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Part 1
– The royal castle of Sunkwoll, Galfort Castle. –
A large crowd of statesmen had gathered around the red-carpeted audience chamber.
They were holding a war council today.
King Douglas sat on his throne, elevated before the civil and military officers who were lined up in order of social status on his left and right.
Most of the people present had blond hair and blue eyes…… In other words, they were nobles.
Only Rain, who was kneeling before the king, stood out with his slick black hair and black eyes. Today, his eyes shined with a glint that was more mischievous than usual.
He always wore a daring, yet brazen, expression on this face regardless of the situation, and today was no exception.
At the very least, that was how it Ralphus saw it.
Ralphus himself had a slender face with well-organized features, and did not look anything like Rain.
Normally, he had a kind-looking face that would make all of the girls within Galfort Castle, regardless of their social rank, stir up a fuss, but at the moment his face was twisted in extreme distress.
Rain, that's enough, he thought ——unfortunately, Ralphus' prayer did not reach his best friend.
"As I have explained to you before, blindly accepting Zarmine's extremely obvious invitation is not a good tactic. It is simply absurd to send out soldiers in this situation. It would be the same thing as leaping head-first into the enemy's trap."
Rain raised his voice to emphasize his sarcasm.
Fury burned in King Douglas' eyes as he glared at the insolent man.
"Damn you, watch your mouth! Not only are you disapproving of my strategy, but you are also insulting it!"
Douglas, who had a large battle-scar running down his cheek, shook in anger as he shouted.
All of the civil officers present trembled in fear as Douglas lashed out, but Rain, the actual object of his anger, remained completely unaffected. To the contrary, the corners of his mouth were upturned in a faint smile, as if he was enjoying the situation.
He was more courageous than the average man. ……To the point that you could even say he was shameless.
To prove that point, Rain cast a quick glance at Ralphus's direction and smiled smugly.
Ralphus tried to question Rain with his eyes, but his friend had already turned to face forward again.
And once again Rain admonished the king ——or rather, he protested,
"strategy? Your Majesty, I don't think you can call attacking forty-thousand enemies head-on with only ten-thousand soldiers a proper strategy. Although it is a rather certain method for suicide……"
King Douglas grit his teeth in fury. His was finally at the end of his patience.
Ralphus had no idea what Rain was trying to do. Rain, of all people, should have known that the king had a short temper. At this rate, Rain would seriously get executed by the king.
Rain, are you really that dissatisfied with the king's verdict……?
It had only been a month since Zarmine, the strongest kingdom in the north, had destroyed Lunan.
Even Lunan, which had bordered Sunkwoll to the north and had fought with them for many long years, had not stood a chance against Zarmine.
But the people of Sunkwoll could not celebrate the fact that one of their enemies had fallen.
No matter how you looked at it, Zarmine's next target was none other than Sunkwoll, the small kingdom at the southwestern edge of the continent of Murgenia.
Of course, Sunkwoll had taken extra precautions after the fall of Lunan. Checkpoints had been established at the former border to Lunan as a measure against foreign spies, and each high general had begun to ready their personal armies for war under the king's orders.
And, just as Sunkwoll had feared, King Leygur had finally mobilized an impossibly large army at the end of last month.
Under orders from Leygur's commanders, Zarmine's entire army had begun to move south. Even a child could tell you that their target was Sunkwoll.
King Douglas, too, had hardened his resolve to defeat Zarmine with a surprise attack and had ordered all seven high generals of his army to depart for battle.
All of the high generals below Ralphus in rank had followed those orders and had brought their personal armies into Galfort Castle one after another.
——Except for Rain, who had readily ignored his orders and had arrived empty-handed. This alone was enough to result in severe punishment.
In addition to that was his rebellious protest……it was no wonder that Ralphus was anxious for him.
"Rain, I have promoted you to the rank of a high general and have even granted you land befitting your title despite your common blood. You have received the highest prestige a knight could ever attain, and yet…!"
The king was so angry that he was at a loss for words. In contrast, Rain responded offhandedly,
"right. Yeah, well, I'm pretty grateful for that."
No matter how you heard it, he didn't sound grateful at all. Instead, he sounded like he was making fun of the king.
"How dare you! Such insolence! Then why? Why won't you obey your orders?!"
A sigh echoed throughout the chamber.
Of course, it was Rain who had sighed.
"That's what I've been telling you. I am opposed to the idea of clashing with an enemy when we have neither superior military might nor a proper plan. Won't you please just get it already?"
Rain shook his head in exasperation before he continued,
"to battle a large army with a small regiment and fall gloriously on the battlefield ——as someone who has worked their way up from being a mercenary, suicide tactics aren't really to my preference."
"What do you mean they "aren't to your preference," you fool! Your preferences do not matter!"
Voices of agreement clamored throughout the chamber.
They had been from the five high generals excluding Ralphus who represented Sunkwoll's military affairs. Rain's reputation was extremely poor even among his colleagues. Then again, the man himself could not have cared any less, either.
"The land that was once Lunan now belongs to Zarmine, meaning that it is enemy territory. You would have to be insane to think that we could just nonchalantly walk in and prepare for a surprise attack."
"Da, damn you! Is that how you address your king?!"
Douglas raged as he finally pulled his sword out of its scabbard.
He stood up from his throne and took long strides towards Rain. Voices rose up in commotion.
Among them were many voices of anticipation.
I cannot allow this to happen!
Ralphus thought as he quickly ran forward and stood in front of Rain, shielding him from the king.
"Please wait, Your Majesty!"
"Out of my way, Ralphus! I will not pardon him today!"
"Even still, to cut him down…… You're going too far!"
"You will remain silent, Ralphus!"
"No, I will not!"
The chamber fell into silence before the full force of Ralphus' spirited voice. Even the king had lowered his sword in surprise.
Ralphus was generally a calm man, but was known to act like a different person altogether from time to time. This was one of those times.
Without changing his posture, Ralphus continued,
"we are about to go to war, and yet you are about to cut down an ally. Please give this matter a little more thought."
Someone else refuted Ralphus' pleas in the place of the daunted king.
It was Ganoa, one of the high generals, who twitched his scrawny cheeks as he snobbishly proclaimed,
"Lord Ralphus, even if you are trying to protect your friend, your conduct goes against the will of the His Majesty."
——In other words, he was telling Ralphus to shut up and watch.
His colleague, Gilles, nodded repeatedly in agreement at his side. In contrast to Ganoa, who was slim and had a haughty countenance, Gilles was as fat as a round barrel. Both men were strongly mindful of their status as nobles, and thus had the worst relationships with Rain.
They were undoubtedly hoping for Rain to be executed. Ralphus was also from a prestigious noble lineage, and was a distant relative of the royal family, but had always disliked the two.
"You fools!"
Ralphus lashed out. He continued,
"our enemies will be the only ones to rejoice if Rain was to die here. Can you not understand this?"
Ganoa opened his mouth to try to say something sullen in retort, but closed his mouth after one look at Ralphus' furious expression. Gilles did the same.
King Douglas, too, sheathed his sword back into his scabbard with a bitter face. He had probably felt as if Ralphus' words had been directed at himself. He returned to his throne with a heavy gait and glowered at Ralphus and Rain.
"Forget it. Beheading him here would achieve nothing."
"Yep, exactly,"
Rain interrupted lightly as if he was talking about someone else's fate.
Deep wrinkles etched themselves between the king's brows.
Ralphus held Rain back with one hand, as if he was telling him to shut up. Then, he knelt by his friend's side.
"Thank you very much for listening, You Majesty."
"However, it is still a fact that he has come here alone without his soldiers. It doesn't change the fact that he has ignored his orders, and that it may happen again in the future. I cannot simply absolve him of his crimes."
"That is true, but…"
Troubled, Ralphus stole a quick glance at Rain, who was looked back at Ralphus as if this wasn't his concern. Even though he was about to be punished by the king, Rain didn't look serious at all.
Helplessly, Ralphus continued,
"Your Majesty, how do you find ordering Rain to be put under house arrest?"
"House arrest, is it?"
"Indeed. At any rate, he is not prepared to fight this war, so I believe this is an appropriate punishment."
King Douglas stroked his thick beard and made a grim face. He disliked Ralphus' proposal, but could not reject it outright because Ralphus was a prominent noble from a powerful bloodline. Although he was the king, his ancestry was inferior to Ralphus' by a notch.
"I find it somewhat lacking as punishment,"
the king muttered in discontent.
"That is not the case,"
Ralphus replied without a moment's delay, and continued on to propose something that he himself did not believe in.
"If Your Majesty was to lead the army against Zarmine and return triumphant, then even Rain would have to acknowledge his own ignorance. He would lose face to us as well. There is no greater punishment for a knight bound by honor."
Ralphus said this purposefully, despite knowing that Rain would cast aside his knightly honor without a second thought.
"Hmm…… That is, well…"
"It is as such. Your Majesty, your verdict please."
At Ralphus' urging, the king looked like he had swallowed dirt as he proclaimed,
"very well then. Rain, I order you to be put under house arrest in your lands. Be grateful that your punishment was no harsher than this!"
"Sire! I am truly thankful for your kindness!!"
Rain replied in a cherry voice as he lowered his head in an empty show of respect. He cast a sidelong glance at Ralphus, who was bowing at his side, and winked with an audacious smile.
Had he planned for all of this to happen? If so, then he was truly a man to be feared.
Ralphus could only smile back wryly.
Then again, there was nothing better than the fact that his friend would remain safe; since no matter how you looked at it, it was impossible to win this war.
Ganoa and Gilles had been staring coldly at Ralphus and Rain during that time, but for better or worse, Ralphus had not noticed.
Afterwards, the war council concluded without another comment.
Ralphus invited Rain to his personal chambers within the castle.
If he was to head to war, then this could be their last meeting in this lifetime.
"Would you care for a drink?"
"Yeah, sounds good,"
Rain replied in a spirited voice.
Rain sat down heavily on the sofa once they had entered Ralphus' private chambers. He crossed his legs high in the air and made himself at home.
Ralphus brought out a bottle of wine and two wineglasses from a cabinet that was nestled into a bookshelf and poured two glasses of wine. Then, he took a seat across from Rain.
After finishing his glass in one go, Rain immediately poured himself another. He was drinking as heavily as he always did. Ralphus drank his own glass of wine slowly as he peered into his friend's face.
Rain's youthful visage had not changed since the time they had first met. In any case, he did not look like he was the same age as Ralphus —twenty-five years old. He looked to be eighteen or twenty at most.
Ralphus, who was of Sunkwoll's noble bloodline and was rumored to have elvish ancestry in his lineage, lived longer and consequently aged slower than other people. However, he could only guess as to why Rain remained so youthful, since the same explanation did not hold true for his friend.
He realized that he knew next to nothing about Rain.
As Ralphus was contemplating, Rain suddenly said,
"by the way, sorry about before."
"What are you sorry about? Your house arrest? What, so you really were counting on me to intervene, weren't you?"
"Yeah, it was within my expectations."
"Then you could have at least told me beforehand. What were you going to do if I hadn't stopped His Majesty?"
"I believed that you'd definitely stop him. Besides, how could I have told you when you can't even act to save your life?"
"Hmph. You're right, though."
Ralphus understood where Rain was coming from. If he had heard Rain's plan from the beginning, he most certainly would have given it away.
"But to think that you of all people would go out of your way avoid this war. Do you really think we have no chance of winning?"
"At this rate, we don't even have a hair's breadth of a chance to win,"
Rain guaranteed Sunkwoll's defeat in a truly relaxed manner. He continued,
"all of this is just a part of Zarmine's trap. They're even marching slowly on purpose. They're planning to gang up on us with their superior numbers once we're within their reach."
"……You're probably right. Then, what do you think we should do? Wouldn't they attack us eventually, even if we ignore them for now?"
"We would just need to fight them in Sunkwoll territory. But, either you or I would have to devise our strategy, and we would also have to be the ones commanding the army."
"That's…… But……"
Ralphus grimaced.
King Douglas detested it when other people interfered with his proposed strategies. Although he was more forgiving about other matters, he would not listen to even Ralphus' suggestions regarding this war.
"It's impossible, no? Then, there's nothing more to be done; this is the end. Simple numbers settle everything —it's how war works in this world."
"——Yeah, I guess."
His response was somewhat vague, but Ralphus had understood was Rain was saying.
Rain's analysis had been cold, but accurate. King Douglas could hold his own in battle, but lacked the brainpower necessary to formulate a strategy that kept the general picture in mind. The outcome was clear no matter how you looked at it.
"In any case, it's not as if I'm the type of person who would throw away his life for his king. It just doesn't suit me launch a suicide attack when I have no chance at winning."
Ralphus tilted his wineglass from side to side in silence.
Rain was being sarcastic, but he was not necessarily wrong.
The King had forced Rain into many unpleasant situations before with his ridiculous orders, so it would have been stranger for Rain to willingly sacrifice his life for him.
To begin with, Rain was an ex-mercenary who was not very loyal to his kingdom. Perhaps he was not loyal at all.
But to each his own. It would also be fine for there to be a fool who would stand his ground and fight to the bitter end.
Rain stared intently at Ralphus.
"Your face tells me that you'd go even if I told you not to participate in the war."
"Yeah. I'm glad for your concern, though."
"——Not really. It's just too bad that I'll lose someone to leech off of."
"Is that so?"
Ralphus laughed quietly.
Rain stood up abruptly after draining the rest of his glass in one go.
"Well then. It's about time for me to go. I'm under house arrest, at any rate."
"Okay. Make sure to take care of yourself, alright? Though my words probably fall on deaf ears."
"Nah, you're the one who has to take care, you know?"
Rain's mask came off and Ralphus was able to glimpse his underlying uneasiness for a brief moment, but he had promptly returned to normal in the next.
Rain left the room as if he was simply going out for a walk without betraying his disheartened mood. Ralphus followed him out into the hallway to see him off.
"Oh yeah,"
Rain said, remembering something right as he was about to leave,
"I've been thinking of asking you for a while, but do you know of a girl called Michelle? She should be about sixteen now, and she's probably a noble."
"Michelle? Hmm…… Do you know anything else about her?"
"Let's see. Well, she has straight blond hair that goes all the way down to her waist, and she has a face so pretty that you wouldn't believe it…… She has a nice voice, too."
"That wasn't helpful at all. There are a lot of nobles,"
Ralphus said, considerably exasperated. He continued,
"still, isn't she too young for you? Certainly, I may not know much about relationships between a man and a woman, but……"
"NO! It's not like that. I'm not into that kind of stuff. It's just, I've made a promise."
"A promise?"
"Never mind; it's fine if you don't know. I already know where I can probably find her."
With a wave of his hand, Rain turned around and walked away as if nothing had happened.
He never once looked back.
Ralphus, who had returned to his chambers, continued to drink alone while thinking about his best friend.
Recalling the unfavorable war before him, he realized that he would never see that liberal man again unless he stumbled into some great fortune……
Knock knock
An awfully reserved knock fell onto Ralphus's ears as he was deeply submerged in his thoughts. Its owner was too timid to be his aide, Gwen.
"I'm coming. Who is—— Your Royal Highness the Princess?!"
When he casually opened the door, he found Princess Shelfa waiting patiently on the other side.
She had straight blond hair that reached all the way down to her waist, and her skin was so white that it was almost transparent. Her gentle and charming eyes, which were slightly larger than most, seemed to understand everything for what it was.
She usually wore an expression of loneliness, but she looked somewhat cheerful today. She stopped Ralphus, who was about to reflexively bend down on one knee, with a dainty hand.
"Please don't, Lord Ralphus. Um…… Could I have a moment of your time?"
"Of course. Please, come in,"
Ralphus invited the princess inside even as his mind was reeling. He had heard that the princess disliked people quite a bit, so he couldn't even begin to guess why she was here……
Ralphus had hardly ever met with the princess, who was sixteen this year.
At the very most, he had only greeted her when they crossed paths within the palace. It wasn't as if Ralphus avoided her on purpose, but rather that the princess had confined herself within her personal chambers in the heart of the palace.
However, she hadn't done so out of her own volition, but because her father, King Douglas, had mandated it.
In any case, her visit was unexpected.
The princess surveyed the room with great curiosity as she sat on the sofa.
"So, what brings you here today?"
"Well…… Um, is it true that you are friends with Rain, Lord Ralphus? I heard that you were from one of the maids."
"……Yes. He is certainly a good friend of mine."
She had addressed Rain without his title. Was she close to him?
Ralphus became even more perplexed.
"Then, would you happen to know where Rain is at the moment? I heard that he was here in the castle today, but I could not find him anywhere."
Ralphus probably looked very puzzled to her, because she then whispered,
"this is a secret from my father. I've snuck out of my chambers because I wanted to see Rain."
"——I see. You wanted to see Rain,"
was all he could muster in response.
The beautiful princess, who had leaned towards him to whisper, was blushing faintly red. Anyone could tell that Rain was important to her.
Just when had he met Her Royal Highness?
It was a mystery. Rain hardly ever visited Galfort Castle to begin with.
"He was here until a moment ago…… But unfortunately, he had to return to his castle because he was put under house arrest."
Princess Shelfa muttered piteously. She looked so disappointed that Ralphus was afraid that she would burst out in tears.
"It couldn't be helped. Besides, things probably worked out better for him this way."
Sympathizing for her plight, Ralphus told her about what had happened during the war council in great detail after asking her not to tell anyone else. He told her everything that had happened, including Rain's scheming.
"I……see. If Rain went out of his way to do that, then there must really be no hope left for this kingdom,"
the princess said in a voice filled with her infinite trust for Rain.
"Although I do not wish to acknowledge it."
Letting out a soft sigh, the princess pulled out a pendant from the bosom of her white robes and stared at it intently. Attached to the end of its silver chain was an old coin with a hole through the top.
When she realized that Ralphus was looking at her, she held the coin out in her pale hands for him to see.
"I'll let you see this, Lord Ralphus, because you are a friend of Rain's. I received this coin from him. It is my treasure."
"I am honored. It appears to be rather old, although I can't say that it looks like it was meant to be worn as an accessory."
It would have been more accurate to say that it was worn out. It looked like a silver coin, but etched on its dirty surface was a string of words that had been written in a language he did not know.
"This is a magic coin."
"Magic, you say?"
"Yes. I cannot tell you what it does because I've promised not to, but looking at it always cheers me up when I am feeling down. However, it seems that its magic will work only once."
Magic items were exceedingly rare these days. This was because there were almost no rune masters left to charge items with magic anymore.
However, after listening to Shelfa's words…… Ralphus felt a shiver run down his spine.
Ralphus had also received a magic item from Rain before.
It had happened while Sunkwall was still at war with Lunan and the king had ordered Ralphus to depart for battle. Ralphus had been drinking with Rain on the night before he left when Rain had said he would give him something nice.
"Something nice?"
"Yeah. This is something I found by chance while I was exploring some ruins in the North…… Well, take a look,"
Rain had said smugly. What he had held out in his hands, however, looked like an ordinary rock with a slightly greenish tint.
"Hmm? It looks like an ordinary rock to me."
"Ugh, this is why you amateurs are so…… This will only work once, but it'll protect its owner from mortal danger and break apart in its owner's stead. It's true; I'm not lying."
"Well well!"
Ralphus had replied in admiration.
"I'll give this to you just in case. Take it with you to battle. It's fine, just take it. In exchange, drinks are on you tonight."
Before they had parted, Rain had reminded Ralphus once again that he was not lying about the rock.
Deeply grateful to his friend, Ralphus had brought the magic stone with him to the battlefield.
He had even thought that the rock had worked.
An enemy arrow had been fired at his throat during the fierce battle that had ensued. However, Ralphus had escaped certain death and the arrow had only left a red streak across his neck. The rock that Rain had given him had disappeared during the battle, so Ralphus had thought that its magic had worked.
Yet, when he had gone drinking with Rain after he had returned home and had stated his thanks, Rain had readily replied,
"oh. That was just a normal rock. I picked it up off the roadside."
"……What did you say?"
"Hey, don't get angry. It was reassuring to have, wasn't it? It's important to have a good mindset and all that in battle, right? Man~, good for you~; what a happy ending~."
Ralphus had spat out his drink as Rain hit him hard across the back——
Ralphus unintentionally cleared his throat as he recalled his traumatic past.
Seeing that the princess was beaming with joy, he nervously asked,
"by the way, Princess, did Rain happen to say anything about that silver coin?"
After blinking several times, she answered,
"Let me see…… Rain seems to have traveled all over the world, but I think he said that he had found this magic item by chance while exploring some ruins in the North—— or something to that extent."
"Is, is that so?"
That bastard!
Ralphus broke out in cold sweat.
Failing to notice Ralphus' internal distress, the princess happily continued,
"Rain is so strange. I had never doubted him, but he kept insisting that he wasn't lying."
"Ye, yes…… That is strange indeed…… Haha, hahaha."
The princess laughed elegantly with a hand placed daintily at her lips, but Ralphus did not share in her delight.
Instead, he had sobered up at once.
In any case, he decided to change the topic. He would interrogate Rain for more details if he ever met the man again.
"Well, regardless of what it can do, if the magic only works once, you should keep it safe without wasting it."
"Yes, that is what I intend to do."
"I'm relieved to hear that."
"You are?"
"——No, no it's nothing. Leaving that aside, would you happen to know of someone named Michelle, Princess?"
He had casually uttered that name in an attempt to change the topic, but the Princess had jumped to her feet in surprise.
"Where did you hear that name? From Rain!? You heard it from Rain, yes?"
All Ralphus could do in the face of the princess' passionate outburst was to nod and freeze in place. He realized too late that if the princess had held romantic feelings for Rain, he should have not voiced the name of another woman.
Contrary to his expectations, however, the princess smiled in wonder and gathered her slender hands. Dreamily, she said,
"Rain has been thinking about Michelle, hasn't he, Lord Ralphus?"
"Yes…… I suppose. He only asked me if I knew of her. That was all……"
The princess did not appear to have heard his response. With her cheeks flushed red, she muttered, "I see, so Rain remembers" over and over again. She was the very picture of a maiden in love. She probably didn't even realize that Ralphus was there with her anymore.
I really cannot understand women,
Ralphus thought seriously to himself.
Part 2
A low song carried over on the wind.
For the umpteenth time, Yuri glanced down at the ground from atop her horse for any rocks she could throw in frustration, but eventually decided to endure it for the sake of her mission.
She was a girl of sixteen or seventeen with a blue blouse and a while skirt.
Her neat black hair fell gracefully at the top of her shoulders. Her light green eyes, which darted around like a squirrel's, shined in determination. She had a face that most men would find cute, but was currently twisted it in irritation.
——Geez, how much longer is that jerk planning on singing that god-awful song! On top of that, he's only wearing a shirt and a pair of pants in this cold weather. He's a weirdo; he's totally a weirdo!
Could there possibly anybody more tone-deaf than him? His singing was so bad that it left her dumbfounded. His song was about a love story between some man and some woman, but it honestly just sounded like noise to her.
Or rather, she even felt as if his singing was shortening her lifespan.
He was just that bad.
Yuri maintained her distance from the singer and tailed him while holding back the urge to cover her ears.
That man——Rain, a high general of this kingdom, was known as the "Unknown Genius" in Zarmine.
Well, not many people called him that anymore because he was rather famous now. Still, there was no doubt that he was regarded highly in other countries. His military exploits were well-known throughout the whole land.
In fact, Yuri had also been extremely nervous before she had laid her eyes on him. Now, not even a fraction of her initial anxiety remained.
I want to drop everything and hurry home ——Yuri thought, but she couldn't do so because her orders had come from the prime minister himself.
Yuri sighed. For the time being, she had to stick to this man no matter what.
Oblivious to Yuri's feelings, Rain continued to sing in his thunderous voice while riding atop his finely bred white horse.
He didn't seem to care that he was in the middle of the busy capital filled with rows of small stores. He completely ignored all of the snickering from the people who were walking down the street. Rain was truly quite the character.
However, Yuri did not want to get even a millimeter closer to him.
Even now, she stayed as far away from Rain as possible so passersby would not accidentally think that she was his companion. Besides, he was technically a stranger to her.
Then……. Rain suddenly stopped his murderous singing and muttered something. When Yuri desperately strained her ears, she heard him say,
"How about it, Kris, you hungry?"
Yuri looked up at the sky in exasperation.
She had heard this line so many times that she didn't even feel like complaining, "who the hell is Kris? There's no one there!" anymore.
Along the way, Yuri had eventually figured out that Kris was the name of Rain's horse. In other words, Rain, the supposed genius, had the childish hobby of talking to horses.
He was a difficult fellow to understand.
Why do I have to tail this useless guy who doesn't live up to his rumors……?
Even though there was no way the horse could respond, Rain persistently pestered his horse again and again.
Just then, Rain nodded in satisfaction.
"Okay, I gotcha. The food can wait till later, right Kris?"
he said, and began his murderous singing again as if nothing had happened.
Without thinking, Yuri cursed under her breath. This was the first time that she had found a mission so unpleasant.
It wasn't just because of the singing.
To begin with, Rain held the prestigious title of high general, but he peered into random stores like the average country bumpkin. He even seemed to show more interest in the store's wares if the storekeeper was a (beautiful) woman.
He would not move on until he had spoken a word or two with them.
This guy's an idiot of a womanizer.
Yuri's opinion of Rain plummeted down beyond the point of no return.
Meanwhile, Rain suddenly turned behind the corner of a local tavern.
And there you go, acting on another whim,
Yuri thought as she hurried behind him into the alley.
"——! Ahhh!"
She had almost run straight into Rain.
She thought that he had already proceeded ahead, but he had dismounted his horse and was leaning against the tavern wall instead. As soon as he saw Yuri, he casually raised a hand in greetings.
"Hey! Why don't we talk for a bit?"
Crap. He couldn't possibly have known that I was tailing…… no, I can still fix this! He's an idiot.
After allowing her face to cycle through a world of colors, Yuri regained her senses and forced her expression into one of a naïve young girl's. She opened her eyes as wide as she could, and said,
"Huh? Have you mistaken me for someone else, Sir Knight?"
"A mistake……huh,"
Rain replied as he scrutinized Yuri up and down before making a show of shrugging his shoulders. He continued,
"well, I don't mind either way. Could you get off your horse for a bit? I want to talk."
She hesitated at first, but then she realized that she couldn't have him be suspicious of her. In the end, she reluctantly dismounted off her horse.
"So, did you need something from me?"
"Nothing much. I just wanted to know why you've coincidentally been following me ever since I left the castle,"
Rain said, putting a considerably amount of emphasis on the word 'coincidentally.'
Yuri suddenly found herself at a loss. She had thought that he was a simple fool, but he had realized that she had been tailing him ever since he had left Galfort Castle. She could not write it off as mere 'coincidence.'
This, this could be bad…… Yuri thought as she broke out in sweat while trying to lie her way out.
"Uh, umm…… I guess I'll come clean, but the truth is, I fell in love the moment I laid my eyes on you, Sir Knight, and I've been blindly following you even since."
Yuri rambled on in one breath while resisting the urge to vomit. Rain replied,
"oh? You fell in love with me at first sight?"
as he laughed. Yuri laughed along with him.
After they had laughed for some time, Rain abruptly stopped laughing and declared,
"you're lying."
"What?! It's true~! Your all-black getup is super cool!"
"Are you still sticking to that story? Listen, I already know I'm handsome."
What an exceptionally egoistic idiot, Yuri thought as she immediately lowered her personal evaluation of Rain. He continued,
"even still, I'm not going to buy such an obvious excuse."
"But it's really true~! I've completely fallen head over heels for you……"
Yuri closed her mouth when Rain threw out a hand to stop her. After a forced sigh, Rain cut straight to the point.
"I'll spell it out for you since you keep insisting on playing dumb. You're a spy from Zarmine, aren't you? Admit it."
I've been found out!
Yuri thought as she reached for the dagger hidden underneath her skirt and tried to leap backwards. She was confident in her ability to run away, and she could fight better than the average knight if she had to. She hadn't been trained in Zarmine for nothing.
In any case, that was what she had thought until now.
——However, she soon found herself unable to leap.
The dark silhouette of a sword had moved towards her with a faint whistle while creating afterimages in its wake.
A vibrant blue beam of light drew a semicircle-shaped trail in the air and filled up Yuri's vision.
She had been rendered unable to move before she could realize what was happening.
Before she could even begin to reach for her dagger, Rain had thrust his sword against her throat at a speed too fast for the eyes to follow.
It wasn't an ordinary longsword, either. It was a magical sword that gave off an aura of magical light……a magic sword.
A bluish while light danced up from its blade in waves, and it emitted a hum akin to the buzzing of numerous insects.
It looked incredibly sharp. In any case, she definitely did not want to test the sword against her own flesh.
Yuri gulped.
"N-no way. That was so fast."
"Of course it was. I'm a genius, you know,"
Rain said arrogantly as he brushed back his hair with one hand. His behavior really tried her patience, but Yuri was not in any position to argue.
To top it all, the stupid horse named Kris seemed to be looking down on her, which pissed Yuri off even more.
But that was probably just a coincidence.
"How did I find out? Well, it's impossible to tail me without me knowing because I'm sensitive to people's presences, and besides, you don't move like a normal girl."
"No way."
"Hmph. It just means that you're twenty years too young to deceive my eyes,"
Rain said with abandon. Yuri wanted to hit him right there and then; yet, not only was this neither the time nor the place to do so, but she was also in danger of losing her life.
Spies were hated no matter where they were. If captured, they would immediately be put to death. More often than not, they were slain on the spot the moment they were discovered. In other words, Yuri was in an incomparably bad situation.
Oh crap! Who's gonna take care of my little sister if I die? Is there anything I can do to get out of this, anything?! If I beg him to spare me…… oh, but, what if he asks me to do "this" or "that" instead? This idiot's probably a huge lecher.
While Yuri was agonizing over her situation, Rain leisurely asked her,
"so. Your name?"
"It's Yuri……"
"Yuri, huh? It's an okay name. Though it's a little awkward to say."
While Yuri was thinking, mind your own damn business! Rain continued on and asked her for her age.
Since there was no point in hiding it, she answered, "sixteen," without taking her eyes off of his magic sword. Rain seemed a little disappointed that she was too young to be his type as he absentmindedly rubbed his chin. Naturally, Rain was not Yuri's type, either.
"Well, make sure you wear a shorter skirt next time. You know, the kind that just barely covers the good parts."
Rain readily returned his sword to its scabbard after saying his piece. Then, he began to walk back toward his horse while humming cheerfully as Yuri stared at him in disbelief.
"Kris, we'll have some food in just a bit, 'kay?
"……Hold on a sec."
"Oh yeah. If you'd like we could go treat ourselves in an inn on the outskirts of town, Kris."
"……Excuse me."
"Oh yeah? You like that? Alright, I'll treat you till you can't eat another bite!"
Yuri took a giant breath and yelled at the top of her lungs,
Rain turned back around, startled by her sudden outburst.
His black eyes were wide open in surprise.
"Hey, don't just starting yelling all of a sudden. I like hearing pretty voices, you know?"
"Screw your pretty voices! A-and, don't keep talking to your horse like there's nothing wrong with the world when I'm trembling at the thought of being killed!"
"Just when were you trembling? When? You were waiting for a chance to run away this entire time. Though it's fifty years too early for you to try and escape from me,"
Rain retorted.
What the hell, you just added on another thirty years from last time! Yuri fumed. Ignoring her, Rain continued,
"besides, I've already seen your face up close, so hurry up and scat. Go on, shoo!"
He shooed her away with his hand as if she was a fly.
Did you stop me just so you could take a look at my face?! Yuri quickly covered her mouth before she accidentally yelled out her thoughts.
"Um…… Are you letting me go, by any chance?"
"Nothing would change even if I killed you. Wouldn't another spy just come and take your place? See? There's no point in killing you."
"You do have a point there…… So you're really letting me go."
He might be a better person than I thought he was,
Yuri thought as she looked at Rain in a new light. Normally, she would have been killed on the spot, or she would have been taken prisoner and executed. Either way, she would have ended up dead.
She hadn't really looked at his face before, but now she realized that he had messy black hair and a chiseled, masculine face. His sharp black eyes were particularly striking. They reminded her of the proud wild wolves of the forest.
Yeah, he's actually pretty handsome—— wait, now's not the time for this!
Yuri suddenly grew dark again as she remembered something important.
It was great that she was still alive, but she had utterly failed her mission to tail Rain. That was problematic in and of itself. She would probably be punished once she returned to Zarmine. She could even be silenced, for good.
"What's wrong? You're all gloomy again,"
Rain asked from horseback.
Instead of telling him to mind his own business, Yuri quietly explained her circumstances. She figured that it would be all right because he had already saved her life once, and besides, she couldn't find it in herself to remain silent.
After listening to her story, Rain said,
"then why don't you just come with me?"
Yuri looked up at him in surprise.
"Your mission was to tail me, right? Then there shouldn't be any problem if you came with me."
"Wait, what? But my job is to gather intel, you know? Wouldn't it be bad for you if I came along?"
As Yuri's eyes widened in confusion, Rain snorted and said,
"not really. I'm just heading back to my territory because I've been put under house arrest."
"……Come again?"
"Like I said. I've been put under house arrest. You know, the kind where I'm not allowed to leave my home,"
Rain explained with a strangely happy smile. He continued,
"I went to the castle without any of my troops and told the king, 'why bother fighting when we can't even win?' and he generously put me under house arrest. So now I'm heading back to my castle to take a nice, long nap."
Yuri stared on in disbelief as Rain snickered like a mischievous child. That hadn't been the sort of thing that any self-respecting knight would say, even as a joke.
"I, I did think something was strange because you were all alone, but……"
Yuri's head began to ache.
I take it back. This guy's really just an idiot.
"So, Yuri. What'cha gonna do? You coming or not?"
Rain's voice echoed in her head.
It took the last reserves of her willpower to refrain from telling Rain to go away. Yuri was all too aware that she really did not have any other choice.
"Ugh, I'm going with you……"
Yuri responded on the verge of tears.
It must have been a coincidence, but Kris neighed just then as if the horse had been jeering at the despondent girl.
The musky scent of flora began to mix into the chilly air.
It had taken three days on horseback to reach Rain's territory, the land of Astel, from the capital.
In other words, Astel was undoubtedly in the countryside. You couldn't get any more rural than Astel.
Even still, Rain was the only high general in the kingdom with territory to his name who didn't have an ounce of noble blood in his lineage. King Douglas adhered to the social hierarchy with strict rigor, so Rain had been the only exception he had ever made.
They were trotting through a small forest thriving with long-branched southern cedars. Most of Astel consisted of woods like this or vast fields of empty plains.
Scattered throughout the plains and the woods were small villages and towns. Astel was truly a rural region.
"We'll arrive at my castle soon; you understand the story, right? We're gonna say that you're a squire, so don't talk to me so casually in front of other people. Don't screw this up."
"Well, yeah, okay."
Yuri looked obviously unwilling as she nodded.
Rain and Yuri had decided to pretend that their fathers knew each other. In other words, Yuri was training to become a knight under Rain…… or so the story went.
While female knights were few and far between, they did exist, so the story itself wasn't too strange.
Actually, one of Rain's two aides was also female.
"Why are you sulking? I'm doing this for your sake. I even said you could still talk casually when no one else is around, so I'd rather you be grateful about it."
"Well, I am grateful, but…… I'm just not good with formalities."
"Well, it can't be helped, can it? It's not as if we can say that you just don't want to leave my side."
"Ugh, don't put it that way!"
"But it's true, right?"
Rain replied coolly.
He smiled in satisfaction as Yuri scrunched her brows and sank into silence, but then his face suddenly turned sour.
"What now?"
"It's nothing. I just remembered something unpleasant."
"Which is…?"
"It's Senoa, one of my aides. Now that I think about it, she's gonna raise a fuss once she finds out about my house arrest."
"Senoa…… If I recall correctly, she's the daughter of a prominent noble from one of the Five Great Houses, right? She was about twenty?"
"You really did your research well," Rain said in strange admiration as Yuri bent her head slightly to the side.
"Well, that is my job after all. So? Is she really going to raise such a fuss?"
"Well, yeah, she nags like nobody's business. She's a beauty with an exceptional figure, so it's a shame that her mouth ruins her physical charms. Geez, and here I'd thought that I'd found a real bargain when she first came to me half a year ago."
"You know, the way you word things is really, really weird……"
"Who cares? Besides, we'll be able to see the castle soon. Once we get out of here… look!"
They had cleared the forest just as he spoke, and the vast openness stretched out before them. Yuri squinted to see where Rain was pointing.
……But, his finger had frozen stiff midway.
Yuri's jaw dropped as she also registered the sight before her.
"The hell is this!?"
"What in the world is this!?"
their voices echoed in perfect sync.
Cortecreas Caslte was Rain's castle, and while it was small, it was well defended because it was surrounded by a deep moat and tall ramparts.
There were several spires protruding from the castle that, like the outer walls, were painted in a brilliant white.
A drawbridge was attached to the castle gates, and was currently let down.
That was fine.
The problem lied in the plaza in front of the castle gates.
There stood a force of two thousand soldiers, composed of the knights that had been garrisoned at the castle and foot soldiers, lined up in the plaza.
Come war, they would form ranks and sortie from there.
The soldiers were crammed tightly into the plaza. Counting the foot soldiers, squires, and knights, almost the entirety of the castle's standing army stood there.
Each and every one of them was fit into armor and armed with a sword or spear. It was as if they were ready to sortie at a moment's notice.
Furthermore, as if this still wasn't enough, wagons fully loaded with provisions were being drawn out of the castle one after another.
The strangest thing was how exhausted the soldiers appeared, even as they continued to work in silence.
"You tricked me!"
Yuri suddenly shouted in a shrill voice.
Rain turned his head toward her stiffly, as if the joints in his neck had rusted.
"What is that," Yuri continued, "aren't they preparing to sortie?! Everything you said about being under house arrest was a lie! You were planning on lying to me from the start so you could lock me up somewhere and have your way with me you——"
"Shut it, and stop dreaming up your pleasantly erotic fantasies!"
Rain could not help but interrupt her. He continued,
"just who the hell would go through all that trouble just for you? Cool your head, idiot! I haven't the foggiest clue about what's going on either! I'm just as confused as you are, understand?!"
It appeared that Yuri had not understood as she immediately began to scream at Rain in return.
Unable to put up with the noise, Rain covered his ears with both hands and signaled Kris forward with his legs.
At any rate, he had to figure out what was going on.
As Rain hurried over to the plaza, an armor-covered man spotted him and came running over from the crowd.
He had rather short blond hair and blue eyes…… but unlike the nobles, the whites of his eyes were in fact, white. He had a pleasant countenance, but his expressions looked somewhat childish and caused him to appear a bit unreliable.
He was Rain's other aide, Leni. His real name was Lelbyni, but Rain called him Leni for short because Lelbyni was a mouthful to say. Both of Rain's aides commanded over one thousand soldiers.
Anyhow, Leni came over running while wiping off sweat from his brow even though it was almost the cold season. What was even more suspicious was how his eyes kept darting around restlessly.
"Oi, Leni! What's going on? Is it Zarmine? Did they already make it all the way here? Hey!"
As Rain questioned him in a hurry, Leni avoided looking at Rain's face for some reason and carefully began to make excuses.
"You see, I told her that we should stop. That haste makes waste."
"……Huh? What are you talking about?"
"W, well. Like I was saying, I really did try to stop her. I told her we should wait until you got back, General."
Rain had no idea what Leni was going on about.
Frustrated, he dismounted from Kris, grabbed Leni by the shoulder, and shook the other man violently.
"Hey! Tell me something I can understand!"
"Yes! Like I said before, as long as you understand that I'm not at fault here…… Ah!"
Leni noticed Yuri riding towards them as he was grasping for words and quickly turned his attentions to her and cried out,
"General! Who is this lovely lady?"
"Hey, you haven't answered my question yet."
"Oh my. Lovely? I'm not really that……"
Yuri brought her hands to her cheeks and acted embarrassed while ignoring Rain. Her spirits seemed to have lifted after the misunderstanding had cleared up. She continued,
"I'm here by my father's introduction because he told me to train under General Rain. My name is Yuri. It's nice to meet you~"
Disgusted, Rain interrupted Yuri as she gushed upon Leni in an enchanting voice.
"Hey, you! Quit waving your hands around like that! And Leni! Don't get drawn into her antics so easily! Hurry up and explain what's going on!"
But Leni did not live up to Rain's expectations. He had been completely stricken by Yuri's charms and was fawning all over her. I'll just have to ask someone else…… Rain thought as he dejectedly cast his gaze at the plaza, and, just then, the crowd split in two to make room for a mysterious figure who was staggering toward him.
Simply put, it was a clump of armor.
The silvery heavy armor covered its wearer from head to toe. However, whoever was wearing the armor was unable to fully support its weight and was unsteady on their feet. If the wearer had gone to battle in that state, they would have been the first to fall prey to enemy lances.
Rain wanted to know who this idiot was, but their face was unfortunately covered by their helmet's guard.
The enigmatic knight staggered left and right as they progressed slowly toward Rain while constantly readjusting themselves. Frankly speaking, it was creepy.
"Who is that moron, Leni?"
"Eh, well that's——"
"Wait, never mind. I don't want to know. I definitely don't what to know who that is."
Rain, who had figured out who the armored figure was as if by divine inspiration, shook his head in utter denial. He did this even knowing that his denial wouldn't change a thing.
Sure enough, Leni took pity on him and said,
"if that's what you wish, then I won't force the information on you. Still, you'll know who that is soon enough whether I tell you or not."
"Ugh. You're right."
As Rain let out a heavy sigh, the armored figure drew closer, staggering like a drunkard all the way, and finally approached them while heaving their shoulders up and down.
In a voice as feeble as the autumn flies, they said,
"*gasp, gasp*…… General…… I've been, eagerly awaiting, your return…… *gasp, gasp*…… Welcome back."
"Isn't it hard to breathe? Take off your helmet! It's disturbing me."
Once Rain had interrupted their long-winded speech, they threw off their clunky helmet with a large gasp.
Underneath the helmet was wavy blond hair and gradated blue eyes characteristic of the nobility. Their white skin was slick with sweat and their almond eyes were filled with anticipation as they stared at Rain.
Surprisingly, the person under the armor was a stunningly beautiful woman.
"*gasp, gasp*…… At any rate, congratulations on your safe return, General."
"Yeah. You're the same as always I see, Senoa,"
said Rain, clearly annoyed, as he looked down upon his other aide.
"So, has your breathing returned to normal now?"
"Yes, sir. Something of this degree is nothing I cannot handle."
"I see…… Well that's good, then."
"I have no need for your concern. By the way, General,"
said Senoa as she stared stiffly at Yuri, who was standing behind Rain,
"who is this lady here?"
"Well, uh…… This is Yuri. Her father asked me to take her under my wing, so she'll be my squire as of today."
After his vague introduction, Rain added that his and Yuri's fathers knew each other.
Only Leni nodded in apparent glee while Senoa maintained her stiff expression.
"Is that so…… Yuri, my name is Senoa Amelia Estherhart. My middle name, Amelia, is not my mother's name, but my childhood name. You may address me simply as 'Captain.'"
Even in Rain's eyes, Senoa, whose name was as tediously long as any noble's, had introduced herself with a hint of disdain.
Yuri seemed to share the sentiment as she responded, "pleased to meet you," in an unfriendly tone. It seemed as if sparks were exploding between the two women's gazes.
"Hey, you two, don't get so high-strung all of a sudden. And Senoa, explain to me what's going on here."
"Hm? Explain…… you say?"
"And here you are looking like you really don't get why I'm asking…… Like I said, explain to me why it looks like we're about to march straight into war!"
Rain said as he pointed at the jam-packed plaza in agitation.
Senoa, who had tilted her head to the side in confusion, muttered, "oh, that's what you meant," and puffed out her chest in apparent pride. Her white cheeks, too, flushed red.
"Naturally, it is because I prepared the army in advance so that we could move out as soon as you'd returned, General."
Rain stared silently at Senoa's beautifully smug face.
And he only thing he said was,
"are you stupid?"
"——Don't 'wha' me! Who told you to go ahead and do this on your own? You don't have to do anything that was uncalled for!"
Senoa fell back, dumbfounded, as Rain pressed on,
"for starters, why did you gather up all of the castle's soldiers in on place? You need to keep at least a few troops behind to hold down fort! Don't you even know that?!"
"But, however……"
"Stop trying to make up excuses! Send everyone back inside the castle right now!"
"Now, now, General,"
Leni said as he tried to pacify Rain while trying to hold him back with both hands. In return, Rain turned on Leni and declared,
"……Leni. I'll be docking half of your pay next month for negligence of supervision."
"Wha-! That's so cruel! I really did try to stop her!"
Leni responded on the verge of tears.
Rain began to walk away as if he was done with the matter and said,
"Well, I'll let you off the hook, then. In return, get me in contact with Gunther as soon as possible. I have something to discuss with him."
"I, I'll get in contact with him at once!"
Leni put a hand against his chest as he sighed in relief.
He then turned around and headed off, while Yuri jogged after Rain as he walked away with Kris in tow.
At a glance, it seemed as if the matter was over.
However, that was not the reality of the situation.
"Please wait a moment!"
Senoa cried out.
"What is it? I want to hurry up and sleep in my room already."
"I'll admit that I've overstepped my boundaries."
Senoa ignored Rain, who began to grumble as he turned back around to face her, and said,
"but we're about to march out against Zarmine forces soon anyway, are we not? In that case, I believe it would make no sense to disband the army."
Ugh, here we go.
Rain shook his head in good grief.
He couldn't possibly keep quiet about his house arrest, especially since Senoa was one of his aides. To begin with, he would soon be found out even if he kept quiet about it anyway.
There was nothing else he could do, so Rain explained the situation in the lightest tone possible. Leni, whom he had known for a long time, wouldn't really care, so Senoa was the only problem.
"……Ah~, about that. His Majesty apparently seems to have gotten angry after I voiced my opinion against the war. And lo and behold, I've been put under house arrest, haha! Oops. Hahaha!"
After explaining the situation in the simplest terms he could, he scratched the back of his head with a corny smile on his face.
In return, Senoa glared at Rain with a frosty death-mask-like expression.
"……What did you say?"
she growled in a scarily low voice.
"Like I said, I'm under house arrest. House. Arrest. I've been told to stay at my castle and reflect on my actions. Well, that's the gist of it, so I'll be returning to my room."
Sensing the danger in Senoa's expression, Rain hurriedly turned around. He had simply chosen to run away, but a blood curling wail erupted from behind him before he could get too far.
Needless to say, it was Senoa.
After turning around again out of surprise, Rain found Senoa clutching her head with both hands and trembling violently while screaming. The shrill of her voice almost made him wonder if she had finally lost her mind.
A loud "higyaaaaaaaaaaaa——" filled the area.
"H, hey there……"
Even Rain could not hold back his surprise. It was downright eerie.
Yuri and Leni, who had still been close by, drew closer to him.
"General, isn't this a little worse than usual?"
"Eh, does she always scream like that, Captain Leni?"
"Well, yeah. But it's not usually this bad."
"How should I put this…… She's quite the individual."
"You've got that right," Leni nodded as they turned to face Rain.
"W, what do you want? I did nothing wrong."
The wailing suddenly stopped the moment that Rain made his pathetic excuse.
Everyone gulped as they watched over Senoa.
Senoa absentmindedly sank down to the floor as if she had suddenly found her mind at peace.
Before long, an eerie laugh began to seep out of her mouth. And as she laughed, she began to remove her armor piece after piece. In other words, she was taking off her armor.
"Th, this is starting to get dangerous, General. Wouldn't it be better if you just apologized already……?"
Leni gulped.
In contrast, Yuri was observing Senoa with great interest.
"Uh-huh. It really is pretty bad this time. Hey Leni, go and apologize to her for me."
"Surely you jest! I don't have the courage for that."
"Right, okay. Then Yuri, you go."
"What?! Like hell I'll go…… I mean, I don't want to go either, sir! In her will, my late grandmother told me not to stick my head into dangerous situations!"
"Hey, what's with this nonsense about your dead grandmother's will?! You should think a little more before you speak!"
Leni repeatedly glanced at Senoa's as he said,
"General, aren't you always telling me that you're not afraid of anything? This is your time to shine, sir."
"Even if I'm not scared of anything, there are things that I'd bad at dealing with! Like women who nag all the time, for example, or women who can't do housework, or lastly, women who laugh while taking off their armor all of the sudden!"
"……Not that it matters, but all of those involve women, General."
"That's why you should go!"
While Rain and Leni were arguing about who should go, Senoa continued to remove her armor piece after piece and abruptly stopped laughing when she had finally finished.
Then, she stood up slowly with a sword in hand.
Placing a hand on its hilt, she unsheathed her longsword in one smooth movement. The soldiers who had been watching the situation from the plaza with bated breath finally began to stir.
"Ooh! The Captain has snapped!"
"Hey, hold on a sec!"
Leni said as he stiffened up.
"This is getting really bad, General!"
he continued shakily as he panicked and began to draw back in a hurry, saying,
"I, I've got nothing to do with this; I really don't, right, Miss Senoa?"
"Leni, why you……"
Rain wanted to ask, what a heartless subordinate! Don't you agree? but Yuri had already dashed to safety before he could. She was watching on excitedly from a safe distance away.
"Are these really the only kinds of people I have around me……?"
Senoa advanced slowly but steadily with sword in hand as Rain lamented. There was a deadly glint to her eyes.
"Wha, what is it?"
"I am utterly disgusted with you. To think that a high general such as yourself would brazenly speak out against the war and get put under house arrest!"
"No, it's just that I had my own plans."
"However, your disgrace is also my disgrace as your aide, General."
She wasn't listening at all. She continued,
"let us both gallantly take responsibility together."
She appeared to be dead serious.
Well, it is my fault, but…… Oh man. Even still, it's not like I can afford to die just yet,
Rain thought just as Senoa raised her sword. He wanted to run away, but his pride wouldn't allow it.
For the time being, he decided to try to pacify her with a friendly attitude.
"Well, calm down a bit, Senoa. I'll just go ahead and say this, but the real fight with Zarmine will start soon. For now, we should prepare for the upcoming fight by quietly kindling our fighting spirits, and—— you're not listening at all!"
"Prepare yourself!"
With a loud shriek, Senoa swung down her sword with all of her might and very nearly grazed Rain.
Her sword plunged deep into the earth.
"H, hey, that was dangerous! What would you have done if that had hit! That wouldn't have been funny!"
Senoa said as she brandished her sword once more with her eyes open wide. She continued,
"I will apologize for my impoliteness today along the road to Hades. Now come, we shall go gallantly!"
"Ugh, you really aren't listening. And I'm not going anywhere!"
Senoa was completely engrossed in her own world. It was questionable whether she had even heard Rain's coaxing to begin with.
I guess it can't be helped.
Left with no other choice, Rain placed a hand on the hilt of his sword.
"Prepare yourself this time!"
"Oh geez, I guess it can't be helped."
Senoa swung down her sword yet again.
At that moment——
Rain's magic sword drew a trail of light through the sky at the speed of lightning, easily deflecting Senoa's attack.
Senoa's sword flashed silver as it spun surprisingly far away and thrust deeply into the earth when it landed.
Senoa stared blankly at her sword.
Rain brushed back his hair in pointless grandiosity and re-sheathed his sword. He continued,
"there's no way that an amateur who only picked up the sword just recently could ever possibly cut down a genius like me! ……Hey what's wrong? Are you playing dumb again?"
Senoa stood still with her mouth half-open and looked like she was about to burst into tears. She looked as if her soul had been drawn out.
"Hey, hello? Are you there?"
"……ty, please."
"Huh? What did you say?"
When Rain leaned in because he could not understand what Senoa had said, she suddenly grabbed him by the collar and shook him violently.
"Take responsibility, please!"
"Whoa! Hey, let me go; calm down!"
"This was supposed to be my maiden battle, but you, but youu———!"
Senoa cried, practically into his ear.
As Senoa shook him back and forth, Rain could swear that he heard Yuri cracking up from far away.


text:
Chomsky, Noam. "Review of Verbal Behavior,(1957) B.F. Skinner. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts. Language. #35 (1) 1959 Linguistic Society of America. 26-58.
In his review, Chomsky sets out to demonstrate Skinner's explanation of language acquisition as absurd. Doing this will eliminate the most visible, and respected, behaviorist view, leaving Chomsky's own view with fewer viable critics and thus bringing it that much closet to acceptance.
Skinner, in his book, attempts 'to provide a way to predict and control verbal behavior by observing and manipulating the physical environment of the speaker"(26). As a proponent of behaviorism, the idea that all behavioral responses are conditioned and so any behavioral responses can be conditioned, Skinner made great advances in the laboratory. In Verbal Behavior, he tries to extrapolate from the laboratory, to human behavior. his argument is diagrammed below.
Chomsky makes short work of Skinner, who's slipshod scholarship makes refutation appear easy. Chomsky seems more familiar with Skinner's work than Skinner himself, and uses this knowledge to point out the many inconsistencies in term usage, as well as the absurd results that follow from these inconsistencies.
While admitting that reinforcement is an important factor in language acquisition, Chomsky denies that it must be the only factor--and presents the thought that a child's "remarkable capacity. . . to generalize, hypothesize, and process information. . . may be largely innate"(43). What is needed, he claims, is research, not theory dogmatically extracted from abstract experimental agendas.
Upon this framework, however, Skinner proceeds to build a system to describe verbal behavior; behavior reinforced through the medium of other persons, as Skinner defines it. Chomsky points out that this definition would include a rat, pressing the bar in a Skinner-box and being reinforced when given a food pellet. This sets the tone for Chomsky's discussion of the terms "mand," "tact," and "autoclites," Skinner's three components of verbal response. Each of these extremely complex notions, it seems, actually carries less descriptive value than the words it replaces, and no provides insight into the way language is used, constructed, or understood.
Since Skinner does nothing of real value, Chomsky chides him about the purpose of science, then suggests a research program which can be carried out, and would provide information we do not currently have about innate language capacities.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
The ZTE ZMax Pro is not a brand new device. It was released earlier this year for Metro PCS in the States. However, the company is bringing the 6-inch phablet to T-Mobile starting today for only $130. The ZMax Pro only sold for $99 on Metro PCS, but the caveat is that the handset will remain locked to the pre-paid carrier, as the device was subsidized to make it affordable.
ZTE ZMax Pro
Following the success of the ZMax Pro on Metro PCS, the version headed for T-Mobile is identical down to the design and specifications. As a refresher, the ZTE ZMax Pro is an entry-range 6 inch phablet with a 1080p display, powered by a Snapdragon 617 CPU paired with 2GB of RAM. Also under the hood is 32GB of internal storage, expandable via microSD card.
In the camera department, theres a 13MP rear-facing camera and a 5MP front-facing camera. Likewise, something unseen in smartphones of this price range, is a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner that works quite well! Theres also a large 3,400 mAh battery, which is sure to keep the ZMax Pro chugging on.
We gave the Metro PCS ZTE ZMax Pro for a first look a few months ago, you can check it out here!


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Vince Carter Sees Himself A Net Next Year
Dave D'Alessandro reported this yesterday, but I am just getting around posting about it. It seems that Vince Carter sees himself staying in New Jersey for at least another season. When he was asked if he did anything differently stepping off of the court of the IZod center (because it could be the last time he does so), Carter responded:
"Naaah, That'll jinx you."
Jinx is a funny word to use there, does that mean he wants to play on that court again?
"If you approach it that way, all of a sudden you say, 'If I didn't do that, it would have been different,' As far as I know, I'll be here next year, that's why I'm trying to do what I have to do for this team — to keep us together and build something for next year."
When asked about if he still believes he can reach a his goal of becoming a champion as a Net, Vince brought up the Celtics of last year.
"But you never know, I don't think Boston felt that way three or four years ago. They asked Paul Pierce the same thing, and then they made the trades. So anything is possible."
This is an interesting quote, does VC know about some trades the Nets are going to attempt to make? As Vince said, you never know. Back to his quote though, it's all well and good for a player to want to stay here, but it's Rod Thorn's opinion that matters. What is that opinion?
"I think he has several really good years left, as long as he keeps himself in top condition. If he mentally wants to do it, he has several top-flight years left."
In the end, all these quotes mean one thing. That Vince Carter will be back wearing a Nets uniform next year. I know everyone takes shot of his lack of toughness and his love of settling for jumpers (Myself included), but he is without question the leader of this team, and we would struggle to make up for the production we lose if we lose him. Another plus of keeping is that we know what direction we want to go to in the draft. Right now there is talk of drafting a 3 or a 4. Now that we know Vince is more than likely staying, we can draft a 4, develop a real nice frontcourt, and worry about getting a 3 of the future (even though I already believe he is here – CDR Baby! Woot!) in later drafts. Everything next year will just be easier if Vince is a Net.
Brook Lopez Will Be Rookie Of The Year
.With the season winding down, and the Nets no longer in contention for the final playoff spot, a lot of talk about the Nets have revolved around Brook Lopez and whether or not he is going to be the Rookie Of The Year. Brook definitely has a good shot at winning this (and the Nets must think so as well, because they have put out a promotional video, highlighting some of his stats and showing some of his biggest highlights), but he does have competition, and that competition is Derrick Rose. In the end, one of these two players are going to win ROY, so I am going to compare these two and show you who I think should win Rookie Of The Year (hint it's Brook) and who will win it.
Why Brook Should Win It:
The numbers. Brook has been a solid producer from the get go and when it comes to rookie big men, this is a rarity. Brook has started 70 of the team's 77 games, and averages 30.5 minutes a game. In those minutes, he is averaging 13 points a game (which is 6th among all rookies), and 7.9 rebounds a game (which is 2nd among all rookies). Brook is also the only rookie with over 100 blocks (139 to be exact), while averaging over 1 block per game (1.8 to be exact). Among all NBA players (not just rookies, the whole NBA), Brook is 7th in total blocks and 10th in blocks per game. Also, for what it is worth, Brook is in the top 20 of all rookies in assists (1.1 per game), so he is getting the job done in all facets of his game. Brook is 3rd among all rookies in double-doubles, and his shooting percentage (53.2%) is 6th among rookies, but of rookies who are averaging over 10 shots per game, Brook leads in FG% (This in my opinion is very important. It shows that Brook is good enough to get the touches, and when he does, he converts them).
Derrick's numbers are not shabby at all, but in my opinion they just don't compare. Derrick is 2nd in PPG among all rookies with 16.6, and he is also first in assists with 6.2 (but that tends to happen when you are the starting PG for your team, and when he is out there, it is arguable that he is the first option for the Bulls. Meanwhile, Brook is 3rd option for the Nets on good nights…). Other than that, Brook has him topped in all other categories (and this is with Derrick playing about 6 more minutes per game than Brook).
The final and in my opinion most important stat is PER, and this too shows Brook is more productive than Derrick with the time he is being given. If you don't know what PER is, you can find out more about it here, but basically it is a per-minute assessment of players (and it is also pace-adjusted as well). Brook is 4th among rookies with a 17.87 PER (he is only behind Marreese Speights, Kevin Love, and Greg Oden). Derrick Rose is 9th on the list with a PER of 15.66. Another efficiency stat that I looked at was VA or Value Added (this number is the estimated number of points a player adds to a team's season total above what a "replacement player" (for instance, the 12th man on the roster) would produce. Value Added = ([Minutes * (PER – PRL)] / 67). PRL (Position Replacement Level) = 11.5 for power forwards, 11.0 for point guards, 10.6 for centers, 10.5 for shooting guards and small forwards). Brook leads all rookies with a VA of 254.7 (Derrick Rose is 4th with 194.6). The final effciency stat that I looked at was EWA or Estimated Wins Added (Like Value Added, Estimated Wins Added takes a look at how many wins a player was worth above what a "replacement player" would contribute. Estimated Wins Added is Value Added divided by 30, giving the estimated number of wins a player adds to a team's season total above what a "replacement player" would produce). Brook leads all rookies in EWA with 8.5 (Derrick Rose is 4th with 6.5). These stats show that Brook is overall more effective with the minutes he receives, and that he is worth 3 whole wins more to his team than D. Rose is.
Why Derrick Should Win It
Success of his team. While the Nets contended for a playoff spot until later in the season, Derrick Rose has been running point for a Bulls squad that has pretty much locked up a playoff spot (Most analysts didn't have them even sniffing at the playoffs), and they are even challenging for the 7th or 6th (which may be a stretch) seed. Despite individual awards being handed out based on individual achievments, it would be naive to think that the people handing out the hardware won't look at team performence. This is especially true for the Rookie of The Year award.
So Who Will Win It?
You already know that I think Brook should win it, but who WILL win it? If you want my honest opinion, it is going to be a tough call and you can really go either way with this one. I decided to look at the trends to see how the award has been given out recently. Looking at ROY award winners since 2001, only 3 have been guards. The winning team trend has also been broken, none of the winners in the 2000s has lead their team to the playoffs. This looks good for Brook, and I think in the end his production will be too much to overlook, and he will end up winning the ROY. If Derrick Rose wins it you can't get too mad though, he had a great season and did lead the Bulls to the playoffs. There is even a possibility for a co-ROY, but if they didn't do it when Carmelo and LeBron were rookies, I don't see them doing it now.


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Lacey Act Compliant
The Lacey Act (16 U.S.C. §§ 3371-3378) legislation requires all importers to declare the species and country of origin of any wood product. The Lacey Act makes it unlawful to import, export, transport, sell, receive, acquire, or purchase in interstate or foreign commerce any wood that comes from illegally logged trees. The Lacey Act is intended to protect forests worldwide from deforestation and prevent illegitimate wood products from entering the United States.
The Lacey Act, originally signed into law in 1900, is a conservation law that focuses on the illegal commercial transportation of wildlife and non-native species. In May 2008 a new bill (Section 8204) extended provisions to the Lacey Act to address the global illegal logging trade.
The Lacey Acts creates a fair playing field for wood manufactures that follow the high level of standards imposed and eradicates illegally logged wood that is often the cause of wood flooring sold below market price.
In an effort to control and eliminate illegally logged trees, DuChâteau Floors supports and abides by the Lacey Act to ensure its customers the best quality wood flooring with environmentally friendly measures. All DuChâteau Floors are Lacey Act compliant.
CARB Compliant
All DuChâteau Floors are CARB-Phase 2 compliant and made with a formaldehyde-free adhesive. CARB-Phase 2 compliance is commitment to producing environmentally sustainable materials.
The world's strictest formaldehyde emission standards for composite wood products took effect in California starting Jan. 1, 2009. This means particleboard, medium density fiberboard (MDF) and hardwood plywood manufactured for sale or use in California must comply with the new California Air Resources Board (CARB) regulations. The Federal EPA is monitoring the CARB rule and conducting its own risk analysis of the dangers of formaldehyde emission levels for implementing a national wood products emission standard in the near future.
US Build Green Council Member/LEED
DuChâteau Floors is a member of the U.S. Green Building Council. The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization that certifies sustainable businesses, homes, hospitals, schools, and neighborhoods. The USGBC is dedicated to expanding green building practices and education, with its LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System™.
LEED® Green Building Rating System™ is a voluntary, consensus-based national rating system for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings. LEED® addresses all building types and emphasizes state-of-the-art strategies in five areas: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials and resources selection, and indoor environmental quality.
LEED® Qualifiers
DuChâteau Floors qualifies for LEED® credits. This rating system has become the top choice for all architects, builders, and interior designers who construct using green building practices. DuChâteau Floors also has LEED® AP staff to help with any LEED® consulting.
- EQ 4.4 - Low Emitting Materials – Composite Wood and Laminate Adhesives


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Heritage Category: Listed Building
Grade: II
List Entry Number: 1108036
Date first listed: 25-Mar-1991
Statutory Address: LABURNUM FARMHOUSE
The above map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. For a copy of the full scale map, please see the attached PDF - 1108036 .pdf
The PDF will be generated from our live systems and may take a few minutes to download depending on how busy our servers are. We apologise for this delay.
This copy shows the entry on 22-Jan-2019 at 11:15:01.
Statutory Address: LABURNUM FARMHOUSE
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
County: Devon
District: South Hams (District Authority)
Parish: East Allington
National Grid Reference: SX 76966 48755
Legacy Record - This information may be included in the List Entry Details.
Reasons for Designation
Legacy Record - This information may be included in the List Entry Details.
Legacy Record - This information may be included in the List Entry Details.
SX74NE Laburnum Farmhouse
Small farmhouse, formerly on the Fallapit estate. Circa mid to late C19. Slate rubble with red brick dressings. Slate hipped roof with black ridge tiles and deep eaves with exposed rafter ends. Side and rear lateral stacks with rendered shafts with turned red clay pots, the rear lateral stack with pair of diagonally set shafts. Plan: L-shaped on plan. Two principal rooms in the front range with a central entrance; the right hand room heated from a lateral stack at the back and the left hand room has an end stack which might also serve the 2-storey wing behind the left room, unless it is an unheated room such as a dairy. Later in the C19 a small single storey outbuilding was built at the rear in the angle. Exterior: 2 storeys. Symmetrical 2 window south front with brick cogged string course at first floor level. C19 2-light casements with glazing bars in brick dressed openings with slate sills, the ground floor with segmental brick arches; the ground floor right hand window has been altered in C20. Central doorway with glazed and panelled door and slate rubble gabled porch with slate roof and chamfered 2-centred arch. At the rear 2-storey hipped roof wing to right with doorway in end wall and small later brick single storey extension on left side. Interior not inspected.
Listing NGR: SX7696648755
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number: 99850
Legacy System: LBS
This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.
End of official listing


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This prompted a search for wisdom and inspiration, via StumbleUpon.com naturally. And of course, where else would a single girl like myself find inspiration on my quest for happily-ever-after but the wise and wonderful Carrie Bradshaw. I like to believe that we have some sort of supernatural bond considering that we have the same (fabulous) name.
"Think about it. If you are single, after graduation there isn't one occasion where people celebrate you...Hallmark doesn't make a "Congratulations-You-Didn't-Marry-the-Wrong-Guy" card. And where's the flatware for going on vacation alone?" -Carrie BradshawIt is true. Once you are finished with school, the only milestones that are widely celebrated (outside of birthdays…everybody gets those) include someone else. Weddings, births, anniversaries all require that pesky significant other that has remained elusive thus far.
I am among few of my friends who are seeking fulfillment in my career. As I discussed with one like-minded friend, I want to 'be' my job. I love what I do (ie. Writing) so much, that once I find that job that will lead me to a career doing what I love, I want to be that powerful career girl. I want to find my happiness for myself, in my own life and career.
This will, perhaps, take away from a personal life, but lucky for me, my Prince Charming will be as career-focused as I am. So, I've decided to focus on me and getting myself to a place where I'm happy, and then finding someone who will fit into that place. Once I get to my own happily-ever-after, I'll find someone else whose happily-ever-after is in the same neighborhood.
Now famous among my friends, my vision for my future life is thus: I will be wildly successful in non-profit development and/or advocacy, married to a brilliant, ambitious man (who looks great in a suit), and living in northwest DC in a big house just because we can.
I always hold onto my faith that I will get my happily-ever-after. I honestly don't think I could get up everyday and go through the mundane routine that has become my life without the hope that it could get better. Let's face it, there's a whole lot of up from where I'm at now, and something's got to give sometime soon. Maybe it won't be at the 'right' time. Maybe it won't happen in the way I think it should. But, I have learned that most good things in life are worth waiting for once they do finally come along.
So, until then, I will follow another one of the fabulous Miss Bradshaw's bits of wisdom:
"The fact is, sometimes it's really hard to walk in a single woman's shoes. That's why we need really special ones now and then to make the walk a little more fun."


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What a great weekend we had! We were a group of 5 families (10 adults and 6 children) and Dominique gave a warm welcome to us on the early afternoon of Friday. The house is big, provided with all the facilities (2 showers, 1 bath,...More
Date of stay: May 2016
Management response:Responded 26 May 2016
Thank You very much, It was also a pleasure for me to welcome you to "la Babillarde". See you soon to enjoy other fun that provide region. Dominique


text:
Build an aggregation portal
Bütçe ₹37500-75000 INR
Making right choice about your health today is paramount to lead a happy and holistic life.
Right diagnosis of your health therefore becomes a necessity to take right medical decisions at the right time.
Most often citizens are unware of the diagnostic tests suggested by the doctor. They are not certain about the most suitable place to get these tests done and the most suited price for doing these tests. Also, citizens today lack information about their own health and kind of health habit they need to follow to suit their life goals.
Taking into consideration all these aspects of personal health, our platform shall provide a one stop solution for citizens to choose the right test, at the right place and at the right price. The platform shall also act as a personal health dashboard for citizens which will help them to make more informed decisions about their own personal health.
Bu iş için 21 freelancer ortalamada ₹54550 teklif veriyor
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text:
Postnatal Group
Our Health Visitors and Nursery Nurse run a Postnatal Group at The Hub in Alma Road, Kingswood.
Well Baby Clinic
It is not only an opportunity for you to discuss any concerns that you may have regarding your child's physical and emotional development; but you can also talk to us about how you are feeling.
It also offers you access to resources such as information displayed on our notice boards, a wide range of literature including public health initiatives, promoting breastfeeding and the importance of having your baby immunised and practical information such as where to go to get information on "Mothers and Toddler" groups.
You can also pick up leaflets on the following:
- The role of the health visiting service
- Weening your child
- Sleep
- Behaviour management
- and many more


text:
Acme Furniture Barton Collection
The Barton collection is luxurious and extremely comfortable. It is sure to a bold statement in your office. The chair has high back upholstered with rich PU leather and a matching ultra-modern frame. Allows quick and easy adjustment regulates height of chair relative to floor. Chair rotates a full 360 degrees in either direction for ease of motion. It`s is equipped with pneumatic height adjustment, star base with casters for easy mobility. The padded arms are designed to provide added support and comfort.
Select A Category:
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Configure Your Barton Series
Barton Series Matching Office Chairs:
Acme Furniture
(Office Chairs)
Learn More »
- Width: 25"
- Height: 44"
- Depth: 29"
- StyleTransitional
- TypeTask Chairs
- Frame MaterialMetal
- UpholsteryBycast Leather
- Supports up to (Weight Capacity)250 lbs
- ColorBrown
- Back HeightHigh-Back
- With ArmsYes
- CastersYes
- ArmlessNo
- SeriesBarton
- SwivelYes
- AdjustableYes
- StackableNo
- Task ChairYes
- Tilt ControlYes
- Commercial UseYes
- Lumbar SupportNo
- Adjustable ArmsNo
- 24 Hour ChairYes
- HeatedNo
- Width25"
- Depth29"
- Height44"
- Eco-FriendlyYes
- Made in USANo
- Maximum Seat Height21"
- Greenguard CertifiedNo
- GSA ApprovedNo


text:
Located at the northwest edge of the Yellowstone River Valley, with the striking Rimrocks sandstone cliffs cutting through town, Billings, Montana is a place to get outdoors and explore. You'll find numerous parks and trails, many along the Yellowstone River. Visitors can also check out a variety of historic and cultural attractions, including the Western Heritage Center and Moss Mansion.
If a trip to Billings, Montana, is on your calendar, here are my recommendations for fun things to see and do:
Outdoor Activities in Billings
The Rimrocks, 200- to 500-foot-high sandstone cliffs, slash through the Billings landscape. Combine these landmarks with the rushing Yellowstone River and Montana's big sky and you find a wonderful place to spend time enjoying outdoor recreation and natural beauty. A round of golf is one popular way to savor the surroundings. Walking, hiking, and biking trails, like the Swords Park Trail and the Dutcher Trail, are found in parks and neighborhoods all around Billings. The Yellowstone and other local rivers are perfect for rafting and fishing. Here are some of the best places to enjoy the outdoors in Billings.
- Swords Park and Chief Black Otter Trail
- Located atop the Rimrocks, overlooking much of the city, Swords Park gives you access to great views and to Chief Black Otter Trail.
- Riverfront Park
- Located along the Yellowstone River, Billings' Riverfront Park offers open lawns for playing or picnicking and trails where you can stretch your legs and take in the scenery. In addition to the river views and wildlife, you can enjoy the park's two tiny lakes, Josephine and Cochran. Under improvement, new facilities and amenities will be added to Riverfront Park in the coming years.
- Four Dance Recreation Area
- This undeveloped BLM-managed land bordered by the Yellowstone River is great for hiking and wildlife watching.
Western Heritage Center
Address2822 Montana Ave, Billings, MT 59101-2305, USA
Phone+1 406-256-6809
Housed in a grand old Romanesque library building, this regional history museum offers collections and exhibits that focus on the Yellowstone River Valley and the northern High Plains region, including northern Wyoming and far-western North Dakota. Kids will have a great time exploring the Western Heritage Center's many hands-on experiences, where they'll learn about Native Americans, the railroad, and the Yellowstone River. This Smithsonian-affiliate museum offers special and traveling exhibitions as well as exhibits that include artifacts from their permanent collection.
Address2100 Shiloh Road, Billings, MT 59106, USA
Phone+1 406-652-8100
You'll see animals from both North America and Asia at this Billings zoo. The mammals, birds, and reptiles on display include some you might see during your time in the Montana outdoors, like bald eagles and river otters. There are also some ZooMontana animals that you wouldn't necessarily want to encounter in the wild, but still wish to see up close, such as grizzly bears, wolves, and Siberian tigers. ZooMontana sprawls over 70 wooded acres, with a lovely creek passing through the complex.
Moss Mansion Historic House Museum
Address914 Division St, Billings, MT 59101-1921, USA
Phone+1 406-256-5100
This grand sandstone mansion, built in 1903, is open for one-hour guided tours. Occupied by the prominent Billings' Moss family for many decades, the stately home preserves the original fixtures, furnishings, and architectural details and is a wonderful example of upscale Billings life in the early 20th century.
Yellowstone County Museum
Address1950 Terminal Cir, Billings, MT 59105, USA
Phone+1 406-256-6811
Located near the airport, this museum also focuses on the history of Montana and the Northern Plains. Exhibits covers such topics as Native Americans, the Lewis and Clark Expedition, the railroad, and settlement of the region. Their collection includes numerous North Plains Indian artifacts such as beadwork, tools, and weapons.
Special Events & Festivals in Billings
Billings hosts several major events throughout the year, many with an agricultural focus.
- MontanaFair (August)
- Magic City Blues Festival (August)
- The NILE - Northern International Livestock Exposition (October)
- HarvestFest (October)


text:
I love fish. However, I admittedly have a limited repertoire when it comes to fish cooking techniques. I went to the fishmongers' yesterday and was sweet talked into buying some whole whitings. I'd never had whiting before but the monger insisted it was possible to just fry them up and eat the skin and everything. I decided I'd try to bread them a bit to get some fresh herbs in there.
I did the following:
– chopped up a whole bunch of oregano and mixed it with some all purpose flour, salt and pepper
– cleaned and paper-towel-dried the whitings
– rolled them around in flour mixture (this is the dredging part!), then in a couple of whisked eggs and then back in the flour mixture
– panfried at a medium heat until cooked through and crispy skinned
Instead of a mayo or cream based tartar type sauce, I panfried some vine ripened tomatoes, garlic, chilies and capers. It was a perfect, salty, saucy accompaniment to the fish.


text:
I love the exuberance of this image. Can you guess I just love all things reindeer?? It is my third card with a Whimsy image from this months new releases and I struggle to name a favourite as they are all so amazing!
Image called Leap of Joy from Whimsy printed onto Whimsy digi paper from the set A Winter Night and coloured with markers and pencils
BG paper is also from the set A Winter Night
Various flower and leaf dies
- Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper Anything Goes
- Color Inspiration Monday - Always Anything Goes with hand-colored image
- Inspiration Destination - Always Anything Goes
- Just Keep on Creating
- DL.Art Linky Challenge Always Anything Goes
- Crafty Friends Challenge Cute
- Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas - Anything Christmas Goes


text:
She is off over on that sofa in the corner chatting up Bill, a friend of ours. " She looks up at me, smiles nervously, blushes and says, "I am Dorothy. This is one, world class iceberg that only a real pro like me can melt. " Then I point at a couple groping each other close by, laugh and say, "Well Dorothy, guess you can see you are not in Kansas any more! And I always like to touch a woman while I chat her up. " I reach down and place the palm of my hand on the fabric on her thigh. She responds, "Thanks, but no, it's just a simple polyester type of fabric." "Well, it is very attractive. Fuck, she looks even more beautiful with my cock buried in her mouth and my balls touching her chin. I bet her husband is over there watching his wife getting down and dirty with me. Spread those legs, NOW." She spreads them in a flash and not just a bit.
The young lady in my cross-hairs is my favourite type of conquest. I have seen her husband here a few times on Friday nights when single men are allowed in the club. Her husband is going off downstairs to get drinks or take a piss. This is my chance to sit beside her and turn on the charm. Nice to meet you." She offers me her tiny hand and I shake it firmly. It kind of sends sexual signals to their little female brains, haha. And I must say, you are the most beautiful woman in this room. I hold her head for a while but I better withdraw my dick a bit because her eyes are starting to bug a bit and are panicky.
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Plus, I am equipped with a nine-inch dick that has never failed to impress and satisfy the ladies. I have my eagle eye on the attractive wife sitting nervously with her legs crossed on the sofa across the darkened room in the sex club "playroom." Her husband is flirting with the woman beside him and ignoring her. Yes, just like that." Sounds of slurping ring through the room. I look down at her purple dress and her heaving chest. I reach between her wide-open legs and pull the crotch of her panties to one side and with my middle finger, I stroke the engorged lips of her shaved cunny.
My style is the bad-boy look with fresh out-of-the shower-type spiky hair and I use one of those shavers that makes you look like you always have a three-day growth. My goodness, she is pressing her knees together so hard, I bet she could crack a walnut in there. Very good." I find these new swinger soccer-moms love it when I talk dirty. It is a great indication that a woman will be a great fuck when she goes down on you and later you feel her pussy is all wet. That feels EXCELLENT." I put my hands behind my head and break into a big shit-ass grin as the MILF starts bobbing her head up and down unassisted. I bet the folks over in the viewing room are getting real horny. Cock sucking and ball licking is great but I want to get my dick balls deep in this MILF's pussy. "Why don't I check to see if you are really turned on." I reach down to the hem of her dress and pull it up to her stomach. "Hey, sweetie, is there some reason why you aren't holding my cock? Yessiree, that is a pussy that was shaved real good this morning.
In fact, he sticks in my memory because he fucked my beautiful wife while she was sucking my cock just last night. Well of course, after my wife who is over there making friends." She is blushing and shyly looking down. These soccer-moms, even gorgeous ones like this, don't get a lot of guys flirting with them and it kind of takes them off guard.
I just love fucking newbies to the swinging scene and it seems only right that I break in this gorgeous soccer-mom since her husband has humped mine. Shit, I am starting to get an erection just fantasizing about fucking this delicious MILF. "Let me describe the target of my affection sitting across the room a bit more. Her husband is back and he sits down on the other side of his wife. Mark, this is my husband, Frank." I can see she is flustered by my hand on her thigh while her husband is right there.
He is one of those banker or lawyer types that I dislike so much that I just love fucking their wives. She uncrosses her legs which is a very good sign but those knees are clamped shut tight. "Now, put that big dick deep in your mouth, suck a bit and stroke the shaft slowly up and down. I'll likely cum in your mouth later after I fuck you real good." I can feel her pause when I say that and now she is continuing so I guess she wants a good fucking. I give the crowd in the next room a big thumbs up and I hear a bit of their laughter through the walls. "Dorothy, why don't you come up here." She lets my dick drop from her lips and lays beside me again. Her purple lacy bikini panties with a visibly wet crotch come into view. My sudden move has caused her to close her knees tightly in surprise with her toes turned in. Now let's see if you are really turned on or just faking it." I reach down and run my palm over her pubic mound and then with my middle finger notched in her camel toe I dip my hand down the length of her panty-covered pussy to her ass cheeks. Then I dip between the lips to her vaginal opening and up to the hard bud of her clitoris.