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Chapter 41 – A Man Called Pirate

041 “The Man Called a Pirate?”

“Ohhh. This place isn’t losing to the Imperial Hotel at all!”

“It is the finest luxury hotel that Mantetsu takes pride in, after all.”

Even without Tokita’s brief explanation, I already knew that much from my knowledge—as someone who was a “history girl” in my previous life.

This was my first time seeing it in person, but I’d seen photos of its exterior and lobby before.
Still, standing before the real thing left me speechless.

It felt almost as if I had stepped into history itself.

Well… not just almost.
It really is more than an illusion.

Having completed one task, I planned to spend one night in Dalian before returning to Japan, together with Tokita, Shizu, my bodyguard Yagami, and the additional guard Wan.

“Is there anywhere to sightsee in Manchuria?”

As Tokita and the others were checking in at the hotel lobby, I asked the two large bodyguards sitting in front of me.
Of course, Shizu was sitting next to me, in her usual spot.

But the big guys’ faces clearly read, “Why are you asking us?”
I realized I’d definitely asked the wrong people.

“Let’s see… Lüshun is just ahead, and it’s popular among Japanese,”

Yagami, being a Japanese military man, gave a safe answer.

The fact that he chose something safe actually made me want to laugh, and that must’ve shown on my face, because he responded with a slightly sour expression.

“Ah—sorry! If we have time, I’d love to check it out. Any other places?”

“If you go as far as Fengtian, it’s the former capital of the Qing Dynasty, so there are some historical ruins. Also, it’s the site of a major battlefield from the Russo-Japanese War.”

Wan, who usually speaks normally, also gave a safe suggestion—option two.
But since he spoke after what seemed like serious thought, it felt like he had genuinely considered it.

So I decided to flip the conversation a bit.

“Thanks. Then, how about the Great Wall?”

The two of them looked at each other again.
It might seem like a classic “boys’ moment” or something, but with two giant, intimidating men, the scene looked more like two kaiju facing off.

A few seconds later, from that monstrous visual, Yagami responded.

“If it’s Shanhaiguan, the far eastern end of the Great Wall, then from Dalian, taking a boat might be the easiest route.”

“A boat, huh? I wonder if we could have the Ootori ship stop along the coast on the way back. Ah—good work, everyone.”

“Not at all. More importantly, it seems you’re having an enjoyable conversation with Yagami and the others.”

“Yeah. I was asking if there’s anywhere nearby we could sightsee, and then they said if we take a boat, we might be able to see the eastern tip of the Great Wall.”

“Shanhaiguan, indeed. That would also be secure from a safety standpoint. Shall we consider it?”

“Yes, please, Tokita.”

“Understood. Now then, shall we head to your room first?”

“Then we’ll take our leave here, Tokita-san.”

“Yes, thank you for your work.”

“Okay—wait, huh? You’re not staying together with us?”

I stopped mid-step at their exchange and looked up at the two—no, three—of them.
Seriously, these giants are so big, my neck feels like it’s going to hurt from looking up.

“We are your guards, Princess. To share food and lodging with you would be far too presumptuous. Please forgive us.”

“Same here. Besides, with an inn like this, we can leave you in safety with peace of mind. We intend to stay nearby and guard you from a separate location. There’s no need for concern.”

The two giants responded with polite bows.
People around us were starting to look at us strangely, so at that point, there was really only one thing for me to do.

“I see. Thank you for guarding me up to this point. I’ll be counting on you going forward as well.”

“We are deeply honored by your gracious words.”

(What is even going on…)

And so, I left the lobby of the Yamato Hotel and took the elevator—which is still a rare sight in this era—to the fourth floor.
Then we entered the top-floor suite. 

But honestly, it didn’t move me as much as I expected.

The room was different from usual, the furnishings were elegant, the city view from the window gave it a real sense of travel… but when I thought about it, my room back at the mansion is just as extravagant.
So there wasn’t much here that could really impress me.

(Being rich is such a hassle…)

That thought passed through my mind like it was the most natural thing in the world.

While I was taking a short rest as Shizu, my roommate, was unpacking our things, there was a knock at the door.
Shizu answered it, and it turned out to be Tokita from the next room.

“My lady, there is someone I would like to join us for dinner tonight. Would that be acceptable?”

It was phrased as a question, but the answer was already decided.
Since Tokita had arranged everything, there was no way I was going to refuse.

“Yes, of course. By the way, who is it?”

“One of the managing directors of Ootori Petroleum, leading the development of the Liao he oil field. A man named Idemitsu Sazou.”

(I did request this, but to actually meet a named historical figure… Finally!)

Suppressing a little internal cheer, I smiled and replied.

“Tell him I’m looking forward to it—in the most elegant words you can.”

“Understood.”

…
…
…

“So, what kind of child is the Ootori princess?”

In a stylish café in Dalian, a middle-aged man in a suit sat across from two oversized men, who clearly didn’t match the ambiance of the place.

To the middle-aged man’s question, the slightly smaller of the two giants gave a cynical smile.

“Don’t underestimate her by calling her a child. On the contrary, it’s more interesting when you face her seriously.”

“Seriously, huh. What about you, Wan?”

“She is a lady worthy of my service. But inside, she’s not just a princess—she’s an empress. That person is someone chosen by Heaven.”

Wan slightly tilted his head upward, closed his eyes, and firmly declared, as if recalling her image.
It still seemed like he was playing the role of a loyal retainer, but he himself was completely serious.

“An empress touched by Heaven’s will, huh. So, is she going to rule the continent someday?”

“More than that. I believe she’ll eventually move the whole world.”

“The world, huh. You came to that conclusion just by looking at her?”

“My soul told me so. Of course, right now she’s still a fledgling.”

After making that bold statement, he opened his eyes, let out a brief, wry chuckle, and then calmly reached for the cup placed in front of him—as if to say that he had said all there was to say.

“So then, did she actually do anything concrete?”

Seeing that Wan had nothing more to add, the man turned his gaze to Yagami.

“She listed all the locations of the oil fields—along with the approximate depth at each site. Sooner or later, we’ll see if they were right. But when she spoke, there was no hesitation or uncertainty. It wasn’t conviction—it was more like stating an obvious fact. ‘Miko’ really is an apt word for her.”

“We’ll find out soon enough… The Ootori main house recently bought the latest rotary drilling rigs. Depending on the geology, they can dig about ten meters a day. If the reservoir is over a thousand meters deep, we’re talking about something three months away at best. And she declared it all as fact? That really is strange.”

A curious smile tugged at the corners of the suited man’s mouth.

・
・
・

That evening.
This hotel has a rooftop restaurant called “Roof Garden,” which operates at night only during the summer months.

In Japan of this era, it’s very modern.
Though, this is Dalian.

The meal is a full-course French dinner.
I suppose a full Manchu Han Imperial Feast would have been fine, given that we’re on the continent, but if they had served an actual Manchu Han Imperial Feast, there’s no way I, as a child, would have been able to finish it.

The course meal served to me is also smaller than what the two adults receive.

By the way, Tokita is also seated at the dinner table.
In public, Tokita takes the lead while I’m just the added bonus.

I invited Shizu to join many times, but she firmly refused with full resistance.
The only compromise was that she agreed to take a little of the same meal to be packed and promised to eat that instead.

The other person seated with us is Izumi Mitsu (Izumi Sazou).

Mitsu looks like an ordinary middle-aged Japanese man with his hair parted to one side and wearing glasses.
In my past life, there was a work called “A Man Called Pirate,” so I had imagined him to be more imposing or intimidating, but he turned out to be completely normal.

However, this man represents Ootori Petroleum, part of the Ootori conglomerate in this world, and without him, Ootori Petroleum would no longer function.
As expected from someone with such a name, he’s a person whose name will be remembered in history.

And so, I found myself sitting at the table with such a person.

After exchanging greetings, we relaxed and first enjoyed the best dishes.
Mitsu had mentioned that he wasn’t used to such events, but of course, he handled it with the grace of a seasoned businessman, as expected of someone at the top of the corporate world.

In fact, it was probably me who would have been thoroughly embarrassed had I not had the cheat skills of a villainess.

“By the way, I was quite surprised by this inspection trip.”

“I’m truly sorry for the suddenness of it. When I expressed to my father that I wanted to see the outside world, he said, ‘If that’s the case, why don’t you go and see Manchuria?’ and sent me off, which was fine. But when I arrived, I realized it was actually a site inspection as a member of the Ootori family. I was just as surprised when I got here.”

“Even so, I hear you’ve fulfilled your duties quite admirably. Though you’re still young, you’re most impressive.”

“Thank you. But I heard the quality of the oil there isn’t very good. Is that true?”

“Well, it’s still in the early stages of test drilling. We can’t really say anything until we start extracting it for real. Did someone tell you this?”

“Yes. I received a telegram from home, addressed to me. It said, ‘Go see Ootori’s work there.’ My father is so sly.”

“Haha! So, it seems that the head of the Ootori family is already well aware of that oil field.”

“I don’t know any more than that. Ah, but…”

“What is it?”

(Alright, here comes my chance.)

Though I was a bit nervous, I tried to hide it as much as possible while continuing.

I had suddenly found myself with the opportunity to speak with Mitsu, and I thought this would be a good chance to test how useful my overheard future cheat knowledge would be.
So, I had been looking for an opening to speak.

“I’ve heard that in America, there are experiments using catalysts in oil refining. I heard that with catalysts, even low-quality oil can be refined to a level similar to high-quality oil, and that someday gasoline could be refined in large quantities as well.”

“Catalysts? We’ve certainly heard similar information. You’re well-studied. However, the reality is that we, at our current stage, aren’t yet able to reach that point.”

“I see. I heard that the catalyst is a kind of stone found in places like volcanoes, one that looks like it’s been boiled. It’s amazing how there are such strange stones.”

“…Zeolite. I hadn’t considered that. Well, thank you for the valuable insight.”

“Really? This is just something I heard from an adult who isn’t an expert, and I’m just a child.”

“Even experts can’t make progress without finding a starting point. On the contrary, sometimes one idea can open up a whole world of understanding. That said, even if we do find a method, in Japan, we still don’t have a huge demand for large amounts of gasoline.”

“That’s true. There are hardly any airplanes, and cars are few and far between.”

With that, the conversation ended, but I realized that when I returned home, I would need to tell my great-grandfather and father about the story I had heard, or else this nonsense would turn into reality.

For me, this was also a good opportunity to gauge how much progress could be made with such limited future knowledge.
After all, in order to avoid my inevitable downfall event, I needed Japan to become somewhat more prosperous.

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Yamato Hotel

A luxury hotel brand managed by the South Manchuria Railway Company (Mantetsu).
Especially the new building in Dalian has a scale and opulence that rivals that of top Western hotels.

The current structure was completed in 1914.
It still stands in the 21st century, over 100 years later.

Zeolite

Discovered in the 18th century.
Artificially synthesized versions are used as catalysts in oil refining.

Modern technology allows for the production of large amounts of gasoline and diesel from even low-quality oil when using this catalyst.