Note/L10N/Windfall/1.0/Books/WFFracusJrnlE?
題名 
原題
訳題
本文
原文 †
<div align="left"><font face=5>
10th of Rains Hand, 3E433<br>
Troubles, troubles, troubles. Are they unexpected? No. But I should be careful about judging anything at face value. I may be the Count's Bodyguard but I'm still an outsider. I doubt if I know the full story about anything. Acretia has been shilly-shallying between Brend and Stilus since they were children. So what made Brend decide to marry her? Did he imagine Stilus would simply give up his claim on the girl? In some ways it's a pity that the brothers haven't killed each other over her before now. Society in general would be better off without them. That arrogant and spoiled brat Brend wouldn't know what a hard day's work was if it stood up and bit him. And Stilus is scarcely any better, a lazy good-for-nothing with no respect for authority and no sense of responsibility. How can these - oafs - be sons of our beloved Count Varo? They'll break his heart, I'm sure of it. The Count is a good man, honorable and generous. It is a privilege to serve him. But when he retires that's it for me. I'll return to the Legion and the Imperial City. Nothing will make me work for those wastes of space!<br>
<br>
3rd of Second Seed, 3E433<br>
Sounds like I'll be leaving sooner than I thought. The Count is ready to start handing over the reins of power to Brend. How can he? He seems to think Brend is a good politician. Ha! The boy's certainly devious and two-faced enough with his father. But he has no idea of what makes a town like Windfall tick. And worse than that, he has no respect for the common folk that are its life blood. I pity the inhabitants when the Count finally relinquishes full control.<br>
<br>
7th of Mid Year, 3E433<br>
Where the devil is Brend? The Count has been taken ill and it's serious. The boy should be with his father but no, he's too busy swanning around with the Town Council trying to think of creative ways to screw more taxes out of the commoners. But then the Council are all his cronies. He probably feels more at home with them than he does with his father. They are all the same too, out of touch with the reality of Windfall, something that could never be said of his father. He never believed the rich should get richer. He saw privilege comes with responsibilities that involve some form of payback. Brend will extort the last spare coin from his subjects and still want more. And when he faces their wrath - inevitable when the choice is fight or starve - he'll still not see his foolishness. Let's hope the Count recovers before Brend has pushed things too far.<br>
<br>
11th of Mid Year, 3E433<br>
The Count is leaving Windfall for the family home. I'll accompany him, of course. It's probably a good thing as he needs rest if he is to recover and he's not getting any of that in Windfall. Oh, some of his visitors are well-wishers, but even they can be exhausting in large numbers. Sadly most of the visitors come to query Brend's new policies. You would think the boy had the sense to leave well alone until the Count was active again. No. I'm being stupid. Why would Brend do that? To even have the idea Brend would need to be interested in his father's well-being. All Brend is interested in is himself. To be honest, I reckon I'm the nearest thing to a dutiful son Count Varo has and I'm just a Legionnaire on extended loan!<br>
<br>
26nd of Mid Year, 3E433<br>
The Count is getting better! Acretia has been looking after him for the past two weeks and it's done him good. Mind you, this state of affairs is only temporary. She told me that she needed to return to Windfall for a few days very soon. She couldn't meet my eyes when she said it. I offered to save her a bit of money by sending her luggage on ahead with one of my messengers and she refused. But it made her flustered. I don't believe she's going to Windfall at all. Still, that's none of my business. As long as she continues to make the Count feel better while she's here, what do I care where she goes next? She's a pleasant enough woman, undeniably easy on the eyes, but a harbinger of trouble. I have no doubt in my own mind that the Varo family would have been better off if she had never entered their lives.<br>
<br>
10th of Sunsheight, 3E433<br>
Surprise, surprise - Acretia never made it to Windfall. Brend is up here now fretting about her. All I could tell him was that she left two weeks ago saying she was heading for 'his' city. He insisted I sent out guards to search the roads for signs of a struggle, or an accident. There won't be any. Messengers have been going between here and the city every other day. If anything had been amiss, it would have been reported before now. I'll bet she's gone to look for Stilus. I don't see any advantage in getting involved in these family squabbles, but I'll send out every man I can find. I'll have them to search the road pebble by pebble if needs be, as long as it gets that jumped-up nonentity out of my hair as quickly as possible!<br>
<br>
12th of Sunsheight, 3E433<br>
The Count has had a relapse. And this time I am sure I can sense the finger of death on him. He has told me he knows this himself. You would perhaps excuse a dying man if his actions at the end became selfish. But what did the Count do? He paid all his staff six month's wages in advance and told them to look for new jobs while the money lasted. A few like me were asked to stay on until his sons arrived. Is he serious? No one knows where Stilus is. He probably does not even know that his father is ill, let alone dying. And Brend? He'll be too busy. He's always been too busy for his father. I can guess it'll be me that has to make the final arrangements when the time comes. The Count has always been good to me. I don't mind.<br>
<br>
12th of Sunsheight, 3E433<br>
The Count has gone; his dying wish unfulfilled. How could it be that the life of one so kind and generous should end with such tragedy? All he wanted was to see his sons one last time, to be able to say goodbye. Perhaps Stilus can be excused if he is still in ignorance of the events here. Brend? I will complete the Count's final wishes to the letter but for one tiny detail. I will take the Varo family ring. If Brend can come up with an adequate reason for not being by his father's deathbed, I shall hand it over to him. I suspect however that even his fertile imagination will be unable to excuse such callous inhumanity. In that case he can whistle for the ring!<br>
<br>
13th of Suns Height, 3E433<br>
Problems with the peasants! What kind of lame explanation is that? Brend wouldn't even have the problems if he took the slightest bit of advice on how to govern a city. Then he has no more respect for its citizens than he had for his father. I won't stay for the funeral. It would be too unbearably sad. And I would not be able to listen to Brend making some sanctimonious eulogy about his 'beloved' father without getting up and punching him in the face. I'll leave for the Imperial City first thing tomorrow before the procession begins. And the Varo ring goes with me.<br>
<br>
25th of Suns Height, 3E433<br>
It's good to be back. I really feel I belong here despite my extended absence. I've been lucky, too, in that my old job has been given back to me. I had to do a bit of convincing, display humility, that sort of thing. Most Legionnaires who get to work solo for important nobles come back convinced they have become big fish themselves and can't cope with being back in the pool. Well, I did convince them and that's what matters. I've said I quite fancy an assignment out of the Imperial City again. Let's hope that doesn't mean some antiquated outpost like Arx Dolor or Gnisis; not that it'll be my decision to make.<br>
<br>
26th of Suns Height, 3E433<br>
I cannot believe it. Windfall! How in Tamriel can they send me there? Well, I can guess what went through their heads 'he's already very familiar with the place'. I didn't have to ask the reason why the Legion is needed there. Brend has brought the town to its knees. There are constant protests and food riots. I'm to 'monitor the situation' but 'take no part in the local politics'. Hmmm! Why do I have a nasty feeling that it might be easier to say than to do where Brend is concerned? Still, as we're there to ensure the safety of the Empire's trade routes, we're to be limited to patrolling the commercial district. It's a buffer zone so perhaps we'll be able to avoid too much contact with the opposing factions. As long as we can be quartered there, I'll hope for the best.<br>
<br>
22nd of Last Seed, 3E433<br>
Now I'm here, I wish I'd said no. Oh, it's not the task. I've a detachment of Legion soldiers to worry about so I won't have time for wallowing in sad recollections of the Count's final weeks. We have been lucky too in that the townspeople are co-operating and have quartered us in the commercial zone. Even so, Brend is the Count. Try as I might I am going to have to deal with that - creature - face to face. Indeed I'll have to make an introductory courtesy visit very shortly. I suppose it will be too much to hope that he has mellowed since his father's death.<br>
<br>
23th of Last Seed, 3E433<br>
Yech! What a creep! He is the same as ever, an unpleasant combination of arrogance and incompetence that believes in his own infallibility! He thinks I have arrived to patrol the slums and control the peasants for him! It was a pleasure to disabuse him of that notion. I made it all sound very official 'protect trade routes', 'above local political disputes'. He didn't look too pleased which certainly made me feel better. To make sure my men understand this, I have requested Lieutenant Hardius to issue a written list of orders. I have also spoken to the men myself on more than one occasion to reinforce the message that they stay only in the commercial district unless under express orders to the contrary. If Brend believes we are going to do anything for him he is living in a fantasy and will get a very rude awakening. With luck, he'll make such a mess, the Legion will order me to step in and assume control. What a fine revenge that would be for Brend's outrageous behavior toward his own father.<br>
<br>
訳文 †
【訳文記述エリア】
