Chapter 148 Academy Outpost Gordu
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The fort of the School Management Committee, situated on the north side of Seito Academy, was officially known as Saint’s Bastion. It served as a legitimate base for the knights and housed nearly a thousand men.
A long dry moat had been dug along the northern side, hidden from the Academy’s view, while the opposite bank had been stripped bare to provide an unobstructed field of vision. The fortifications were built with the same rigor expected of a frontline stronghold, prepared to repel a large-scale assault. Even now, crews continued deepening the moat.
The outpost at the eastern end of the trench, bordering a swamp, was meant to remain on constant alert. Fires were supposed to burn through the night to warn against monsters or intruders. Instead, raucous laughter and drunken shouting echoed around a roaring campfire.
Men in filthy leather armor lounged around crude tables or sat in loose circles, drinking themselves merry. At one fire, a massive wild boar had been skewered on a log and set over the flames. Knives flashed as strips of meat were carved away, dusted with dubious seasonings, and shoved eagerly into waiting mouths.
A flickering torch approached from the direction of the fort.
The revelers paid it no mind until five mounted knights burst into the middle of the camp, their leader carrying the blazing torch high overhead. Only then did the noise falter, the men gradually falling silent beneath the riders’ hard stares.
The knights dismounted and surveyed the scene.
”Gordu! What is the meaning of this racket?!” Benwood barked.
A thickset, red-faced man stepped out from the crowd.
”Heh… if it isn’t Master Benwood,” Gordu said. “The boys brought down a big one, that’s all. Just blowing off a little steam after breaking our backs all day. No need to worry. The watch posts are manned, and we haven’t touched a thing in the supply warehouse.”
Rubbing his hands together, Gordu flashed an ingratiating grin. Benwood’s expression darkened for an instant before smoothing over again.
”Honestly… even so, if you make such a spectacle of yourselves, I am obligated to warn you,” Benwood said. “I sympathize with your circumstances, truly. Just try not to be so obvious about it.”
”Heh, you’re too kind, Master. But digging holes from dawn to dusk every day without so much as a breather? A man can only take so much. That woman is pushing it.”
”Come to think of it, Gordu, you served under the Commander-in-Chief during the war, did you not?” Benwood asked. “I hear that unit is still held together by veterans from those days. Yet you seem to have been treated rather coldly.”
”Master… you know where we came from, don’t you?” Gordu asked through clenched teeth.
”Aye. I do.”
”We were bandits. Real ones. She caught us and dragged us across the battlefield. At first they threw us into the vanguard as meat shields, and half my boys died there before we were folded into the regular infantry. Since then it’s been nothing but grunt work and filthy jobs. To a duke’s daughter, we’re trash. They brought us here because we know too much about her past. She cannot afford to let us roam free. We’re lucky they haven’t disposed of us already, but it’s plain enough we’re being worked until we break.”
”I see… so she has secrets she’d rather keep buried.”
Benwood narrowed his eyes and motioned for Gordu to step closer.
”Gordu. Would you be willing to tell me about those secrets? If that woman falls from power, I can guarantee your future.”
”Master!? N-no! Heaven forbid!” Gordu blanched. “Sure, it’d be a blessing if she were gone, but if word got out, she’d know it was me. That terrifying woman would never let us walk away. Please, spare me.”
”I’m not asking for an answer tonight,” Benwood replied. “But would you be willing to cooperate with me?”
”C-cooperate?”
”Yes. Consider this an advance on your cooperation.”
At Benwood’s signal, one of the soldiers produced a leather pouch from beneath his cloak. Benwood took it and handed it over.
”T-this is…!”
Gordu’s eyes widened as the weight of gold settled into his palm.
”Stand with me, and you will not regret it,” Benwood said. “For now, simply continue your duties. There is no need to work particularly hard. Keep up appearances and take it easy whenever you can. Not a bad arrangement, is it?”
”H-heh… aye…”
”One more thing. If anyone carrying this wooden tag arrives, allow them through without questioning them.”
Benwood held up a small wooden tag engraved with a flower-shaped crest.
”W-wait a minute! If that gets discovered, they’ll hang us!”
”You only need to act as though you saw nothing,” Benwood said. “Do not speak to them. Do not interfere. Simply look the other way. Understood?”
”H-heh… understood…”
The following night, a hooded man emerged from the swamp and presented the tag. Gordu silently watched him pass. The next day another man arrived bearing the same token, and once again Gordu turned a blind eye.
Two days later, Benwood returned, apparently satisfied that his arrangements had gone unnoticed.
”Heh… Master, what brings you here?” Gordu asked with a servile smile.
”Tomorrow night, clear out one of the rooms in the outer fort and leave it empty. When someone arrives from outside, guide them there. Can you manage that?”
”H-heh. Understood.”
Late the following night, two hooded men arrived from the swamp, and Gordu escorted them inside. Two hours later Benwood appeared with two soldiers in tow.
”Well now, Master Benwood. Welcome.”
”Has our guest arrived?”
”Aye. I put them in the break room behind the kitchen.”
”Good. It should be quiet enough there for a proper conversation. You’ve got good instincts, Gordu.”
Benwood strode toward the entrance of the outer fort.
”Open it!”
A viewing hatch slid open to confirm his identity, and the heavy gates began to creak apart.
”Ugh!?”
Torchlight flashed across a wall of spearheads.
Inside stood a line of fully armed knights, their spears leveled directly at Benwood.
”T-this is…!”
”Hold it right there, kid.”
The voice came from behind him.
”Gordu! You bastard! Did you betray us?!”
Benwood spun around and found Gordu standing tall, looking down at him with a mocking grin.
”Aren’t you the one who did the betraying, Rockner Benwood?”
At the sound of a cold female voice, Benwood froze.
Celestia stepped out from behind the line of knights.
”Y-you… Commander-in-Chief!? No! This is a mistake! Gordu tricked me! He’s the one who lured me here!”
”Pathetic until the very end, Benwood.”
Celestia withdrew a glass-faced magical device and ran a finger across its surface.
”Tomorrow night, clear out one of the rooms in the outer fort and leave it empty. When someone arrives from outside, guide them there. Can you manage that?”
Benwood’s face drained of color.
”S-such a magic tool…?”
”I’ve been listening to every conversation since the night you handed Gordu that gold.”
”That can’t be… from the very beginning!? Then Gordu being assigned here was also—”
”A fool willing to kill sentries was most likely operating from outside the fort,” Celestia said. “I entrusted the western outpost to my own people, so naturally this place became suspect. Had the visitor already been chosen? An unexpected personnel transfer seems to have caused you quite a bit of trouble. Incidentally, the two men you arranged to meet are being interrogated as we speak. You should have been more careful while fishing for information.”
”A-Ahhh!!”
With a furious roar, Benwood lunged at Gordu and drew his sword.
Gordu moved first.
He trapped Benwood’s right elbow, drove a fist into the bridge of his nose, and sent blood spraying across the dirt. As Benwood staggered, Gordu twisted his arm behind his back and slammed him face-first into the ground.
”Strip them of everything and put them in work clothes,” Celestia ordered. “Take the rings as well. They could be hiding poison.”
”Yes, ma’am!”
”I’m surprised a son of Count Rockner would help a spy,” Gordu remarked.
”Whether the spy served Prince Star or the Empire, either possibility damages House Rockner,” Celestia replied grimly. “I only pray Count Rockner himself is not involved.”
”My lady, this is the gold Benwood used to bribe me.”
Gordu tossed over the pouch.
”Don’t call me ‘my lady.’ And how much did you skim off the top?”
”Heh. Three coins.”
”Is that really the truth? We’re busy. You do not need to report every scrap you find.”
Celestia tossed the pouch back.
”Actually, I took ten.”
Gordu tossed it back again with a shrug.
”Too much money gives me bad ideas. Makes me want to find a tavern. Just count it as part of the total.”
”Honestly…” Celestia sighed. “The Academy is finally settling down, so I’ll be lifting the restrictions on the special district before long. Until then, be patient. I’ll add this to your retirement fund. If you want to collect it alive instead of as a corpse, try not to get careless.”
”Heh. Much obliged.”
”That’s our Big Sis Celestia!”
”We’ve got some good liquor over here! How about a drink, Big Sis?!”
The men cheerfully raised the bottles Benwood had left behind.
”Enough! Stop calling me Big Sis, too. I’m the Commander-in-Chief here!” Celestia snapped back, though her eyes kept drifting toward the bottles. “And if I start drinking tonight, Liora will never let me hear the end of it.”
”Still, that was some convincing acting, Gordu. Benwood swallowed every word.”
One of the knights raised his visor, revealing a broad grin beneath. The others soon followed.
”Brian, huh? Watching you lot sweat away while I sat around drinking and making a scene wasn’t exactly easy.”
”Yeah, right! You act like that every day!”
”Damn brats. I’ll make sure everyone hears how lazy you lot are.”
Laughter erupted from both the knights and the men gathered around them.
”Sorry, but Gordu’s group will have to stay assigned to this outpost a little longer,” Celestia said. “If we move everyone back immediately, they’ll realize something was wrong.”
”We don’t mind. Those idiots even brought in mages, and the moat still isn’t getting finished. If we don’t complete it before the rainy season hits, we’ll have a problem. We’ll handle it ourselves.”
”My apologies. I’ll send additional workers the day after tomorrow.”
”No need. I’ve been getting soft lately. This’ll be good exercise.”
”Good. Then make as much noise as you can tonight. We cannot let anyone at the fort realize what happened here.”
”Heh! If that’s an order, we’ve got no choice! You hear that, boys? Let’s make this one loud!”
”Yeahhh!”
Leaving Gordu and his men to their celebration, Celestia returned to the outpost. There she pulled out her smartphone and sent a report, along with fresh instructions, to Liora at the fort.
—
Summary:
Gordu and his men at the northern outpost orchestrate a ruse of drunken incompetence to trap the treacherous Benwood. Celestia successfully exposes Benwood’s scheme using a captured magical recording, leading to his swift arrest and interrogation. The soldiers celebrate the capture while Celestia maintains her stoic commander persona, leaving the unresolved threat of external political factions looming.
—
Trivia:
The dry moat is actively being excavated deeper for defensive purposes.
Gordu and his men were specifically chosen for this post because they know the “dirty secrets” of their superiors.
Celestia had already assigned her own subordinates to monitor the western fort, demonstrating her tactical oversight.
The “magic board” used by Celestia functions as an early form of audio surveillance technology.
Notes:
• Benwood – A young man with refined features and polished armor who holds a position of authority within the knightly ranks. He is opportunistic and manipulative, attempting to incite a coup against Celestia.
• Gordu – A thick-set, red-faced middle-aged man with a sycophantic grin who acts as the leader of the outpost squad. Originally a bandit, he is cynical and greedy, currently performing a double game between Benwood and Celestia.
• Celestia – A blonde, navy-uniformed Commander-in-Chief with sharp, cold eyes and an authoritative demeanor. As Slaydeal’s leader and School Committee President, this shrewd political strategist and master of intelligence treats situations like chess, recently orchestrating the capture of spies within her outpost. Driven by national loyalty, she exploits new technology for an edge while mentoring newcomers.
• Liora – Celestia’s sharp, capable assistant, she stands out for her quick grasp of complex technology and her level-headed focus on the political and economic risks surrounding the smartphone deal. With elegant willow-leaf eyebrows and crisp, professional military attire, she carries herself with disciplined precision and quiet competence.
• Brian – A knight who serves under Celestia, characterized by his straightforward loyalty and participation in the orchestrated revelry.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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