Chapter 34
Suur barely formed an impression of Nut Guy. Among such a distinctive group, Nut Guy seemed rather unassuming, and that was about it.
Tranza's inn was fairly popular even in the royal capital. Her father's cooking was well regarded, and many people came for the restaurant rather than the inn itself.
Suur wanted to take over the inn someday and make it even more popular than it was now. To that end, she actively helped with the family business and was learning the trade.
Her mother taught Suur what she called the tricks of customer service.
"A smile and politeness are important, of course, but remember as many customers' faces and names as you can. When they come back, they'll be happy if you say, 'Welcome back.' And if you remember what flavors they like and serve them accordingly, they'll want to come back next time."
Suur treasured these words from her mother and worked hard at serving customers. As a result, remembering people's faces had become second nature to her.
That said, all sorts of customers came to the inn every day. Remembering every one of them was extremely difficult. So Suur secretly gave nicknames to the customers she found difficult to remember, making it easier to keep track of them.
Nut Guy had come to the inn with Sazaby-san, one of its regulars. Suur thought it unusual for Sazaby-san to bring someone other than a woman, but apparently this person was a coworker.
Wait, a beautiful young woman and a big soldier? Then a quiet-looking young man and a girl younger than me? What an unusual combination. What kind of work could they possibly do?
Surprisingly, the quiet-looking person seemed to be the central figure in the group. Suur hadn't had a chance to ask that person's name that day, so she secretly dubbed them Nut Guy in her mind.
It was because Nut Guy liked to eat nuts with his drinks.
That was Suur's first meeting with Nut Guy.
Even on Nut Guy's second visit, Suur felt bad admitting it, but she barely remembered Nut Guy. That was because an incredibly handsome newcomer had joined the group.
"You've got to hear this, Wickhart-san! This Roa guy is awful! He's trying to leave me out!"
When she heard Sazaby-san's complaints, Suur learned that the handsome man was named Wickhart-san. She remembered it immediately. The name Wickhart made her think of a famous knight commander renowned for his good looks, but surely this couldn't be the same person.
Apparently, Nut Guy's name was Roa-san. But somehow, Nut Guy suited him better, so Suur decided to keep thinking of him as Nut Guy.
The conversation that day also revealed that these people were affiliated with the Knight Order. That surprised Suur a little. She had thought Sazaby-san worked in the nightlife business. Sazaby-san certainly gave off that sort of vibe.
So was Nut Guy an important person in the Knight Order? He certainly didn't look like one.
Before long, Nut Guy and the others came to Tranza's inn again. There was yet another handsome person with them. Suur was starting to enjoy this, and ended up asking her father to prepare a few complimentary dishes.
Nut Guy and the others ordered lots of food and paid well, so her father served them slightly larger portions. Suur was happy that they all said it was delicious.
Once, while she was serving them a dish, Suur happened to hear Nut Guy murmur, "Even so, is it really okay for us to be the Roa Unit...?"
Wait, was Nut Guy the commander? He didn't look strong, but judging from the way he spoke, it sounded as if he'd only recently been promoted.
Could he be the son of some noble family? Maybe that was why he'd risen so quickly.
From the looks of him, though, he seemed more like a commoner from some rural village who had come to the royal capital.
The next time Nut Guy and the others came, Suur was genuinely shocked. Lapiria-sama was with them. Lapiria-sama was a famous figure in the 10th Knight Order, and Suur admired her. She was from a distinguished family, if Suur remembered correctly. For her to show up at an inn in a neighborhood like this!
Besides Lapiria-sama, there were three young people who looked noble from their clothes and bearing. One of the three—a boy—looked vaguely familiar, but he seemed too young to have come to the inn as a customer. Maybe she had happened to see him somewhere in town?
"The dining hall in Gederland has a completely different atmosphere!"
The most energetic of the three pointed to various menu items and fired questions at Suur, asking, "What's this?" Suur stopped searching her memory and focused on her work.
Amid the bustle, Nut Guy drank quietly as usual, trying not to stand out, and nibbled on nuts.
So, when Suur heard some time later that the Nut Guy she'd known was the hero Roa=Stein and had become vice commander of the 10th Knight Order, she was truly astonished, right down to her core.