Philia

Personal Info

Easygoing and free-spirited, Philia moved at her own pace, acting largely on personal inclination.
She wandered the Abyss for long stretches of time and preferred to think of herself as a traveler rather than anything else.
Since becoming an explorer, Philia rarely took on formal commissions. As a result, many expedition teams—despite admiring her strength—never went so far as to extend a proper invitation.
In hindsight, judging by how Philia would later conduct herself, those teams might well have been fortunate to have avoided the experience of being turned down.

As an explorer who had spent many years active within the Abyss, Philia's renown and recorded achievements were far from remarkable—at times, they scarcely compared to those of newly initiated explorers.
Yet her experience and ability were beyond question. Any expedition team that earned her recognition would undoubtedly find its journeys through the Abyss far smoother.

Chronicles

When Philia first started school, she was a remarkably proud young lady—her words and manners all carefully modeled after those of the nobility. She talked endlessly about restoring her family's former glory and something like.
Naturally, none of us believed her. In a place as small as ours, how could there possibly be any great noble houses?
It was only later that we learned her ancestors truly had been figures of considerable importance. Somehow, though, her family had fallen into decline and ended up here.
Come to think of it... is she still striving to restore her family now? Living as a carefree explorer instead? That—well, that can't be right, can it?
—Philia's Classmate

From the moment she was old enough to understand, I repeatedly told her of our family's ancestral glory, hoping she would devote herself to its restoration.
When she was young, she was at least obedient—she understood her duty and threw herself into it without hesitation.
But as she grew older, she became increasingly defiant. Eventually, she even began to doubt my words, to doubt the very history of our family.
She showed no understanding of our intentions at all, speaking instead of exhaustion—utterly unreasonable!
In the end, she went so far as to abandon her duty altogether and run away from home. Such reckless, willful behavior is something I will never forgive!
—Philia's Father

She seemed to arrive at this settlement one year when the flowers were in bloom, living alone in a small wooden cabin by the river.
When we greeted her, she would always return the gesture with a smile, yet her interactions with us remained few and distant...
At the time, many thought her a strange one. But when disaster struck, she stepped forward without hesitation and saved us all.
Later, when we wished to thank her, she had already left—quietly, without our ever noticing.
— An Outpost Resident

Record

When word spread that Miss Philia was about to join the expedition team, many members dismissed it as a joke.
After all, the traveler who wandered the Abyss at such an unhurried pace hardly seemed like someone who would settle into a team.
It was not until Miss Philia appeared in person that the members were forced to accept the news as fact.
Curiosity soon followed—what terms could possibly have convinced her to join an expedition team?
In truth, she was simply told that there would be no constraints here. Aside from a handful of commissions, everyone was free to live at their own pace.
Nor was there any prejudice to speak of; if anything, when compared fairly, Miss Philia was perhaps the most "ordinary" person in the entire team.
Given such assurances, Miss Philia did not deliberate long before agreeing.
Perhaps, for her, her pharmacological research had just reached a natural pause, and experiencing life within an expedition team felt like a welcome respite.
Or perhaps, after witnessing the team's harmonious atmosphere, she found herself thinking that staying a while might not be such a bad idea after all.

Anecdote

When Philia arrived at a settlement, the streets were completely deserted. After several attempts, she finally managed to knock on the door of a single household.
"So the reason you've shut yourselves indoors is that a group of monsters appeared near the Outpost, and those who went to subdue them were infected with some unknown illness—one that then spread within the Outpost?"
"Yes. That's why you should leave as well, young lady. If you stay, you might catch it too."
"When something like this happened, didn't you request support from the Guild?"
"Of course we did—more than once. But..."
"But?"
"Those they sent either couldn't solve the problem, or felt the reward was too small. Sigh."
"Anyone here with real ability has already fled. Those of us left behind are people with nowhere else to go."
"I see... Sir, could you tell me which direction the monsters are in?"
"You—you mean to deal with those monsters yourself? No, no. So many people failed—you'd be in far too much danger alone."
"Hehe, don't worry, sir. I happen to know a little about medicine."
...
Guided by the old man's directions, Philia soon located the group of monsters and quickly devised a solution.
She did not act at once, however. Along her journey, she had witnessed both kindness and malice in human hearts, and understood that good intentions did not always lead to good outcomes.
Moreover, this incident had already been registered with the Guild as an official commission. If she were to resolve it outright, the Guild would still require the villagers to provide payment.
And so, a plan began to take shape in Philia's mind.
...
"Cancel the original commission, then issue a new one. Change the reward to one gold coin, along with samples of the medicinal herbs growing nearby... Young lady, you're not joking, are you?"
"Yes."
In response to the Outpost leader's doubts, Philia gave a calm, affirmative reply.
After consulting with several residents, the leader decided to proceed immediately according to Philia's proposal. As they thanked her, cheers spread among the crowd.
The sight left Philia with a faint sense of reflection.
She truly did wish to lend these people a hand—but beyond sympathy for their plight, she was also mindful of not delaying her own research.
"Having locals help collect samples is far more efficient than searching on my own, or hiring others," she mused.