Philippine Big Boar

Twenty years ago, at seventeen and still serving as crown prince of Deorvinci, Adax visited a neighboring kingdom and encountered a young woman named Milandra. She was strong-willed, tomboyish, and not particularly warm upon first meeting, though entirely free of arrogance. She owned and operated a tavern she had built entirely through her own efforts.

What struck Adax immediately was that Milandra was completely unbothered by his royal status. She told him plainly that status meant nothing and that every human being was equal regardless of rank. She went on to explain her philosophy simply and directly. Her wealthy parents had always tried to shelter her behind luxury, covering everything for her without allowing her to build anything herself. She found this suffocating and left without taking much with her, not even significant money, choosing instead to start from nothing. She worked simple labor, grew her earnings carefully, and eventually built her tavern from the ground up. She told him the most genuinely enjoyable part of the process was not the money itself but the act of growing it, of hiring people without being overly selective, of watching something real develop through sustained effort and genuine interest. She observed that most wealthy people became trapped the moment they acquired money, treating wealth itself as the destination rather than as a byproduct of real engagement with the world, losing any authentic interest in life beyond the maintenance of their status.

She then said something that stayed with Adax long after their meeting. If a person is genuinely interested in the world, why would they pray to God for miracles and safety when almost anything is achievable through effort and wholehearted engagement with life? Are there really things beyond human reach? Is even danger truly as threatening as it appears?

Rather than taking offense Adax found himself thinking deeply. He already harbored private suspicions about Deorvinci's approach to governance and faith, and Milandra's words reminded him of perspectives he had encountered in records about Theolis and their mysterious central figure known only as B.

The situation ended in tragedy. Kingdom officials noticed that Milandra's tavern was generating exceptional revenue and moved to impose an increased tax beyond what was legally mandated. Her employees protested, correctly pointing out that no law permitted taxation based purely on earnings at that scale. Initially Milandra decided to comply in order to prevent the conflict from escalating further. However her employees refused to accept this, insisting that compliance with an unlawful demand was not something they were willing to offer. Their conviction changed her mind. She reversed her decision and told the officials directly that their attempt to penalize her was, if anything, a compliment. To be targeted as the fastest earner in the kingdom simply by being genuinely interested in the world was not something she considered an insult.

The officials responded by ordering her arrest. When she refused to pay the unlawful tax increase the matter escalated without formal trial and she was executed.

Her employees, who had come to see her as a genuinely real and admirable person rather than simply an employer, were devastated. They were powerless to act against the officials.

Adax could not intervene. To do so openly would have drawn dangerous attention and risked souring or entirely rupturing the relationship between his kingdom and Deorvinci, potentially escalating into open conflict. He said nothing and did nothing, and has carried that silence ever since.