Several days have passed, and today is December 31, 1217, which means it's the end of the year. Even though it's a holiday, we still have morning practice. We have one day off before the new year and one day off after, December 31 and January 1. However, these days off only apply if December 31 and January 1 fall on a Monday-Friday. If they fall on a Saturday or Sunday, the days off are not valid, as the academy is always closed on Saturdays and Sundays.

  ~Heal~

  Irene began healing the wound on her hand with her healing magic. Little by little, the wound began to disappear, and her hand healed.

  "After several days of practice, I can finally use this magic. But this is only the basics of many healing magics. It seems difficult to learn this magic."

  "Should I continue practicing to master this magic and get used to it, or should I learn other magic, Rid?" Irene asked me, who was beside her.

  "If you're asking for my opinion, it's best for you to just keep practicing the ~Heal~ magic you can already use. From what I've seen, the healing time from the ~Heal~ magic you're using is still too long. Once you've mastered it, you can heal faster using it. Furthermore, once you've mastered ~Heal~ magic, which is the basic healing magic, it'll be easier for you to learn other healing magic," I said.

  "Hmm, okay then," Irene said.

  Irene continued her own training to master healing magic.

  After that, I approached Julie, who was practicing with her bow. She was shooting arrows at the wooden dummy in front of her. She fired a regular electric arrow, but when it hit the dummy, it exploded. She was using her Magic & Mana Manipulation technique. Julie had previously learned this magic from Mr. Alan's explanation some time ago. However, she didn't quite understand what Master Alan was explaining, so she asked me to teach her the technique again. Since she was focused on practicing alone, I went to the others.

  Then I approached Leandra. She was trying to combine the three magic orbs she'd created. Previously, she'd successfully combined water-fire, water-wind, and fire-wind elemental orbs. This time, she intended to combine all three. When Leandra showcased her three elements in the second exam, I was honestly quite surprised. Before that, she'd only been able to use wind magic. A few days ago, I asked her about this.

  "Lea, how can you use three elemental magic so skillfully? I've seen people who can use multiple elemental magics, but controlling three simultaneously is quite difficult, isn't it?" I asked.

  "Hmm, isn't this all thanks to the training you've given me?" Leandra asked.

  "I did teach you about magic, mana, and concentration to use those two, but I didn't expect you to be able to use three elements at once just from that. Does this have something to do with your race?" I asked.

  "Yes, you're right. Elves are very skilled at magic and mana, so you shouldn't be surprised that I can use this technique so easily," Leandra said.

  "I see," I said.

  "But the technique I used was nothing. After all, I only used basic magic from three different elements: ~Wind Ball~, ~Fire Ball~, and ~Water Ball~, and made these magic balls surround me. It would be even more surprising if I could create three different weapons from three different magic elements at once," Leandra said.

  "But what you did was already quite extraordinary even though you only created three different types of magic balls," I said.

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  That's what I'd been discussing with her a few days ago. Since Leandra was concentrating on trying to combine the three magic balls, I chose not to disturb her.

  Next, I approached Lily, who was destroying several wooden dolls with her ~Martial Arts~. After successfully destroying all the wooden dolls she had targeted, she decided to pause for a moment. That's when I approached her.

  "It seems like you're already used to that technique, huh, Lily? How does it feel to attack while imbued with mana?" I asked.

  "This technique really makes my attacks stronger, Rid. Even though I'm only using regular ~Martial Arts~ and not ~Magic Martial Arts~, my attacks can be this powerful. How if I use ~Magic Martial Arts~ and imbue it with mana, huh?" Lily said.

  "It's good that the technique I taught you suits you. You should practice using that technique again. You can increase the power of your attacks if the mana surrounding your attacks becomes thicker," I said.

  "I see. Thank you for teaching me this technique, Rid," Lily said.

  "Relax, after all, you were the one who asked me to teach you. Okay, then, just focus on practicing on your own," I said.

  "Yes," Lily said.

  She then continued practicing on her own. The four of them were currently focused on their own training.

  "It's been a while since I've had this much free time. I usually train them in the morning, and I haven't had time to practice on my own. Since I have some free time now, I might as well practice," I said.

  -

  That evening, which was New Year's Eve, most of the students chose to go out to watch the fireworks festival. It wasn't the academy that was hosting the fireworks festival, rather, the kingdom of San Fulgen itself was planning to hold a fireworks festival in the capital of San Estella. Since our academy was located in the capital, even though we didn't leave the academy grounds, we could still watch the fireworks that would light up the sky over San Estella.

  Meanwhile, the others and I were sitting at the academy's lake, enjoying New Year's Eve.

  "Do you often see things like this on New Year's Eve, Noa?" I asked.

  "Yes, but there were never any fireworks festivals in my village. I've only seen fireworks set off in San Lucia City, since my village and San Lucia City are quite close, so I was able to see them. What about you, Rid?" Noa asked.

  "No, I've never seen a fireworks festival before. There's never been a fireworks festival in my village, and it's quite far from the city of San Minerva, so the fireworks there aren't visible from my village. But on New Year's Eve, we always have a big feast in our village," I said.

  "It's always like that in my village too, but this is probably your first time seeing a fireworks festival, right, Rid?" Noa said.

  "Yes," I said.

  "As for Charles, I don't think there's any need to ask, since he lives in the capital, San Estella. He sees this every year," Noa said.

  "Hahaha, that's how it is," Charles said.

  Meanwhile, Chloe was talking with Irene and the other girls.

  "This is my first time seeing fireworks with my friends. Usually, I only watch with my family at the Palace," Chloe said.

  "This is my first time too," Irene said.

  "Yes, that's because you've never even attended a festival before, Miss," Leandra said.

  "That's right," Lily said.

  Irene remained silent upon hearing that.

  "Fufufu, never mind, let bygones be bygones," Chloe said.

  Then we all continued our conversation and ate the food we'd bought earlier in the shopping area.

  A few moments later, it was 12:00 AM, signaling the new year. Fireworks began to explode and soar into the sky above the capital of San Estella. The sky over San Estella was now adorned with numerous fireworks exploding in a variety of colors. All of us watching the fireworks were amazed. This fireworks festival seemed to signify a beautiful and peaceful life. But of course, this fireworks festival couldn't last forever, as it ended moments later. The sky, once brightly lit by the fireworks, was now dark again. If the fireworks festival couldn't last forever, would peace... can't last forever?

  -

  Then the year changed, and now, a new semester at the academy began.

  A few days later, in the Elevrad room.

  "Wow, I didn't expect you two to come here. I wonder what business you two have in this room?" asked Senior Vyn.

  He seemed to be talking to two people.

  "Hmm, but let me guess, are you here to join Elevrad?" asked Senior Vyn.

  "That's right," they both said.

  "I didn't expect my guess to be correct. I thought you had other business. But if that's true, I'm glad you two have finally accepted the invitation to join Elevrad. You two are the second and third to join Elevrad from the first year."

  "Then let me say this to you two. Welcome to Elevrad, Prince Charles and Princess Chloe," said Senior Vyn.

  -To be continued