章節 90: [90] The Chains of Power

In the bustling capital of Ars, the grand headquarters of the Costatine Trading Company stood as a monument to modernity and efficiency in a medieval world. Inside one of the exclusive dining rooms on the upper floor, Raphael sat alone at a long oak table. A plate of steak and a glass of red wine adorned the table, but his expression was far from one of someone enjoying a peaceful lunch.

He cut his steak with deliberate slowness, each slice betraying his meticulous, calculated nature. His youthful appearance—seemingly that of a man no older than 21—was marked by an air of cold charm and mystery. His neatly combed black hair, pale skin, a faint mole beneath his left eye, and piercing gaze gave him the presence of a predator constantly assessing the world with distrust.

Raphael was not merely a man but a creation—a homunculus perfected by Ash, modeled after Ash's original appearance on Earth. Yet beneath his flawless visage lay a carefully crafted Machiavellian personality: cold, strategic, and merciless when necessary. However, Ash had imposed a moral leash on him, a restriction that prevented Raphael from fully succumbing to his darker tendencies.

Today, however, that leash felt tighter than ever.

As he chewed a small piece of steak, the door to the dining room opened, and a neatly dressed young woman stepped in cautiously. She was Aurelia's temporary replacement while the latter attended to business in Sharia.

"President," she called softly yet formally.

Raphael set his knife down gently, exhaling as if the mere act of being addressed had drained his energy. "Haah, what is it now?"

The assistant hesitated slightly before speaking. "There's someone here to see you."

Raphael raised an eyebrow, leaning back into his chair with a deliberately casual air. "Someone? Who?"

"I'm not certain, but he identified himself as... Silent Seven Stars."

Raphael tilted his head, his curiosity piqued. "Hah? That's a strange name. Some kind of traveling poet?"

"I'm not sure, President, but he seems serious."

Raphael scoffed lightly, lifting his wine glass. "Tell him to wait. I'm having lunch, and I don't like being disturbed. Fifteen minutes."

The assistant nodded politely. "Understood, President."

Once she left, Raphael leaned back further in his chair, his gaze shifting to the massive window offering a panoramic view of Ars. The city appeared grand from this height, but to Raphael, it was merely a nexus of endless problems.

Sighing, he set his wine glass down, his mind turning to the nobles of Asura, whose interference in his business operations continued to vex him.

"High taxes, absurd inspections, unrealistic demands..." he muttered. "Darius really knows how to make life difficult."

Prime Minister Darius, one of the most influential figures in the Asura Kingdom, had been a thorn in Raphael's side for years. Increased taxes on Costatine's operations and relentless attempts by nobles to exploit his trading network had created constant friction.

Were it not for Ash's imposed moral restraint, Raphael might have eradicated them all.

Closing his eyes momentarily, Raphael allowed his thoughts to drift to the past. There had been instances when he came perilously close to crossing the boundaries set by Ash.

One such moment occurred when a young noble attempted to extort Costatine with false allegations of market monopoly. Raphael had decided to teach the noble a lesson he wouldn't forget.

Within a week, the noble's reputation lay in ruins. Using Costatine's extensive information network, Raphael exposed financial scandals, affairs, and even petty crimes the noble had committed. The release of these details was so precise that no one suspected Raphael's involvement.

Even so, Raphael recognized how close he had come to breaching Ash's edicts. Ash had once said, "You may be cunning, Raphael, but never forget that our goal is to better the world, not destroy it."

Reflecting on those words, Raphael opened his eyes, his gaze returning to its icy sharpness. "Ash... you gave me control, yet you also restrained me. I'm not sure if that's a gift or a curse."

The fifteen minutes passed, and Raphael rose gracefully from his chair. Straightening his tailored black suit, he glanced at his reflection in a large mirror at the corner of the room.

"Let's see who this 'Silent Seven Stars' is," he murmured, a faint yet calculated smile crossing his face.

As he walked toward the private reception room, his mind already began crafting strategies. He was bound by Ash's rules, but that didn't mean he couldn't play the game to perfection.

"Welcome to the board," Raphael thought, his eyes gleaming with cold intelligence.

The private reception room on the upper floor of the Costatine building was vast and serene, bathed in soft afternoon light filtering through the large windows. The polished marble floors reflected the sun's golden rays, creating an atmosphere of quiet elegance. Standing in the center of the room was a young woman with long, jet-black hair cascading down her back. Her rare hair color and the simple white mask obscuring most of her face gave her an enigmatic presence.

At Raphael's entrance, the girl flinched, startled. Her eyes, filled with a mix of caution and unease, fixed on him. Her posture was straight, yet there was a subtle tension in her stance, as though the weight of the unfamiliar environment bore down on her.

The silence thickened until the girl inadvertently spoke in Japanese—a language foreign to anyone in this world but one that Raphael recognized instantly.

"This... this can't be..." she murmured, barely audible.

Raphael stopped mid-stride, his sharp eyes narrowing as he processed the words. Japanese. The language. The black hair. The uneasy demeanor. She wasn't a native of this world.

Without a word, Raphael raised his hand, signaling for his assistant and the staff in the room to leave. They obeyed without hesitation, leaving him alone with the girl in the growing stillness.

Once the room was empty, Raphael leaned casually against one of the large sofas. His gaze was both piercing and calculating, a faint smile playing on his lips, though it held no warmth.

"Well then, tell me—who are you?" Raphael asked, speaking fluent Japanese, his tone calm yet laced with an underlying authority.

The girl's eyes widened in shock. For the first time since arriving in this world, she heard someone speak her language—a voice that felt like a lifeline in a sea of strangeness.

"I... I'm sorry. I got a little carried away," she said, her voice livelier than before.

"It's fine. This is quite the unique encounter. So, what's your name?" Raphael pressed, his tone steady but probing.

"Nanahoshi Shizuka," she answered hesitantly, though relief was evident in her voice. "And you?"

"Just call me Raphael. I've left my old identity behind," he replied, his smile faint yet calculated. He played his role flawlessly, knowing that building trust was critical in such an encounter, even if most of what he said was a lie.

"I see," Nanahoshi murmured, nodding slightly.

Raphael leaned forward, his eyes glinting with curiosity and calculation. "Well then, Shizuka, it seems you and I have much to discuss."

Raphael observed Nanahoshi closely—her stance, her speech, even the subtle ways she tried to mask her unease. With his sharp ability to read people, he quickly discerned that she was burdened by a weight she couldn't shed.

"So, Nanahoshi-san," Raphael began, his tone calm and measured despite the storm of calculations brewing in his mind. "What is it that you want from me?"

Nanahoshi lowered her head briefly, taking a deep breath before answering. "I heard about you from certain people. They said you're strong, influential, and... different from the rest. I thought... I thought you might be able to help me go home."

"Home?" Raphael repeated, though he had already anticipated her answer.

"To Earth. This world... I don't belong here. I can't live here. The air, the food, even the people... everything feels wrong to me," she said, her voice quivering slightly. "It's like I'm dying, slowly, in this place."

Raphael remained silent, allowing her words to hang in the air.

"I know I must sound selfish," she continued, her tone softer now. "But I can't be like others who just accept this world for what it is. I don't want to live here. I want to go home."

Raphael's expression remained unreadable as he scrutinized her. He could feel the sincerity in her plea, as well as the crushing weight she carried. In a way, he saw a fragment of himself in her—a soul caught between worlds, belonging fully to neither.

"I see," Raphael finally said, his voice unusually gentle. "I can't promise you anything, but I'm willing to hear your story. Start from the beginning. How did you come to be here?"

Relief flickered across Nanahoshi's face. She nodded slowly. "I... I'm not entirely sure. I was walking home from school one day, and suddenly, there was this blinding light... And then, I woke up here. In this world. I was alone, and I had no idea what to do..."

Raphael listened intently, storing every detail in the back of his mind. Though he revealed none of it, a glimmer of sympathy stirred within him. Yet, alongside that sympathy came a deep understanding of the risks involved in this connection.

"Nanahoshi-san," Raphael said at last, after hearing her account, his voice steady but firm, "I can't say whether or not I can help you return home."