What Happened When I Gave Everything to the Girl Who Sold Herself as a Prostitute After Losing It All - Chapter 5.1

Chapter 5.1

It was three days later that Fine’s enrollment in the academy was decided.

“Isn’t this kind of fast?”

When I said that, Gareth handed over the papers with a cool look on his face.

“His Highness said to make it quick.”

“I do remember saying that, but I didn’t think it would be this quick.”

“The guest managed to gather all the required documents in one night.”

“In one night?”

“Yes. The missing family register paperwork, guardianship, recommendation, academic ability test application, magic aptitude certificate, etiquette instructor’s comment—everything.”

“Wait.”

“Yes.”

“Why is the person herself running the whole thing?”

Then Fine, who had been quietly drinking black tea across from me, spoke up softly.

“It’s the shortest path to standing next to Your Highness.”

“Don’t get so obsessed with the enrollment process.”

“I’m not obsessed. I’m calm.”

“Calm people don’t do all that in three days.”

Fine tilted her head a little.

“But if we wait for the regular spring enrollment, we lose more than half a year.”

“Lose?”

“Yes. The time we can study in the same place as Your Highness gets shorter.”

“You make it sound so heavy.”

But she was actually right.

The Imperial Academy was the top school for noble kids and special scholarship students.

Normally you enter at the start of the year, but there was also a special transfer system for exceptions.

Of course, you needed proper recommendations and real ability.

And Fine had both.

Her ability went without saying. She had Elwina’s full approval.

The recommendation would pass if I gave it.

After that it was just paperwork—or it should have been.

“The problem is Your Highness.”

Fine said it flatly.

“Why am I the problem here?”

“The academy is more worried about whether Your Highness will actually attend classes than about my transfer itself.”

“Ugh.”

She hit the nail on the head.

I was officially enrolled at the Imperial Academy.

I really was.

But I had been skipping a lot of the boring classes.

Because they were too easy.

“The headmaster’s reply also hinted at that.”

Gareth cleared his throat once and read aloud.

“If the Third Imperial Prince is present with her, we will seriously consider the special transfer.”

“What a nasty way to write it.”

“To put it simply—”

“Don’t.”

“It also means, ‘Please come along too, Your Highness.’”

“Worst possible outcome.”

Fine neatly folded the papers.

“Then it works out perfectly.”

“For what?”

“Not only can I fix up my academy life, I can fix up Yours too.”

“I didn’t ask for that.”

“But it’s necessary.”

“Don’t answer so fast.”

No matter what I said, the flow was already set.

The recommendation would pass.

The transfer test would pass.

And I would be dragged to the academy under the excuse of being her escort.

It was completely unfair.

＊＊＊

The day of the transfer test.

The Imperial Academy sat on a hill in the center of the imperial capital.

White stone buildings spread out in layers, with a big clock tower in the middle.

Training halls on the left, magic halls on the right, and even a library tower visible in the back.

It really looked like a place that said, “We raise elites here.”

When I stepped through the main gate for the first time in a while, I couldn’t help making a face.

“…Still ridiculously fancy.”

“It is an academy, after all.”

“It’s like a giant block of authority.”

“That’s something only Your Highness shouldn’t say.”

Fine said that from beside me.

Today she wore the academy’s simple uniform—a plain navy dress with a white jacket.

Nothing flashy, but her perfect posture made her stand out anyway.

The gate guard and the receptionist teacher had already frozen up the moment they saw my face.

Well, of course they did.

The Third Imperial Prince, who hardly ever showed up, had arrived with an unknown girl for the test.

There was no way they wouldn’t find it interesting.

“Your Highness, are you really going to sit in with her?”

The receptionist official asked in a nervous voice.

“The headmaster told me to, right?”

“…Understood.”

The official bowed deeply.

Next to him, Fine whispered quietly.

“Please speak a little more gently.”

“They’re the ones who started the fight.”

“They didn’t. They were just scared.”

“I can’t tell the difference.”

“Please learn that part.”

You really don’t hold back, do you?

Still, while we were having that exchange, the tension around us did loosen up a bit.

Having her with me definitely made the air flow better than if I had come alone.

＊＊＊

There were three parts to the test.

Written.

Oral.

Practical.

Normally applicants waited in a separate room.

But this time special rules piled on special rules, so I was shown to the observation seats.

“Your Highness.”

The guide teacher spoke carefully.

“Observation is fine, but please do not comment on the test content—”

“I won’t.”

“Or give any advice—”

“I won’t.”

“Or put pressure to add points for the applicant—”

“I wouldn’t do that.”

“My apologies.”

That was way too rude.

But when I thought about my usual behavior, I couldn’t exactly argue.

Soon the examiners came in.

The headmaster, the old professor in charge of the written test, the female teacher for the oral, and even Elwina for the practical.

“Why are you here?”

When I asked, Elwina didn’t even twitch an eyebrow.

“Because I recommended her.”

“Does the recommender get to be an examiner?”

“Technically I’m just supervising.”

“So you don’t actually trust me, huh?”

“I do. More than you, at least.”

Harsh.

Even during all that talk, Fine stayed completely calm.

She stepped up to the test table, gave a small bow.

“My name is Fine. Nice to meet you all.”

“Are you nervous?”

The headmaster asked.

“Yes, I am.”

“It doesn’t show.”

“Because showing it won’t raise my score.”

A few of the teachers twitched.

I covered my mouth.

Here we go.

She was attacking at her normal body temperature again.

The written test was honestly brutal.

Not for Fine.

For the faces around us.

At first they treated her like some barely-known transfer applicant, but by the time the answer sheets were collected, everyone’s eyes had completely changed.

The old professor who was grading took off his glasses twice, drank water once, and finally looked at me.

“Your Highness.”

“What?”

“Has this girl really only had basic education for a short time?”

“Yeah, it’s been short.”

“You’re not joking?”

“Do you think I’d lie about something like this?”

“You probably would.”

“That’s mean.”

But the old professor wasn’t even looking at me anymore.

He stared at the answer sheet and muttered.

“The logical structure is too clean…”

“She reads the intent of the questions insanely fast…”

“It’s a shame she skipped some steps, but the understanding itself…”

When Fine returned to her seat, she spoke in a voice only I could hear.

“Were the skipped steps necessary?”

“Is that something you say after it’s over?”

“If there’s a chance of point deductions, I’ll fix it.”

“Your way of reflecting is way too much like a test-taking pro.”

In the following oral exam, Fine was still very much Fine.

“State the duty of nobles under imperial law.”

“It is not maintaining rights, but maintaining order.”

“What is the most important quality for a mage entering military service?”

“Not firepower, but control and reproducibility.”

“What does it mean to swear loyalty to the royal family?”

“Not blind obedience to the individual, but trust in the national functions the royal family carries.”

The moment she gave that answer, the whole room’s atmosphere shifted.

The female teacher stared hard at Fine.

“That answer can be dangerous.”

“Yes.”

“You mean that if the royal family member is wrong, you might oppose them?”

“It is possible.”

“That’s bold.”

“But if no one corrects the mistake, loyalty will destroy the country.”

I held my breath for a second.

I see.

She really says it straight even to the academy teachers.

It’s not just me.

Whoever she’s talking to, if she thinks it’s necessary, she won’t bend.

—Nice.

I simply thought that.

The headmaster opened his mouth slowly.

“If that mistaken royal family member were right in front of you?”

“I would say it.”

“No matter who it is?”

“Yes.”

“For example.”

The headmaster deliberately looked at me.

“Even the Third Imperial Prince?”

Several people went pale.

I was actually interested, so I folded my arms and waited for her answer.

Fine glanced at me for just a moment, then turned straight back to the headmaster.

“I would say it.”

“Without hesitation?”

“If necessary.”

“You might be hated, you know.”

“If the relationship breaks over something like that, it had no value from the start.”

Silence.

Then I burst out laughing.

“Heh heh.”

“Your Highness.”

“Sorry, it was funny.”

I pretended not to see the teachers’ stomach-ache faces.

But I couldn’t help it.

The thing I wanted was being shown right in front of me.

＊＊＊

The real problem was the practical test.

After all, her control was still questionable.

She had almost broken Elwina’s crystal before.

“Absolutely do not break anything.”

“I’ll try.”

“Stop answering like that.”

“Because the durability of the test equipment is unknown.”

“Don’t say scary things.”

The practical area was a semicircular stone room.

Three magic measurement pillars stood in the center.

Targets, barriers, and control wards around the edges.

It was equipment used even for upperclassmen practice.

Elwina stepped forward.

“The tasks are simple. First, magic control. Second, understanding of composite spells. Third, application.”

“Application?”

“I’ll give it on the spot.”

“You have a bad personality.”

“I don’t want to hear that from you.”

The test began.

The first task was to pour magic into thin glass tubes and make the marks along the way light up evenly.

For a new student, lighting three out of ten was already excellent.

Fine lit all ten perfectly, without a single mistake.

The second task was an applied operation—gather heat to a single point without creating a fireball.

This usually caused explosions.

Fine didn’t explode at all. She only scorched the exact center of the target and left everything around it untouched.

The observation seats stirred with noise.

Then came the third task.

Elwina smiled just a little.

It was a nasty smile.

“Now, an improvisation.”

“Yes.”

“Against the barrier in front, extinguish only the candle on the other side without breaking the barrier.”

“…”

“Fire, wind, water—anything is fine. Composite is also allowed.”

“I see.”