Arcana

The children whom Arcana took care of all love her and frequently pester her to tell them stories, to which she never once refuses. Just like the bedtime stories often told to children, her story always begins with, "Once upon a time..."

However, the stories she narrates are enriched with a tinge of extra realism compared with those written in fairy tales. No other books have ever described how the blood that drips from a slaughtered dragon isn't red, nor do they bring up how the champion has to trek down a particular hill barefoot after accidentally losing one shoe during the journey.

Had she not personally witnessed these scenes, how could she possibly know these details? Could she have lived in the era where dragons and champions existed?

"...If that hero is still alive, she should still be living somewhere now," is typically how her story ends.

Can heroes from hundreds of years ago truly still be freely and blissfully living somewhere? Arcana's stories never fail to fascinate and offer a sense of security. Her listeners are willing to believe that if the people in the stories are immortal, they'll certainly keep living an ordinary life inconspicuously after completing such an awe-inspiring adventure.

If you're looking to learn more about the Empire's lore, Arcana is the perfect person to turn to. Of course, if it's merely general knowledge of the Empire that you need, Livia will be able to answer your questions. In fact, there are several appropriate people on the train to inquire about the living conditions of various people in the Empire. Yet, only Arcana can acutely connect the dots between different matters, then trace them back to specific folklore from hundreds of years ago and tell you about its origin.

She also has all sorts of knowledge, a significant part of which is pretty beneficial in real life. There's nothing that can stump her about the Empire, like their traditional agriculture, medical knowledge, and the tons of recipes for different food... If you look at it in another way, a place more suitable for her is probably a hut in a border village of the Empire than on the Eternal, which is continuously on the move.

After some time of adapting and research, Arcana has already mastered the skill of using natural ground materials to make food and medicine. Although she regularly grumbles about how "these substances upon the ground are sorely scant of mana," she still manages to serve exceptionally tasty food each time. Even the dining carriage transforms into a wonderful, magical place whenever she stands on the footstool to work with pots and pans by the stove.

Once upon a time, under the brilliant light of the Wishing Tower, a young woman gave birth to a child upon paying homage to the tower.

As the child grew up, people noticed that her skin was marked with an amazing pattern and that she had exceedingly great powers, so much so that monsters adored her. They wouldn't attack her and would instead become her friend.

Despite countless years going by, the girl still looked like a child. She left her hometown and went on a journey, even changing her name, but her physical appearance remained unchanged. It was one thing that was constant in spite of the uncountable adventures she had gone on and the numerous friends she lost to the natural cycle of life. Undoubtedly, she was regarded as abnormal, and that thoroughly devastated her.

Even though she went on to meet a new friend, the forlorn child still cried unceasingly, as she knew that her new friend would eventually die before she did, too. To her shock, this friend held her hand and requested one thing from her: Don't be trapped by the misery of immortality. Please be happy in your future journeys.

The forlorn child agreed. From then on, she vanished from the public eye without anyone ever knowing where she had gone.

"If yon child hath not perished, she ought yet to dwell in some hidden place even now."