Lina Quest

Lina Quest is a staff member of the Salius Province Free Merchant Fleet Association.

Not hired through local civil service recruitment, but directly recruited by the Central Office of the Aecneria Galactic Federation Free Merchant Fleet Association as a general administrative officer—what is commonly known as an elite staff member.

It is common practice for general staff members hired by the Central Office of the Aecneria Galactic Federation Free Merchant Fleet Association to serve at a regional union for two or three years after hiring, then transfer to the Central Office based on personal preference, advancing their careers toward leadership positions within the union. However, Lina, uninterested in promotions or career advancement but finding fulfillment in hands-on work, continues her duties at the Salius Province union without applying for a transfer to the Central Office.

If she weren't seeking a position at headquarters, joining the general civil service would be far easier—yet there were circumstances specific to Rina.

Rina is the daughter of one of the most prominent families in the Akneria Galactic Federation.

Her grandfather is a member of the Akneria Federation Parliament, and her father is a senior bureaucrat in the Akneria Ministry of Justice.

She has an older brother and sister, both of whom have chosen careers in the civil service.

However, the youngest daughter, Lina, chose the Merchant Marine Union when selecting her career path.

Although from a prestigious family, the Quess family had always been liberal, allowing their children complete freedom to choose their own paths without any pressure.

Although Lina could have entered the general civil service, she deliberately chose the headquarters' general position in order to maintain the appearance of her family's standing, honoring their support in letting her follow her own passion.

Even after Rina began working for the Salius Province union, her family relationships remained strong, and she looked forward to visiting her family home on the colony of Acnelia Stellar Province—the capital of the Acnelia Galactic Federation—during occasional breaks.

One day, unexpectedly receiving a summons from her grandfather, Rina decided to take her vacation and return home.

Since Shinosuke and the others have just returned from the Sacred Country of Seigur, they probably won't be taking on any jobs for a while—perfect timing.

Given those circumstances, when I returned home, I found out my grandfather's reason was an arranged marriage meeting.

Rina is currently 27 years old.

Though past the usual age for marriage, he had never thought about it, too absorbed in his work to even consider it.

Although his grandfather had repeatedly arranged meetings for him, seeing how reluctant Rinna was, it was actually just a pretext to summon Rinna herself.

In short, the grandfather simply wanted to see his granddaughter, but Rinna, though annoyed by his antics, felt no anger toward him at all.

After politely declining the marriage proposals, Rinna was able to spend a brief vacation with her family.

Rina, gazing at the vast world of stars beyond the window of the passenger ship returning to the province of Saulius, lost in thought.

"Matchmaking... marriage... I never thought about it before... but still, it's impossible to ignore now... I never imagined I'd fall for a free merchant, yet here I am—falling for him anyway..."

Muttering these thoughts, she pictured Shinnosuke's face among the stars visible through the window.

"…Still, something feels off."

Shinnosuke's appearance was sharp-eyed and rugged, not the kind of handsome man who typically appeals to women.

Even when she imagined Shinnosuke among the stars visible through the window, it just didn't feel right—only a sense of unease remained.

That said, Shinno's appearance wasn't unappealing at all—on the contrary, he fell within her preferred range—but Rina was drawn to Shinno not because of his looks, but because of his sincerity and his attitude toward work.

"I should try asking him out on a date during my next break... Otherwise, I'll just keep falling behind Seira-chan and Milena."

Although she was Shinosuke's assigned partner at the union, she couldn't be by Shinosuke's side constantly like Seira and Milena.

What Rin needed, feeling she was falling behind the two, was more initiative toward Shinosuke.

Thinking this as she returned to the Salius Stellar Province Central Colony, Rin.

When I arrived at the guild, I learned from another staff member, Iris, that during my vacation, Shinosuke and the others had taken on a job and headed off toward the Damura Star Cluster Kingdom.

That in itself wasn't too bad—though the work was risky, freelance merchants willingly accept such risks when taking on jobs.

But according to Iris, Shinosuke had overheard something strange just before setting out, and she seemed genuinely concerned about it.

Apparently, Shinosuke is being targeted by someone with murderous intent.

Free merchants take on jobs knowing the risks, and guild staff also proceed with full awareness of those dangers.

But if Shinosuke is being hunted by an unknown assailant, that changes everything.

Lina continued sending messages to Shinosuke, knowing full well they might never reach him.

Otherwise, I felt I might be crushed by worry and lose myself completely.

I've been posting creations of characters and ships just for fun, but so far, only side characters have been featured.

It was a strange order, putting off main characters, but I plan to finally post images of the main characters after this story arc.

Just as a rough idea, I'd be happy if you could take a peek and think, "So that's what it looks like."

Some may think, "This isn't the Seira (Milina, Lina) I imagined!"—in such cases, I'll leave the mental details to your imagination.