The villainous young master just wants to live a Buddhist-like life.

　The younger students were frightened.

　The advanced students, however, appeared calm and composed.

　Sure enough, just three seconds later, as soon as the screams began, the auditorium lights came on again!

　The light source illuminating the Great Hall has changed from a magic lamp to candles on a silver candlestick!

　Thousands of candles floating in the air illuminated the hall.

　On the long table covered with a Christmas tablecloth, neatly arranged gold and silver cutlery appeared silently.

　The candlelight reflected off the golden plates and silver goblets, refracting a mesmerizing rainbow of colors, creating a dreamlike scene.

　First-graders have never experienced such a sudden surprise.

　After a moment of silence, a burst of loud discussion erupted.

　"Shh-"

　Wearing a Santa hat, Principal Arte successfully stepped onto the stage unnoticed as light and darkness alternated.

　She reached out her hand, and a small sprite enveloped in white light flew into her palm.

　Then, in a sudden transformation, it became a reindeer with a long, star-shaped tail.

　Brown reindeer with huge antlers gallop forward, and sleds piled high with gift bags emerge from the starlight.

　It burst forth from Principal Art's palm, dragging the sled as it glided through the air, speeding from one end of the stage, across the entire auditorium, crashing through the doors, and disappearing into the distance.

　The starlight scattered from the gift bag on the sled fell onto the plate and transformed into turkeys that exuded a rich aroma of meat!

　The tender belly of the turkey overflowed with ingredients, and the fat that dripped from the chicken leg accumulated in a thin layer on the plate.

　Dak couldn't resist the urge to eat!

　A rare Christmas dance party shouldn't be overly restrained.

　The "binge eating" score is only around 60 points, leaving plenty of room for improvement.

　"Today is Christmas Eve!"

　Principal Arte's voice was captivatingly magnetic.

　"It's a day for family reunions!"

　"But for me, St. Marian is my home."

　“Every student here is like family to me.”

　“Every Christmas Eve, I make a wish that I can spend the next Christmas Eve with my family.”

　"It seems my wish from last year has come true again."

　Principal Arte couldn't help but smile.

　"As the principal, I have much more to say, but I'd like to dedicate the rest of my time to the ball. I'm sure you all feel the same way?"

　The audience erupted in cheers.

　Principal Art opened her arms, embracing the air: "In that case, I'll stop here. May you all have a peaceful Christmas Eve! May peace be with you wherever you are, my dear family!"

　……

　As soon as he finished speaking, the four long tables lit up with white light at the same time, and suddenly a variety of exquisite delicacies appeared on the empty plates around the turkey.

　Roast meat, lamb chops, sausages, steak, pudding, potatoes, apple pie, syrup cakes, chocolate muffins, donuts...

　Of course, beans are also indispensable!

　Dak glanced at the whole bowl of beans placed in front of him and couldn't help but recall the time when he first entered school, and a few emotions welled up in his heart.

　Fate brings us together and fate separates us; fate brings us together, and fate separates us.

　……

　The piano in the corner of the stage suddenly changed its tune, and the sound became cheerful, just like the students' hearts.

　With Principal Arte stepping down from her post, the banquet began as scheduled.

　First and foremost, of course, is the usual meal!

　Only after you've eaten your fill can you talk about other things.

　The sumptuous feast was mouthwatering; turkeys were being carved with knives and forks, and the hall was filled with the rich aroma of chicken.

　But the most fragrant part is actually the seasoning inside the turkey's cavity!

　When Dak loosened his restraint, stopped overthinking, and ate freely, his "binge eating" did increase, but not by much.

　After eating half a turkey, his eating speed slowed down, and the "Gluttony +1" notification disappeared.

　While drinking juice to aid digestion, Dak kept an eye on Diana beside him, occasionally helping her to cut the meat into smaller pieces and fold up her napkin to prevent the sauce from getting on her clothes.

　The atmosphere inside the venue became more and more joyful. At 7:30, a small magical elf with flapping wings suddenly emerged from the stage, followed by a clown dressed in Christmas attire who tumbled into the venue, drawing cheers from the crowd!

　The magic circus begins!

　The magic and circus show, lasting a full half hour, brought the joyful atmosphere to its peak.

　Immersed in the atmosphere, Dak, aside from occasionally pondering the clown's superb skills, generally shared the public's love for the circus performance.

　Really pretty!

　Stripping away all the fluff, the real soul of the circus is its entertainment value.

　At 8 o'clock sharp, as the Christmas clown left the stage, the students, who thought the evening's program was over, suddenly discovered that a spring was gushing out on the stage!

　The crystal-clear spring water gushed out from the center of the stage, forming a mushroom shape that was wider at the top and narrower at the bottom.

　A mermaid adorned with seashells and pearls suddenly emerged from the spring below, and with a flick of her long tail, she leaped to the top of the spring!

　She sat cross-legged on the spring water, and with a gentle embrace, an elegant harp appeared!

　Then she slightly opened her mouth and began to sing a song, the lyrics of which were long and lingering.

　"It's Miss Xingluo, the mermaid!"

　The students below the stage suddenly stirred!

　While Dark looked completely bewildered, the students around him seemed to have a fairly clear understanding of this mermaid.

　He couldn't help but glance at Diana.

　Diana looked away; "Don't look at me, Diana doesn't know!"

　Rose couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle: "That's the famous mermaid songstress, Miss Xingluo. Her singing voice is as beautiful as a lark's, and she's incredibly popular throughout the kingdom. I never expected Principal Arte to prepare such a surprise!"

　Dark: "So, in this day and age, it turns out that songstresses can now be performed on stage?"

　Rose shook her head: "The rise of musicals has changed a lot, but it's still limited. Miss Xingluo is able to receive treatment that is superior to that of human singers because she is a rare mermaid."

　Ultimately, the nobility or baseness of professions and the relative importance of men and women are enduring topics that remain unchanged despite the changing times.

　In this era approaching a Renaissance, the status of artists has been greatly elevated, and women's rights are gradually being protected.

　The atrocious system of slavery was abolished amidst widespread opposition, and workers received wages commensurate with their labor.

　However, it's still in its early stages.

　……

　The mermaid singer was not the last surprise.

　She had only sung one song on stage when a flock of swan-like beings with snow-white wings suddenly flew down from the sky, descending to earth like angels.

　Their ballet performance, Swan Lake, was staged immediately afterward!

　Princess Odette, who was picking flowers by the lake, was transformed into a beautiful swan by the evil devil Rosbart.

　Only when night falls can the princess briefly transform back into human form.

　Only steadfast love can break the spell of evil.

　Prince Siegfried, while roaming Swan Lake, encounters the princess who is transforming into human form. The beastly blood hidden deep within his heart boils over, and he falls in love with the princess (swan) at first sight.

　Upon returning to the castle, the prince held a ball to choose his future queen, but the devil had his daughter, the Black Swan, impersonate Odette to deceive the prince.

　Just as the prince was dancing with the black swan, Odette appeared at the window, pleading with him to remember his vow to her. But the prince was distracted by the devil's spell.

　At the devil's insistence, the prince made a vow of love to the black swan—the devil's plot succeeded, and Odette cried out in despair as she departed.

　Suddenly, lightning flashed and thunder roared, plunging the ballroom into chaos. The prince awoke in despair, realizing what had happened. But it was too late; he had already pledged his love to someone else once more.

　The deceived prince rushed out to find the real Odette.

　……

　The final scene.

　The prince returned to Swan Lake heartbroken.

　The devil created a blizzard to prevent the prince from going to find Odette.

　But the prince eventually braved the blizzard and found Odette. However, his boundless love and endless regret could not change the consequences of his broken promise; the spell could no longer be broken, and the prince and princess were destined to be separated forever.

　At this moment, the devil revealed his hideous face, turning the princess and her companions into swans that floated on the lake.

　The grief-stricken prince and the princess (goose) embraced each other, and with the belief that they would rather die than not love each other, they both jumped into the raging torrent of the overflowing lake.

　In an instant, a miracle occurred: justice triumphed over evil, steadfast love triumphed over the wicked devil, the magic was shattered, the demon's lair collapsed, the lake receded, and the swan maidens were reborn.

　The prince and princess basked in the glow of the rising sun, and their beautiful life began anew.

　……

　Although Swan Lake has many tragic endings, this version clearly chooses an illogical comedic ending.

　Even the mighty devil is powerless against so-called "miracles".

　However, no one cares about these logical flaws.

　The swan girl's acting, combined with the thunder, lightning, blizzard, and the extremely powerful soundtrack, created an unparalleled sense of immersion, leaving the audience with no time to think about the details.

　This performance of "Swan Lake" became the most popular program on Christmas Eve.

　As the prince and princess nestled happily together under the stage lights, the nine o'clock bells rang quietly without them even realizing it.

　The opera has ended.

　But the prince and princess did not leave; instead, they danced a waltz to the accompaniment of romantic and elegant music.

　The students then realized what was happening.

　The ball has begun!

　……

　Diana watched longingly as Dark stood up.

　All Dak could do was give her an apologetic look.

　Rose hugged Diana's arm.

　Amidst the puzzled gazes of his classmates, Dark walked to the middle seat in the Magic Academy.

　Witte, who was excitedly chatting with Robert about "justice will surely triumph over evil," suddenly noticed Dark walking past him, and his expression froze.

　An ominous premonition rose in my heart.

　His inherited keen senses made him realize that things might be developing in a direction unfavorable to him.

　He always manages to sense danger in advance.

　Robert, who was next to him, also saw Dark's figure and asked curiously, "Why is Dark walking that way? Isn't his dance partner Diana?"

　Witt stared intently at Dark's retreating figure, offering no reply to Robert.

　Sitting in their seats, they could catch a glimpse of Pandora's back, which was something that initially made Witt somewhat happy.

　But now it's having a less than positive effect.

　He tilted his gaze and saw Pandora stand up from her seat. Then she extended her slender, white fingers towards the blond, blue-eyed nobleman.

　Dak took her hand and gently kissed the back of it.

　The soft touch, through the white lace, touched the depths of both their hearts.

　The fourth-year students from the surrounding magic academy almost simultaneously showed expressions of surprise and shock.