D-Don't Take My Exam Paper...

What comes to mind when you hear "your twenties"?

Campus life spent shoulder-to-shoulder with friends. A successful launch into a respectable career. Overseas travel to drink in the wide world.

For me, all of that belonged to another universe. From the moment I was old enough to work in high school, I took every 3D job that would have me—loading docks, construction sites, three-shift factories. Looking back, I had passed through more workplaces than I could count on one hand.

Why had my twenties turned out so different from everyone else's? Because my parents' business collapsed and left behind a mountain of debt.

Of course I could have simply walked away, left my parents to live out their misery as debtors. In fact, every other family member except me—the youngest—had done exactly that and turned their backs.

But I couldn't bring myself to do it.

So I clenched my teeth and paid the debt down year after year. Perhaps my body finally reached its limit. Walking home through the dawn dew one morning, a sudden pain seized my chest; I clutched at it and crumpled straight onto the road.

It was late; no one was around to call an ambulance. I couldn't even twitch a finger. With my head pressed against the cold asphalt I could only moan.

If there's a next life…

Please let me live an ordinary life like everyone else.

At the very least, not a life crushed under an unbearable mountain of debt.

Perhaps because I had poured out so much resentment toward life in my final moment, heaven decided to punish me.

"Hey, Marie! You falling asleep? You know what happens if you don't make today's quota, right?"

"Y-Yes! I-I'm sorry!"

A second chance at life had been granted, yet reality was bleak. I was a complete orphan without even the parents who had once been my only refuge. On top of that, the back-alley thugs who "raised" me handed me a bill for ten gold when I turned ten—the cost of their "care."

"Haa…"

I let out a sigh and dropped my head. My gaze naturally fell, and what entered my sight were stick-thin arms and legs, and hair grown long enough to brush my chest.

In this life I had been born a girl. And a rather pretty one at that.

Had I lived an ordinary life, my looks might have been good enough to aim for idol work. But the more I grew, the less I could simply be happy about it.

Marie, who still retained every memory of her previous life, knew exactly how dangerous a striking face was in a place like this back alley.

From then on she began letting her bangs hang long to hide her face. She deliberately kept her clothes dirtier than anyone else's and even smeared soot on her cheeks, maintaining an appearance no one would want to touch.

Thanks to those tearful efforts she managed to reach fifteen without suffering anything truly terrible. The ten gold billed at age ten had, with interest, ballooned to fifty.

"Haa… This is all you brought in today?"

"I-I'm sorry…"

Thud—

A fist shot out and slammed hard into Marie's stomach. Afraid of being hit more, she didn't even dare scream; she simply clenched her teeth and swallowed the pain whole.

"Do better, yeah? You think we beat kids like you because we enjoy it? Just makes our hands dirty. Ptui—"

A fifteen-year-old girl with no parents and nowhere to lean could do nothing but quietly swallow her rage. She couldn't even react to the insults. In the back alleys, strength was everything.

Clutching her bruised stomach with both hands, Marie entered the communal lodging. The room was already dark, the lights long extinguished.

Even though she had worked later than anyone, she still hadn't met the quota. She seemed about to collapse onto her spot—then quietly pulled a book, a pencil, and a long stick from beneath her bedding and slipped outside.

Marie found a place where the moonlight fell clearly and sat down.

♩—

♪—

♬—

When she plucked the string tied to the long stick with her fingertips, a mournful melody drifted out on the night air.

"I thought I was a shining star~"

Marie whispered along with the notes. She quietly hummed a song that still remained in her memory. She couldn't belt it out freely, but it was her private time to pour out the resentment piled up in her chest.

♩—

After singing the last line, Marie wiped the tears that had rolled down her cheeks and picked up the book.

A second chance at life. No matter how hard it was, she wanted to achieve her dreams as far as she could.

Whiiir—

Outside, people were noisy with year-end celebrations, but Marie clung to her work as usual.

Today when I get off, I'm going to spread cream cheese on a baguette and eat it!

By now seventeen, Marie had become a solid young woman who even held a proper job—though it was only a tiny factory that stamped out everyday magic tools.

Still, thanks to the factory work she now had regular income and a small, shabby single room where she could rest her body. That alone let her feel a tiny happiness each day.

With the little money left over she even bought snacks sometimes.

"B-Boss, I'll be heading home now!"

Finished with her shift, Marie bowed deeply to the factory owner and was about to step out the door—if only he hadn't called her back.

"Marie, come here a minute."

"Yes?"

The boss led her into the office and sat her in the chair opposite him. He set down a steaming cup of warm tea and simply looked at her.

What is this…?

Holding the teacup, Marie felt puzzled by the way the boss just stared without a word. When she carefully studied his face, he seemed lost in deep thought.

"Marie, could you lift your bangs for a moment?"

"Uh… yes…"

Even as unease crawled up her spine at his words, she had no choice but to obey. Seventeen or not, she was still just a factory worker at the very bottom of the pyramid.

"Hmm…"

She strained every nerve at every sound he made. The boss she had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠thought was simply a kind man—could he be harboring bad intentions…? If so, she was ready to burst into loud, ugly sobs.

"Marie."

"E-Eep—"

When the boss pulled his chair closer, she squeezed her eyes shut tight. Her hands only fidgeted on her knees; she couldn't utter a word.

"Why… are your eyes closed? Can you open them?"

"Y-Yes…"

When she carefully opened her eyes, a sheet of paper resting on the boss's hand came into view. After checking its contents, Marie blinked several times, wondering if she had read it correctly.

"W-What is this, Boss?"

"Your academy application."

"M-Me…? I'm a commoner…"

"Commoners can go to the academy too. Most just don't because it costs a fortune."

"Th-Then I absolutely can't go…"

"You didn't read the whole thing, did you?"

The boss pushed the paper forward and pointed to one section with his finger.

"S-Special Admission?"

"Yeah. A track for kids like you who have clear talent but no money. Pass, and the royal family covers the entire tuition."

"Th-That's… I've never even set foot in a school—"

"Then where the hell did you learn to read and write, and how do you handle magic circuits?"

"I-I studied alone… b-before bed…"

"…"

The boss stroked his bushy beard and simply stared at Marie.

Is he going to scold me for doing something that interfered with work…?

Tense, Marie gulped down the tea. It was so hot she nearly spat it back out, but she forced it down.

"You're going to that academy, no question."

"Whaaat?"

How had he reached that conclusion? She couldn't begin to understand what was going through the boss's mind.

"You studied alone, carving out time you didn't have, and you handle magic circuits at that level? From where I'm standing, you're a genius. Those noble young masters at the academy who only study when they're bored—if you put your mind to it even a little, you'd blow right past them and snatch the top seat."

"Th-That's impossible!"

"No, you really are a genius…"

"I-I never even got basic education… I'm just a back-alley vagrant… and, and…"

"A half-demon?"

"H-How—!"

Marie frantically clamped both hands over the baker's hat she always wore and ducked low. Her trembling hands made the hat keep sliding down. Through the gap, a pair of small, broken horns poked out.

"We've worked together for two years already. You think I wouldn't notice something like that?"

"I-I'm sorry! I-I didn't mean to hide it on purpose…"

"You wear a hat every single day even in midsummer and claim it wasn't deliberate?"

"Uh… th-that's… I'm sorry! I-I just wanted to work so badly!"

"Wanted to work so badly… In all my years I've never heard an excuse that creative."

"I'm sorry!"

Marie's apologies continued about ten times before they finally ended.

"When… did you figure it out…?"

"About a month after you started working, maybe?"

"Ehh… that early…"

"Marie, if you're going to wear a hat, get a bigger one. After a while it sinks and those horns stick right out."

"E-Eeh! I-I never knew!"

"Whether I should really send this kid to the academy…"

The boss stroked his beard again and sank into deep thought. Before long he folded the application in half and tucked it into Marie's pocket.

"Your social skills problem will sort itself out once you're knocking around the academy. Here—fill this out by tomorrow."

"I-I'm a half-demon… doesn't that mean I can't enter the academy…?"

"I heard the law's changing next year so you can."

"I-Is that so…"

She pulled the folded paper from her pocket and clutched it tightly in her hand.

"B-Boss!"

"Yeah, yeah, no need for thanks. I didn't give you special treatment or anything. You know I look after vagrant kids now and then."

"Th-That's not it!"

"…Then what?"

"I… I-I can't go to the academy!"

She set the application down on the desk. The boss pressed a hand to his forehead with an incredulous look.

"That line just now. Least funny joke I've heard all year."

"I-It's true! How could someone like me go to an ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠academy full of n-nobles…"

"…"

The boss crossed his arms and stared hard. Marie fidgeted and dropped her gaze.

Am I the one in the wrong for trying to force this socially shattered kid into the academy…?

The thought flickered for a moment, then he brushed it aside. He picked up the application again and held it out.

"Fill this out by tomorrow."

"Th-Thank you for your hard work today—!"

"…"

The cold weather had left the boss's back aching; he couldn't stop a lively seventeen-year-old girl. Instead he decided to play a card that used his position.

The next day when Marie arrived at the factory, she was stunned by the sight before her.

"W-What happened… D-Did I get fired…?"

Her work station had vanished overnight. Just as she was about to burst into tears, the boss appeared.

"Marie, until you finish that application, you're not working."

"Wh-Whaaat??"

"No weird noises. Sit at the desk and write the application."

"I-I don't want to! How could someone like me go to the academy…"

"Want to become unemployed starting today, or will you quietly fill out the form?"

"I-I'm sorryyy!"

Marie tried to flee, but her coworkers grabbed her and sat her at the desk.

"If you don't fill every box by lunch, no food. Got it?"

"D-Don't take my job away…"

"I'm the boss. My call."

"…"

Marie's pitiful cry only echoed into empty air.

The boss managed to collect the application in two days.

"G-Give it back…"

"It's perfect. Why do you keep wanting to revise it?"

"Th-The career section still feels lacking…"

"You're not just stalling until the deadline, are you?"

"Euk…"

There had been a few minor incidents, but Marie's application was safely submitted. Only then did she realize one fact.

"B-Boss! It says the application fee is one gold…?"

"Of course it is. You think the academy digs money out of the ground?"

"I-I don't have that kind of money!"

Despite the boss's devotion, Marie was harboring a wicked little thought inside.

If I play this right… maybe I won't have to go to the academy after all…?

On the outside she looked the picture of regret, even letting a few tears show, but her true feelings were rolling in the opposite, shameless direction.

If the boss had seen straight through her, he would have given her a solid knuckle-rap on the crown for pure cheek.

"I already paid it, so don't worry."

"Wh-Whaaat??"

"What, you don't like it? Then you pay."

"I-I don't have that much…"

"It's not free. When you get money later, pay me back double."

Marie couldn't decide whether to be happy or despair. The boss had considered her empty wallet and fronted a full gold—that was something to be grateful for.

But…! I never asked for this! I never even wanted to go!

Sending Marie to the academy ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠brought the boss no personal gain. In fact, losing his factory ace to the academy meant she would naturally leave, so from his perspective it was closer to a loss.

He was helping purely for her future, and she knew it well.

"I-I'll definitely pay you back later!"

"Yeah, yeah."

Inside, Marie was bawling, but she couldn't show it. She herself couldn't tell whether the tears were from being moved or from the new debt piling up.

"B-Boss. Please give me my station back now!"

With the application finished, Marie boldly demanded her job back.

"What are you talking about? Starting today you study."

"Wh-Whaaat??"

"Sit at this desk and open a book. You need to cover as much as possible before the exam."

"S-Study?! If I can't work, I-I'll starve starting next month!"

"There, there. You'll still get full wages even if you study during work hours, so put your back into it."

"E-Eeh? You'll keep paying my wages?"

"Yeah. Now study."

And so Marie plunged into cramming for the academy entrance exam. There were four subjects.

First: Basic Mage Theory.

Second: Continental Common Language.

Third: Mathematics.

Fourth: Continental History.

Basic Mage Theory was already drilled into her body from factory work, so a single review left her confident.

Continental Common and Math she also knew enough of; a few past papers were sufficient.

The real problem was Continental History.

Why do they even ask the order of past kings' reigns!

As a vagrant who had never received basic education, Marie was a complete blank on history.

If they had asked about her previous life's history she might have guessed roughly, but the history of the continent she now lived on was pure fantasy novel to her.

In the end Marie simply crammed the entire history book into her head.

A month later.

"Marie, fighting!!"

"Ace every question~"

"Don't shake—stand tall and fight!!"

"Hans Factory's top output! Even if you make it big, don't pretend you don't know us!!"

Carrying the passionate cheers of her factory coworkers on her back, Marie headed for the exam hall.

She stepped forward with resolve. Even the bright sunlight lighting the road seemed to bless her future.

The usual grubby Marie was nowhere to be seen. She was neatly dressed in the new clothes the boss had bought her as an exam present!

She strode confidently toward the academy's main gate—until…

"Hey, you! You can't go in that way!"

A knight on guard duty stopped her mid-step. Marie was promptly escorted to the side of the road.

Was a vagrant like her not even allowed to dream of crossing the academy threshold?

Even in new clothes, had some poverty-stricken aura still leaked out?

"I-I'm sorry. A commoner like me walking the path for nobles—I'm sorry. I'm sorry—"

Terrified that the knight's huge fist would come crashing down on her crown any second, she rubbed her hands together and begged again and again.

"Uh… student? You're here for the entrance exam, right?"

"Yes? That's right… P-Please forgive me just this once…"

Contrary to her fears, the knight only scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

"That's the carriage road. The walking entrance is over there—go that way."

"Ah? O-Oh—"

"I… don't know what misunderstanding you had, but sorry for startling you…"

"N-No… thank you for telling me!"

"Yeah, well… good luck on the exam?"

Marie realized that, contrary to all her worries, the academy actually had quite a few warm-hearted people. Having barely regained her composure, she hurried toward the exam hall.

First period: three hours in the morning for the Basic Mage Theory written exam.

Marie began engraving magic circuits on the exam sheet with the same practiced hands she used every day at the factory. Completely absorbed, she finished all ten problems in a flash. When she came to, a full hour had already flown by.

She carefully rolled her eyes to check the surroundings. The other applicants were still sweating, scribbling away.

Th-That's all…?

Wondering if she had missed something, Marie flipped the magic plate she had been given and stared at it until her eyes hurt. The exam really was only ten problems, just as she first saw.

The difficulty had been so much easier than expected that she felt suspicious instead.

I-It can't be this easy!

So for the remaining two hours she kept her pen flying without rest, packing the magic circuits even denser.

The written exam ended and the interview followed immediately. True to its name, Special Admission required each applicant to personally prove their ability.

They had to earn recognition of their talent in a multi-versus-one interview with professors from each department.

Three full professors from the Magic Department and one department head—four in total—were already seated in the interview room waiting for applicants.

Luckily Marie had drawn an early number, so she wouldn't need to stay at the academy until late afternoon. Instead, right after first period she was already waiting outside the interview room, trembling.

D-Don't make any mistakes…!

"Next applicant, please come in~"

The door opened and a voice called for Marie. She carefully studied the face of the previous applicant just leaving.

Th-They're crying!

What on earth had happened in there to make someone come out in tears?! The heart she had barely calmed began pounding wildly again.

Stepping inside, Marie carefully scanned the interviewers' faces.

Roll-bun hair, mustache, bald, grandpa…

After quickly noting each of the four's features, she carefully perched on the prepared chair. Even after she sat, the interviewers simply stared at her in silence.

Feeling she couldn't just sit there, she hurriedly spoke.

"Ah, hello…?"

"Name."

"A-Applicant number three, M-Marie…!"

Scary…

Her resolve not to tremble proved useless; her tongue tangled spectacularly and she mangled the words. She began to understand, bone-deep, how the previous crying applicant must have felt.

"No family name—commoner, then?"

"Y-Yes!"

"Could you… speak a little more clearly?"

"I-I'm sorry!"

"…Professor Heisen, just start already. If we nitpick every little thing like that we won't finish the interviews today."

"Understood."

The bald professor had been about to verbally thrash Marie, but the grandpa professor saved her! People with beards really were all kind, weren't they? Marie thought of her boss and desperately held her crumbling composure together.

The grandpa professor picked up Marie's exam sheet and magic plate with both hands and began examining them closely.

"Hmm… This is something. The writing's so tiny an old man like me can barely make it out…"

"To write answers like this… Applicant Marie, did you never properly learn how to draw magic circuits?"

"I-I'm sorry… I-I taught myself…"

"Hah… Readability of a magic circuit is also an important part of skill. This will have to be a deduction."

"Ugh…"

Marie let out a small sigh. Even the grandpa professor she had thought was on her side had started criticizing.

Her long habit of packing circuits densely into tiny everyday magic tools at the factory had come back to bite her.

The bald professor, carefully examining the sheet through a magnifying-glass-like magic tool, continued the evaluation.

"Applicant Marie, do you not even know the minimum separation distance between formulas? Engraving circuits this close will cause interference—they won't even function properly… Not knowing content that appears on page one of a theory book. At this level you didn't even self-study properly."

"Ah… I-It will definitely work!"

"We'll find out when we activate the circuit in a moment. First, the other professors should take a look."

The bald professor passed the magic plate to the mustache professor beside him. The mustache professor toyed with the tip of his mustache while carefully dissecting the plate.

"Hrm…"

His dissatisfied expression made Marie swallow dryly on instinct.

"Applicant, drawing something complicated does not automatically make it an excellent circuit. Are you unfamiliar with the Three Aesthetics of Magic Studies?"

"Th-That's… I don't really know…"

"First of all, an excellent circuit must possess the beauty of empty space. Circuits crammed together like this are hard for the caster to even look at, and problems arise in the flow of mana as well. And—"

The mustache professor stood and walked to the blackboard. He took a pen and began drawing.

"A beautiful circuit must possess perfect left-right symmetry like this. Yet the circuit the applicant drew is—"

○──┐

└──○

│

○────○

"—something like this. Could you explain why you drew it this way?"

"Th-That's because of efficiency…"

"Hrm… An unbalanced formula. No elegance, and I doubt it will even function properly."

"I-I'm sorry…"

"Lacking confidence in the circuit you yourself drew. That, too, is something a mage must avoid. Always establish your own magic firmly and hold conviction."

Finished speaking, the mustache professor approached the roll-bun-haired professor and respectfully handed over the magic plate.

"Hmm… What on earth is this? We clearly set a problem on the Fireball formula, yet such a complex circuit… Let's activate it once and all take a look, shall we?"

At the roll-bun professor's words the other professors gathered one by one around her.

When the magic plate connected to an illusion magic circle, the formula activated.

Boom—

The circuit Marie had drawn activated successfully and produced a massive explosion. Because it was illusion magic, the interview room mercifully did not get blown to pieces.

"Hoh… To function this perfectly…"

"Astonishing… Several times more powerful than a standard Fireball."

"How did they control the interference…"

The professors each offered opinions and began discussing. The atmosphere had completely changed from the harsh criticism of moments before—all thanks to the Fireball that had displayed remarkable completion and stability.

"Applicant Marie, could you explain the formula a little?"

Only then did the bald professor give Marie the floor. She clenched both hands and began explaining calmly.

"Th-The existing Fireball formula is largely composed of five parts…"

Marie stepped up to the blackboard and roughly sketched the circuit. Explaining with the magic plate would have been far easier, but the roll-bun professor had been staring at it so intently that Marie couldn't bring herself to snatch it back.

Once she finished the formula, Marie pointed one by one with her finger at the five linked circuits.

"This is the circuit that draws in mana."

"This side is the circuit that detonates the mana."

"This part is compression."

"Next to it is projectile adjustment."

"And finally, release."

The mustache professor interrupted mid-explanation with a question.

"You can skip such basic explanations. What we're curious about is the unreasonably close distance between the circuits."

"Th-Then why do the circuits have to be placed far apart…?"

"…"

Marie's returned question froze the professors solid. It wasn't because a bold student had suddenly thrown a riddle in the interview room.

It was because she had asked something far too obvious.

Mana Buffer Layer Theory: Adjacent formulas must always place a mana buffer layer between them.

It was the most basic of basics, written right at the front of every introductory magic text.

"Th-The space between is too wasteful. Th-This is all money, you know…"

The grandpa professor answered at once.

"That's because of interference according to the distance between circuits."

Marie shook her head.

"N-No… Interference isn't because of distance…"

After a moment's thought she picked the simplest analogy in her head.

"I-It's because the beats match."

Marie drew two circles side by side on the blackboard.

Tick—

Tick—

She tapped both circles with her fingers at the same time.

"If tw-two circuits release mana on the same beat, they resonate and interfere with each other…"

This time she delayed one hand by half a beat.

Tick—

Tick—

"If you make the b-beats different from each other, even if you put them close together they don't affect one another…"

After Marie's interview ended, the three professors shared their evaluations of her.

"To think she made the mana wave values of all five circuits completely different… A level I can hardly believe belongs to a mere student."

"Incredibly precise control. That's the kind of circuit formula that goes into military magic tools. This old man never dreamed someone would attempt something so bold in an exam hall."

"She even matched the differences in vibration values consistently! Looking at it aesthetically, it's truly perfect!"

Thud—!

Just as the three were heaping praise on Marie, the roll-bun-haired professor suddenly shot to her feet and slammed her palm on the desk.

"No…"

"D-Department Head, what do you mean?"

The grandpa professor, most senior among the full ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠professors, asked on behalf of the others.

"It's not five!"

"Th-There were ten problems, so fifty total…"

"That's not it!"

The roll-bun professor unfolded the formula in midair.

A three-layered magic circuit rose and filled the center of the interview room.

In that instant every professor's eyes went wide.

"Surely…?"

She slowly traced one circuit downward with her finger.

The circuit below it, and the one below that as well.

All of them were connected as one.

"She separated the phases and split a single circuit into five…"

Her voice began to tremble finely.

"Not five—one hundred twenty-five. Across all ten problems, one thousand two hundred fifty circuits!"

"Th-That means… she engraved one circuit every ten seconds throughout the entire exam time?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying! What kind of person is a machine?!"

The roll-bun professor vaulted straight over the desk and bolted for the door.

"Department Head! We're still in the middle of interviews—where are you going?!"

"I have to check the other circuits too! I'll bring the magic plate, just wait a moment!"

In the end the department head succeeded in chasing Marie down. She closed in fast from behind and seized her arm.

"Wait a moment!"

"E-Eeh? R-Roll-bun Professor?"

"…What kind of title is that! Call me Department Head Carol!"

"Y-You're the department head?!"

Marie was genuinely flustered. Someone who looked this young was the department head? She had naturally assumed the oldest-looking grandpa professor was the head.

"That doesn't matter at all right now! Give me the magic plate!"

"D-Don't take my exam paper…"

"I have to re-grade it, so hand it over quickly!"

"Th-They said I have to submit this again…"

"I'm the department head—what's the problem?! Do you not want to pass?"

"I-I'm sorry!"

Powerless before authority, Marie meekly handed over the magic plate.