Taijin.
The translation audio rendered it as “Taijin.”
Was it something like Taren?
Initially, I suspected a bug in the translation software.
Then, an old man who looked like he had stepped right out of an other-world inner palace drama appeared on the monitor.
He was dressed in traditional East Asian attire.
I couldn’t identify the specific era or dynasty, and it wasn't even guaranteed we shared the same ancestors. I reminded myself to avoid jumping to conclusions.
Never mind that the fabric was clearly synthetic.
Then again, the Empire's own monks were “Gaming Monks,” so I wasn't in a position to judge others.
I decided to keep my mouth shut.
“Greetings to His Excellency the Grand Duke.”
Eyens clenched one hand into a fist, covered it with his other palm, and lowered his head.
Was that a gongshou?
If it was, he was covering his right hand, so was he male?
His features were so ambiguous that I couldn't tell if I was looking at an old man or an old woman. Racial differences aside, his appearance was close to that of a Latarnian.
“Nice to meet you.”
I returned the gongshou.
First, I stood up. Snapping my feet together from the “at ease” position, I stood at “attention,” perfectly still.
From there, my memory was a bit fuzzy.
I believed I held both hands out in front with the backs of my hands touching to form a V-shape, rotated them from the bottom, clenched my fists, and placed both hands at my waist. Then I performed a gongshou, made the V-shape again, and thrust them forward. I rotated them once more and put my fists back at my waist.
Then, I turned my right hand into a hand knife and placed it in front of my left chest.
I folded my thumb toward my palm. My left hand was also a hand knife, extended downward.
In that state, I bowed.
It was a shallower angle than the Japanese style, and I looked at the opponent rather than the floor.
“T-That greeting is...?”
Since it was hard to explain, I simply smiled.
“A kind person taught it to me.”
That was a lie. I just somehow knew it.
The source was likely my previous life. That was nearly eighteen years ago—closer to nineteen if you counted the time in the womb. Moreover, I had lost most of my memories from when I was a baby until I was a toddler. I no longer knew where the information had come from.
Furthermore, performing this greeting was a bit of harmless, minor harassment. It was a form of etiquette with a certain degree of regularity that seemed like it could exist in the same cultural sphere. Most importantly, it was different from the Empire's etiquette. They must have researched that much. By doing this, the number of things they would have to investigate—like whether I was already in contact with neighboring countries, shared the same ancestors, or had a spy inside—would increase exponentially.
They wouldn't find anything no matter how hard they looked, though.
“Is that so... A kind person, indeed.”
Eyens was an old fox. He had already recovered.
He had looked surprised only for a moment before a smile returned to his face. It was a man’s voice, but the pitch was high. Like a castrato.
...Castrated?
A eunuch!
A bureaucrat who had his bits removed!
I recalled a eunuch who went on adventures during the Age of Discovery. My own bits tightened in sympathy.
“Yay! I'm Leo-kun's bits! Leo-kun's bits shrivel up whenever the topic of losing them comes up! He’s such a wimp!”
By the way, Wifey wasn't here. She hated pirates, and it was deemed inappropriate for the Emperor herself to meet with criminals.
Claire was present as my adjutant—or more accurately, the person tasked with cleaning up my messes. As for guards, only Raven and the others were stationed outside the room.
“It seems His Excellency Grand Duke Leo has a very broad range of knowledge... Thanks to you, we were able to avoid losing face.”
That was Isono's fine play. I had actually intended to make them lose face.
“The idea came from Isono. I will pass that along to him.”
“His Excellency Grand Duke Leo has excellent subordinates. I am truly envious. With this, the other five Taijin will surely settle down.”
New information.
Five Taijin. So that meant there were five high-ranking executives in the Pirate Guild.
“What are the five Taijin?”
“They are the five great factions of the Pirate Guild. This humble one serves as the head of one of them.”
Ah, so the reason it was translated as “Taijin” was because they were the top leadership.
“Pardon my rudeness, but you do not seem to be from the civilizations in this vicinity.”
“That is correct. This humble one was once a eunuch of the Taikyoku Nation... but now, I have fallen so low as to become a pirate executive, living a life of shame.”
He really was a eunuch. He was going out of his way to humble himself, which only suggested how much confidence he had in his current position.
An old man like this would avoid direct combat and excel at intellectual warfare. I was overwhelmingly lacking in experience. Diplomacy and politics... I was barely more than an amateur. He was a formidable opponent.
Actually, I didn't even know if he was an enemy yet.
Wow! The characters in this galaxy were so intense!
I didn’t offer a response, remaining on maximum alert.
“Now then, regarding the main topic...”
If he asked me to kill the other Taijin, he’d be a confirmed enemy. Or maybe he’d ask for recognition of their piracy or a letter of marque. I’d have to refuse those. Too bad! We are a nation governed by the rule of law!
“I would like you to expand your business in Latarnia... I humbly request this of you.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“Now that the Galactic Empire has appeared, the pirate trade will no longer be viable in this star system. I wish to turn the pirates... my sons, into honest citizens.”
In other words, he wanted me to hire them at my company.
A takeover...?
I wasn't particularly bothered even if they tried. I could copy the potato chips immediately if I had similar tubers. I could make them out of burdock, Jerusalem artichokes, or even apios. Even if the company were taken over—well, I had already planned for a scenario where Latarnia would shut us down anyway. This would just be an internal takeover instead.
This was a major event for a private citizen or a small bank, but for the Imperial economy, it was a piddling business. The banks owned by the Grand Duke Kamishiro family alone could absorb the damage. At most, it might have a minor impact on our insurance company, and even then, the state would eventually compensate for it.
Yeah, no problem at all.
“That's fine. As long as they behave themselves.”
“They are rough sorts, so there may be some trouble. In such cases, I would expect you to execute judgment without hesitation.”
His words didn't seem to be a lie. At the very least, he believed them the moment he spoke. Was he the type who could completely separate his true feelings from his words? I had no idea what he was thinking deep down.
He wasn't like the Ogre God Nation, who were moved by emotion, or the Duke Association, whose corruption made them predictable. He wasn't like Zork, where negotiation was unnecessary. This was difficult.
But we were short-staffed due to the rapid expansion. Honestly, even pirates would be a help. I didn’t say that, though. The arrangement remained that Eyens was making a request to the Empire. It also gave us a lead on the pirates. Even if they were assassins or saboteurs, it would provide a justification for the pirates’ annihilation. There was no downside.
Besides, I had the authority to decide. I was the head of the company.
It looked like I would be hiring a small army of them at my Discount Store Cervantes and Bowling Alley Count 1-2-3.
Whoa, the person I'm worst at dealing with just appeared!
“Isn't that just what you'll look like when you're old?”
Stop it! Don't say things like that!!!