Chapter 68
Hexa had been a sailor, but at a young age, he suffered a serious leg injury in an unfortunate accident and was forced to give up sailing.
Fortunately, the accident was the sort for which his employer, the Bexter Trading Company, was responsible. The company was on the rise and treated him fairly, so Hexa received a substantial sum and gave up being a sailor.
His wife, Roma, was glad that he had retired from such dangerous work, but after losing his job, Hexa spent his days like an empty shell for some time.
One day, just as Roma was beginning to worry, Hexa went out and returned to suddenly announce, "I bought a shop." When she asked for details, she learned that he had happened to spot a shop for sale while out for a walk.
Though it was abrupt, Roma was delighted to see her husband taking a positive step forward.
"So, what kind of shop are you going to run?"
"I think I'll open a diner."
Back when Hexa was a sailor, he had always been in charge of preparing the crew's meals. He decided to put that experience to use by opening a diner in town.
"That sounds nice. I'll help, too. ... Have you decided on a name for the diner?"
"Yes, I have. 'None.'"
"None?"
"I won't give it a name. We don't need a sign, either. We won't cater to tourists. Only those who know about us need to come."
"My, what an unusual diner."
"...That's fine. That's the kind of place I want to run."
"All right. We still have plenty of money, so let's give it a try."
And so, in a corner of a backstreet in Gadeland, a tiny little diner quietly came into being.
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As Hexa had declared, the diner truly did continue operating on a very small scale. Breaking even, or making a slight profit, was the best they could hope for. That was their daily life.
It was on a sunny day that a man who blew in like a gale arrived at the quiet diner, where only a few regulars trickled in.
"Oh, there's a diner here? I had no idea!"
The huge man dropped into a chair with a heavy thud, loudly talking to himself. From his build and clothes, he looked to be a young officer of the Knights' Order.
"What do you recommend?"
Hunching over to fit in the cramped diner, the huge man asked.
"...I'm afraid we can only make plain, boring food for commoners."
The man paid no heed to Hexa's blatantly reluctant reply and let out a hearty laugh.
"That's exactly what I want! Feed me something comforting!"
"...One moment."
Before long, Hexa set a truly commonplace dish before the huge man: podge.
"Oh, that smells good."
Despite his rough manner of speaking, the huge man ate the podge with careful table manners. Then he suddenly fell silent and focused entirely on his meal.
He polished off the entire plate in no time, then thrust it forward and said, "More."
He then added, "I'll have a few other dishes as well."
After wolfing down every dish that was brought out in rapid succession, the huge man said, "That was delicious," placed a generous amount of money on the counter, and left the diner in a flash.
"...He was quite a character, wasn't he?"
"Yeah."
Even as they stood there in bewilderment, the two watched the huge man walk away.
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The nameless diner that had continued operating on a small scale in a backstreet gradually became a hidden gem known only to those in the know.
He opened it on a whim, bought supplies in whatever quantities he pleased, and kept irregular hours. Even so, people began showing up as soon as the diner opened.
One day, a parent and child came in together. The two were from Kuzel and had apparently come to Gadeland to sell fish.
The quiet-looking child paid only half attention to the father's words while reading a book intently.
"They say the podge here is incredible. Look forward to it."
"Huh."
The child's reaction was lukewarm, but one taste of the podge made their eyes light up.
The father watched the child wolf down the podge with satisfaction.
After that, the pair continued to visit the diner from time to time for a while.
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After taking command of the Knights in Gadeland, Zackhart headed straight for that diner. Although he had been posted to various places throughout Rudek, he had never encountered podge that surpassed the kind served there.
After confirming that the storefront had not changed, he gently pushed open the old door, careful not to damage it. The elderly couple inside tilted their heads, puzzled, then welcomed Zackhart in.
"Give me some podge! And a few other dishes—whatever you have!"
The elderly couple's memories were awakened by that booming voice. "Yes, yes," they said as they began serving a slightly more generous helping of the same podge they had been making all along.