"Yes, we just want to help you. I can feel that you're in danger that's why I can't let you go away." Bryan said.
The girl lifted her head as she glanced at Bryan. She opened her shaky palm and said, "C-Can you r-really help me?"
"We couldn't help you if we don't know a thing about you or the people who are after you." The director shook his head.
"I can help you," Bryan said.
The director and the girl glanced at him and saw his serious and sincere expression. He really wanted to help this girl.
"I will help you," Bryan said. He understood that he couldn't save everyone but if he encountered someone in trouble before his eyes he would save that person.
"I..." The girl opened her mouth while looking straight into Bryan's eyes. "I'm not what you think I am..."
"I don't care. Just tell me your problem and I will lend you everything that I've got." Bryan said to the girl.
The girl give in as she lowered her head and stared on the floor. She slowly opened her mouth and asked, "What did they tell you about me?"
"According to the records your name is Mina and you're a prostitute with a debt of twenty five thousand platinum coins." The director said.
"You didn't found it weird how could a woman like me have a debt of twenty five thousand platinum coins." The girl glanced at the director.
"Nope, everyone who read your records would notice it." The director said. "So can you tell us where did the money came from or where did you spend it?"
"Everything is false. Everything about my record is false. I'll only tell you this but..." The girl hesitated whether she should tell it to these people. She was afraid that she would implicate these two.
"Don't worry. I will not harm you." Bryan said.
The girl looked at Bryan for a second before she turned to the director and asked, "Who would come into your mind that has the ability to temper records like mine?"
"Government?" The director then realized what she was trying to say. "Do you mean that..."
"Y-Yes, that's why I said that I can't stay here in this country. I'm in their territory and they would do anything to bring me back." The girl hugged herself as she recalled what happened to her before.
"Someone who can temper records of ordinary people in this country. It's an influential person and I think that it's a noble. If they are involved in this case then this is really bad. We are like an ant in front of an elephant." The director muttered.
"You realize it now. So are you still willing to help me?" The girl asked as she glanced at the two people in front of her.
The director hesitated. He was just a director of a branch corporation in this country and going against a deeply rooted noble would be akin to killing himself. Even his superiors wouldn't help this girl in exchange for offending those nobles.
But Bryan was different from him.
"Yes, I will help you," Bryan said with a serious tone.
"W-What did you say?" The girl was stunned when she heard his words. She felt she was hearing things because of how tired she was.
"I said that I will help you. I don't care if they are nobles." Bryan said.
At this moment, the director recalled what happened before the Dark Oculus Legion was formed. The news that shocked every people in the country and it was about the students of the Ladro Institute.
The fall of the Vidrato Family. The students who go against the noble family just to save their classmates were all over the newspaper. And Bryan was one of those students along with the Commander of the Dark Oculus Legion, Souta Ieshi. They also fought the nobles in Legion War prior to the attack of the Deadly Sins that wreak the whole city.
So it was not their first time dealing with nobles. They were experienced.
But this was different and the director realized it. This wasn't within their territory so the government would side with their people without enough evidence. It was a different matter if this was in Hebrei Kingdom as the Ladro Institute could fully support them.
"My name is Cyndy."
The girl suddenly said. After a few seconds, she added.
"The one who is targeting me is the Bentley Family. They are the ones who said that I have a debt of twenty five thousand platinum coins. They raised it so that no one would bail me out. And when everything settled down, they would simply snatch me." The girl explained while looking at the floor. "I guess that's their plan. I'm sure that they've noticed you and saw your plan to help me that's why my debt became twenty five thousand platinum coins."
"I have a question." The director said to the girl who introduced herself as Cyndy.
"I know what you wanted to ask but I can't say it here as it doesn't matter. They will not listen to my words even if I told everyone the truth. They would only treat it as nonsense of some prostitute." The girl shook her head as she knew what will happen to her.
"So we just need to gather evidence in the Bentley Family. It will be hard you know and I'm sure that their security is tight." The director said.
"Yeah, that's why I've given up ever since I failed to leave this country." The girl said in a sad tone. She felt that she wanted to cry right now.
"Don't give up. I will find a way to help you." Bryan said to the girl.
"Bentley Family is a powerful family and I... I want to die but they won't let me die... So I wanted you to promise me that you'll end my suffering if you can't hold them. I don't want to end up in their hands. I'm sick of the things that they did to me. Every day, I've cried in the corner hoping that they will kill me." Tears poured out of Cyndy's eyes. She couldn't hold her emotion anymore. It's been a while since someone talked to her like this. "I've tried to kill myself many times but they've placed something in my body that prevented me from killing myself!! I'm sick of it! I'm sick of this life!"
Bryan and the director just listened to her words. This girl clearly suffered from the hands of those people. They could feel her grief in her words.
"So promise me!! You want to help me, right?! If you kill me then I will even appreciate you for ending my suffering!"
f
Bryan was about to say something when the guard against came and said that they should go now. Their visit was finished and it's time to go back.
Bryan glanced one more time at Cyndy before he left with director.
...
The two went back to the Lanny corp and they started to plan how they were going to investigate the Bentley Family.
The Bentley Family wasn't one of the Ten Great Families but they still have powerful forces. They also owned everything in the red light district in the north. It was one of their notable assets.
"How about you tell this problem to your vice-commander? Also, you had a connection with the princess, right?" The direction suggested to Bryan.
Bryan shook his head and said, "I want to keep this secret to them. I decided to help Cyndy alone so I don't want to burden them."
"I see... But we lacked manpower. You couldn't fight an entire noble household alone. Also, I'm afraid that the Lanny corp will suffer a huge setback if they got to know that we're investigating them." The director said to Bryan.
"Then, I'll just do it alone. I don't know what can I do but I'll try to save the girl." Bryan said as he clenched his fist tightly.
"You didn't even know that girl." The director said.
"Yes, I don't know her but how could I simply watch this unfold in front of my eyes. I've personally seen the calamity in the Ladros City. Do you know what I feel when I saw thousands of corpses lying in front of my eyes? I'm there yet I couldn't do anything to help them. I even failed to protect Cluster and Souta had to clean up my mess by going to another place to save her." Bryan gritted his teeth in frustration. "If I only protected Cluster at that time, then Souta and the rest wouldn't have a trouble in saving her. Also, do you know how many people died in that place just because of me?"
"I'm sorry..." The director sighed.
"That girl wanted to die so bad. I couldn't even imagine what happened to her to the point that she wanted to take her own life. If I ignore her and simply watched her suffer, I don't think that I will be able to look into my friend's eyes. I-I wanted to save at least one person... Just one and I will be able to say proudly that I've saved someone's life. That way, I think I will find the importance of my life." Bryan breathed heavily as his emotion got out of control.
