explained further, "You know I can phase through any materials, right? Normally, I can't take people with me as their mana would disrupt my spell, and things could get messy."

Ina didn't like the word "messy" as she could vaguely imagine the consequences, but since the conversation seemed to be heading toward their escape plan, she listened intently.

"Your collar disperses all the mana in your body, making you less magical than even a commoner, who has a minuscule amount of mana. While they can't use it, it's enough to hinder my spell right now. I figured the best way for us to escape would be the way I came in and take you with me. But for that, you'll have to wait a little longer until I free you from that collar."

His new employee didn't seem too enthusiastic about the idea, but she ultimately agreed.

With most of his mana recovered, Lando and Ina soon began experimenting.

"We'll start with just your pinky finger since it wouldn't be the biggest loss. Any complaints?" Lando explained. He wanted to slowly phase her finger through the bed to see if it would work.

"In what world is the loss of a finger not a big loss? My most valued possessions are my brain and my hands!" protested Ina, but she still proceeded with the test.

Lando allowed his mana to flow into Ina to fuel his spell, and they slowly pressed her finger against the blanket.

Piece by piece, her pinky slowly went through the blanket without touching it. Lando enveloped her whole body with his magic, allowing her to practically phase into the floor at this point. However, for safety reasons, they decided to gradually increase the stakes.

First, her hand phased through, followed by her entire arm until she was halfway vanished into the bed.

Lando was delighted by the success and pulled Ina out of the bed. He asked her how she felt during the experiment, as they couldn't communicate verbally while he maintained the spell for reasons that Lando hadn't fully figured out yet. His best guess was that they were in the same space, but not in the conventional sense. Perhaps he could find some information in one of the books he had.

"Wow, this feels weird. I feel weightless in a very strange way. That's the best way I can describe it. But I feel no negative effects, so I suppose it should be alright," Ina expressed.

Lando was pleased with what he heard. He had the same sensation, and it was a good indicator that everything was going well.

"Good to know. I wasn't entirely certain myself if it would work. But hey, look at that," Lando commented, voicing his thoughts.

Ina looked at Lando in astonishment, realizing that she had been used as a test subject without knowing the full risk involved. Before she could say anything, Lando continued to explain, "Okay, don't panic if everything goes dark during the journey. It's completely normal. Can you give me a general direction of where we should head?"

After obtaining the necessary directions for their journey, they both took a deep breath and phased through the wall, avoiding the need to go down further.

Ten seconds later, they appeared on a street not far from the house where Ina had been imprisoned.

"That was not a pleasant experience," Ina remarked, as Lando dispelled the magic. However, her mood brightened as she basked in the sunlight for the first time in a year.

Hearing the sounds of battle throughout the city, Lando felt the urgency. He knew they had no time to waste, unsure if his companions were still engaged in the fight or not.

"For me, it's even worse, believe me. But we can't afford to waste any time. I was fleeing from a battle, and I'm not sure if my companions are still fighting," he said, growing tense as he didn't know what sights awaited him.

Ina could now hear the sounds of battle and felt perplexed, as she had been imprisoned for a year and was unaware of the revolution taking place in the former empire. She had not been informed by her relatives at all about anything on the outside world.

In a state of shock, Ina watched as Lando unceremoniously lifted her dress to access the suppression collar.

The collar, which was originally manufactured for an apprentice, could easily be overloaded by Lando's mana until the enchantments broke due to mana overcharge.

The collar broke off effortlessly, and Ina quickly began to heal Lando with her light magic. His cracked bones mended, and his damaged inner organs started to feel healthier with each passing second.

"I really wonder how her magic works. I should ask her someday about the functions and limitations of her abilities. After all, she's going to be working for me," Lando thought as he continued to heal.

Feeling fresh again and prepared enough, Lando spoke up, "Thanks, Ina! I need to see if my companions accomplished their goal or if they died trying. Just wait for me here and try not to get into trouble."

Ina was reluctant to be left alone, knowing that the city was still engulfed in fighting. However, she eventually agreed and found refuge in a nearby back alley.

"Alright, let's see what they achieved," Lando said aloud, before heading in the direction of the Blackwell mansion.