They Said Half-Demons Could Enroll...
"Th-They said even half-demons could enroll..."
Having had her magic-circuit board confiscated by the department head, Marie trudged across the academy grounds with heavy steps.
First period — the major exam — was done. Three tests remained: Continental Common Language, Mathematics, and Continental History, each an hour long.
Would they really make applicants sit through six straight hours of exams? Fortunately, the academy had no intention of driving its candidates to a mental grave. Breaks and a lunch period had been thoughtfully slotted between each session.
First period over, it was now lunchtime. Marie glanced around, searching for somewhere to fill her stomach. With only a tight hour to eat, anxiety quickened her pace.
She headed for the cafeteria she'd been directed to before the exams began.
A low, constant murmur of voices filled the air.
W-Why are there so many people...!
It was the day both Special Admission and regular-track applicants sat their exams together, and the dining hall was packed to the brim.
Between the interview and being detained by the department head, Marie was among the late arrivals. Nearly every seat was already taken.
I-I have no choice!
Terrified as she was, she squeezed out every drop of courage and approached a two-person table occupied by only one person.
Black hair, black eyes. Colors she had seen so often in her previous life that the young man sitting across from her somehow put her at ease.
On this continent, hair and eye colors came in every shade imaginable. Looking down on a busy street from above would have been like gazing at a scatter of multicolored paint.
"U-Um..."
"Hm? Is there something you need?"
"I-If this seat is free, may I sit here...?"
"Haha! By all means, sit!"
The young man laughed brightly and made room for her. She had done it — her first-ever attempt at sharing a table with a stranger, and it had worked! A quiet pride swelled in Marie's chest as she fished her lunchbox out of her bag and opened it.
"Oh...! That looks absolutely delicious! Did you make it yourself?"
"U-Uh... y-yes..."
"Haha! I'd put it up against anything our family chefs prepare without shame!"
"Th-Thank you..."
W-Why is a complete stranger trying to make small talk?! They say even a dog shouldn't be bothered while eating...!
The cheerful young man offered pure, well-meaning praise, but Marie herself was dying inside. Her empty stomach was so knotted she felt she might choke, and her whole body trembled.
Once she buried her head and began to eat, the young man mercifully stopped talking.
Ugh... this is uncomfortable...
Her mind had settled a little, but her body had not. With her head bowed, her hat kept sliding forward. Without thinking, she took it off and set it on her lap — and that was the moment.
"A d-demon...?!"
The cheerful young man's cry at the sight of her horns snapped every gaze in the room toward them.
"What?! A demon inside the academy?!"
"Hngh! Th-Those horns..."
"Weren't all the demons driven off the continent already?"
Th-This is bad...!
She had always fretted about removing her hat inside the academy. During the written exams she had kept it on, so she never saw how people would react. At the interview she had gone in bareheaded, but the professors had shown no reaction at all.
She had thought that meant it was fine.
"Someone call the guards...!"
People who saw only the horns and took her for a full demon were already calling for knights. Marie scrambled to pack up her half-eaten lunch and rose from her seat.
"I-I'm not a demon — I'm a half-demon...! I-I'm sorry for ruining your meal... I-I'm so sorry!"
Without even properly shouldering her bag, she fled the cafeteria as if running for her life. Even after putting considerable distance between herself and the dining hall, the anxiety refused to fade, so she kept running.
"Hah... hah..."
She ran until she found herself somewhere nearly deserted. Dense trees, buildings visible only far in the distance — she seemed to have reached a deep corner of the academy's gardens.
Only then did relief wash over her. She collapsed onto the ground, gasping for breath.
"Hic..."
The grass made a soft enough cushion, but Marie's heart found no comfort at all.
Her own carelessness had caused a scene. Everyone in the cafeteria had been startled; their meals had been interrupted.
Negative thoughts flooded her mind until the rims of her eyes burned red.
She swallowed the sob that threatened to burst free. Lunchtime was almost over. If she simply sat here and cried, she would miss the entrance exams.
The boss had given her a whole month off factory work and even covered her application fees. She couldn't throw that away. Marie pulled the lunchbox from her bag and forced food into her mouth.
"Th-They said half-demons could enroll..."
Memories of every slight and insult she had endured because of the horns on her head rose up, and the tears spilled over again.
Rustle—
"H-Hyeek?"
An unidentified sound from the bushes in front of her froze the hand that had been pushing rice into her mouth.
C-Could it be a wild animal...?
A beast inside the academy?! Maybe ornamental animals roamed the vast grounds. Fear of the unknown locked Marie's body in place; she couldn't move from where she sat.
Rustle—!
"H-Hyat!"
Something burst through the grass. She squeezed her eyes shut and trembled. Determined to protect her meal from a beast's claws if nothing else, she hoisted the lunchbox high in both arms.
"Why is there a person out here...?"
It was not an animal's cry but a soft voice. Marie cautiously opened her eyes.
S-She's incredibly pretty...!
A girl student stood before her, plucking leaves from her long golden hair as she stared at Marie. She looked about the same age. Even as she straightened her disheveled appearance, her red eyes never left Marie for a second.
"Food? That looks tasty..."
"Y-Yes?"
On closer look, the girl wasn't staring at Marie at all — she was boring holes through the lunchbox Marie still held aloft toward the sky. A sudden, inexplicable sense of threat made Marie hide the lunchbox against her chest.
"Y-You can't!"
"Can't what? I didn't say anything."
"D-Don't take my lunchbox..."
"Hmm..."
The girl came over and sat down. The closer she drew, the more Marie shrank into herself, clutching the lunchbox tightly.
"Calm down first."
"Y-Yes..."
"Let's negotiate like civilized people."
From the bag on her back she produced a large container and held it out. An elaborately patterned lunchbox came into view.
"W-What is this...?"
"My lunch."
"H-How is that a negotiation...?"
"Let's split them half and half!"
"..."
Marie looked at the girl with a dubious expression at the sudden proposal.
"You couldn't buy this even if you had the money, you know? If you found out where it was made, you'd be shocked."
"W-Well..."
"Mine has more food, but... if you accept right now! I'll throw in half as a free bonus!"
The girl leaned in closer and closer. From her glittering red eyes radiated an absolute determination to claim Marie's lunchbox no matter what.
"Y-Yes..."
"Yahoo!"
Overwhelmed by sheer force of will, Marie accepted on the spot.
Nibbling at the portion she had been given, she quickly understood why the girl had staged this whole affair.
It's incredibly bland...
The lunchbox was packed with clearly expensive fresh vegetables and seafood, yet it was so underseasoned she wondered if anyone had used salt at all. With each bite of side dish, curiosity overtook even her fear, and she ventured a question.
"U-Um..."
"Hm? What's up?"
"W-Why didn't you season any of this...?"
Chewing thoughtfully, the girl swallowed one of Marie's carefully pan-fried sausages before answering.
"Haa... This disaster exists because of my dad's — not His Majesty the King's, just Dad's — pointless meddling..."
"W-What on earth happened...!?"
"Lately he keeps saying I've gotten chubby. Is that something you say to a young lady in her growth spurt? Absolute parental failure."
"...I-Is that so."
"So I asked for a diet meal, and they brought me this. Should I just fire the chef when I get home?"
"Th-Then the chef's family would be in a lot of trouble..."
"Hm? Would they? I hadn't thought that far."
"P-Please forgive them just this once..."
Marie even bowed her head as she pleaded. The girl, flustered, waved her arms to stop her.
"Why are you apologizing? I won't fire anyone, so stop worrying!"
"Th-Thank you..."
"Is this even right..."
Left speechless by Marie's behavior, the girl polished off the rest of the food at remarkable speed. When she finished, she pulled a bottle from her bag, poured tea, and offered some to Marie.
"Here — this one's on the house~"
"Th-Thank you..."
The fragrance of the tea struck Marie's nose with startling force.
W-What is this?!
It was the most luxurious scent she had ever encountered in either of her lives. Every fragrance she had known before this tea might as well have been sewage by comparison.
"Come to think of it, we never even introduced ourselves, did we?"
"Huh? Y-You're right... I-I'm Marie."
Truthfully, Marie had been curious about the identity of a girl who could casually hand out tea this expensive.
"Your house? Are you a commoner?"
"Y-Yes..."
"Hmm... So does your family run a trading company or something?"
"I-I just work at a factory..."
"Ah, um... Then Special Admission?"
"Yes..."
The girl seemed to choose her next words carefully.
Marie was certain that even if the girl snapped, "How dare a lowly commoner drink my tea? Disgusting — drop dead," she would only bow her head without a shred of resistance. She had endured far worse in the back alleys.
"Then you must have studied incredibly hard, huh? That's amazing! I can't sit at a desk for even ten minutes...!"
"Th-Thank you..."
"Whoa! If we both get in, let's be friends from now on! I'm Charlotte~"
Ch-Charlotte?!
The name struck Marie's mind like lightning. Charlotte. Golden hair and red eyes.
The Troublemaker Princess!
It was a manhwa she had never actually read — the genre hadn't suited her tastes — but it had been famous enough that she knew the name. The real title wasn't The Troublemaker Princess, but that was what everyone online called it, so that was how Marie remembered it too.
W-Why her of all people!
The instant she realized who the girl was, Marie's fear evolved into pure terror. Was it because Charlotte was a princess?
That was one reason, but the true cause of her trembling was something else entirely.
A-A crazy battle maniac!
In her previous life, Marie had once watched a short animated clip of a scene from The Troublemaker Princess.
Unlike the usual romantic fantasy manhwa that dazzled viewers with pretty art, Charlotte's sequence had showcased outstanding action.
At the time she had thought nothing more than Oh, a cool new manhwa came out~ and moved on. She had never imagined she would one day face the real person.
I-If I say the wrong thing... am I going to get folded in half...?
Before someone who could casually thrash a hundred back-alley thugs, Marie felt infinitely small.
"Huh? Marie? You look pale — are you okay?"
"I-I'm fine...!"
"Hm? Are you sure...? Does something hurt?"
Charlotte laid a hand on Marie's forehead. Her intent was purely to check for a fever, but Marie wildly overinterpreted it.
S-Scary...!
Panicking, she jerked backward — and cracked the back of her head against a thick tree trunk.
Thud—
"U-Uwah!"
"Kyaah! Marie!"
Startled by the sudden movement, Charlotte rushed over to check on her.
"You scared me! Why would you do something so dangerous?"
Charlotte gently stroked Marie's head, checking for injuries.
"H-Huh?"
Only then did Marie realize that slamming into the tree had sent her hat flying. She scrambled to snatch it off the ground and jam it back on.
"D-Did you see...?"
"Hm? See what?"
"M-My horns..."
As she asked, Marie's eyes grew redder and redder.
This was the first kind peer she had met at the academy. Once Charlotte learned she had been hiding the fact that she was a half-demon, the reaction was bound to be intense.
It might even be worse than the people in the cafeteria. Charlotte stood at the absolute peak of high society as a direct royal, and Marie was nothing but a lowly commoner.
Under normal circumstances they would never even make eye contact — yet Marie had, however unintentionally, been deceiving her.
As Marie kept her head bowed, Charlotte took her trembling hands.
"I-I'm sorry..."
"Hey, Marie...? Can I take your hat off?"
"Y-Yes..."
Charlotte carefully lifted the hat — and then broke into a bright smile.
"Why would you hide such cool horns? You look just like a dragon!"
"U-Uh...?"
The completely unexpected words left her unable to react at all. While she sat frozen, Charlotte patted the dirt from her back.
"Did you think I'd discriminate against you for being a half-demon?"
"Y-Yes... E-Everyone at the cafeteria freaked out when they saw my horns..."
"Seriously? They changed the law and people still discriminate? How outrageous. Should I fire the headmaster?"
"P-Please don't! I-I'm the one who's sorry!"
"Why are you apologizing, Marie?"
"Ah, um... I'm sorry for saying I'm sorry..."
Charlotte pressed a hand to her forehead and sighed. Watching her, Marie somehow saw the boss's face overlaid on hers.
"Haa... What am I going to do with this kid..."
"I-I'm sor—"
"If you say 'I'm sorry' one more time, I don't know what I'll do..."
"Hic—!"
Charlotte's chilly gaze startled a hiccup right out of her. Charlotte smoothed the crumpled hat carefully and handed it back.
"Listen. If you get into the academy..."
"Y-Yes..."
"It probably won't happen, but just in case! If anyone ever bullies you, bring them to me. Got it?"
For a split second the question rose to Marie's throat — Even if it's a foreign royal or some important dignitary's child? — but she swallowed it. Knowing the Charlotte of The Troublemaker Princess, she would charge in first and ask questions later, no matter who it was.
I-I absolutely cannot say that out loud...
It was the kind of cheeky thought that would have earned her a flick to the forehead if Charlotte had read her mind.
Just then Charlotte checked her wristwatch and jolted upright.
"Marie! Ten minutes until the next exam!"
"W-What do we do...!"
"What are you waiting for?! Run!"
The approaching exam forced a natural parting. Marie had many questions — starting with why a princess had been rummaging through the underbrush — but there simply wasn't time to ask.
I-I have a feeling we'll run into each other again...
For reasons she couldn't explain, she had a strange premonition that she and Charlotte would meet again in some equally random place.
The three remaining exams followed. Second period — Continental Common Language — posed little difficulty for Marie, who had always been an avid reader.
Third period, Mathematics, she expected to handle just as easily. That confidence lasted until she reached the final problem.
Th-This is way too hard! The difficulty is completely off!
The last question radiated such an extraordinary presence that everything before it felt like a multiplication table. She clutched her head over it.
Until she hit that problem, she had been certain she would have plenty of time left for multiple reviews.
Her modest hopes crumbled to dust before that monstrous question.
S-Somebody save meee...!
Only after dedicating most of the page to the final problem did she finally set down her pen. Fourth period, Continental History, she finished without issue — she had memorized the textbooks cover to cover.
Having burned the entire day white-hot, Marie left the academy with light steps.
Late afternoon, after every exam had ended. In the research lab — the academy's ever-burning lighthouse — grading was in full swing.
True to its reputation, Gaia Academy drew not only domestic students but throngs of foreign exchange applicants, and the mountain of papers to grade was anything but ordinary.
"If we just burned all of that, we could go home, right?"
"I don't think the professor would do you the kindness of cremating you personally."
Staring at stacks of exam papers piled nearly to the ceiling, the research assistants were already losing their minds. Trapped in a prison that forbade even escape, they pressed on with the grading in grim silence.
One of them, diligently scoring papers, suddenly shot to his feet.
"A-Are you kidding me?! What is this?!"
"If you're going to the bathroom, be back in three minutes..."
"No! Hey! Look at this!"
"Haa... We're drowning in work — what is it?"
"Hurry!"
"Honestly. What's there to see on a kid's exam..."
He took the paper that had been thrust at him with such fuss, adjusted his glasses against his bleary vision, and checked the contents.
Clink—
The research assistant who had read the paper slammed his hand down along with his glasses. The force was enough to crack one of the lenses.
"What? What is it?"
"Did someone submit a blank sheet?"
"Did they draw some insane picture on the exam?"
Drawn by the commotion, research assistants who had been grading drifted over one by one. Those who saw the paper all raised their voices and went wild.
"They actually solved this?"
"Is the answer correct?"
"Why is it correct...?"
"Whoa! They just flipped the entrance exam upside down!"
Then one research assistant voiced a doubt in a calmer tone than the rest.
"Hey... could any of you solve this in an hour...?"
"With a magic-engineering calculator, ten-minute clear."
"How are you supposed to haul something that huge into an exam hall?!"
The others fired back at the calm one.
"Look, this problem was never meant to be solved in the first place."
"It's a perfect-score prevention question."
"The department head's personality is something else, putting out a problem like this just to make sure nobody gets a perfect score..."
The research assistants spent a good while after that badmouthing the eccentric department head's character.
"Department Head, a perfect score in mathematics has appeared on this year's entrance exam."
"What did you say? Say that again."
The next morning, the Head of the Mathematics Department raised his voice the moment he arrived, reacting to his senior research assistant's report.
"Please take a look at this..."
Accepting the fully graded exam paper, the department head could only doubt his own eyes.
"Wh-Who in the world solved a problem that was never meant to be solved?!"
"It was a Special Admission student, sir."
"So a commoner?"
"That's correct."
"The name — what's the name? Surely the child of some renowned scholar?"
"It's written right here. Please confirm for yourself."
Exam Number: 40XXXX / Marie
"Marie... A name I've never heard..."
"Apparently just an ordinary applicant."
"But I poured my heart and soul into crafting that problem!!"
The Mathematics Department Head's composure crumbled into ruin.
