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

　As their goal, Darko cannot afford to relax if he wants to maintain his lead.

　For those with resources, the final exam is just a summary of a phase; the summer vacation is the watershed that further widens the gap between people.

　Both Emma and Sarah have the means to rise rapidly.

　The foundation laid in the first year will become the basis for their rapid improvement.

　In the new school year, they will probably return to the academy with a completely new look!

　"However, I'm not bad at this either."

　……

　It was nearly evening.

　Whether they achieved their desired grades or received notices of failing, students temporarily set aside their joys and sorrows and headed to the auditorium on the first floor.

　Tonight's banquet, as always, will be held in the Great Hall.

　Because of the rather serious atmosphere at the banquet, most of the students were wearing school uniforms and badges, and there wasn't much of a sense of entertainment.

　As for the dance segment, there was one, but it consisted only of individual dances with social distancing, and it was only scheduled at the very end of the evening.

　People began entering the auditorium one after another starting at 5 p.m.

　When Dak and his two companions arrived, quite a few people were already seated inside.

　Outside the main entrance of the auditorium, a huge magic book, two meters long, had appeared out of nowhere, floating silently in the air.

　The three of them stopped at the door, watching curiously as the upperclassmen posed in front of the magic book. Whenever a wave of magic arose, two photos would fly out from the pages of the magic book and fall into their hands.

　Is this a camera?

　Dark couldn't help but feel a strong sense of curiosity.

　Diana and Rose were also very interested.

　"That's a simple photocopier specially made by the Magic Academy, which can record a projection of about two seconds."

　The girl who appeared from behind them was wearing the uniform of the third-year Fools' House and had a warm smile on her face.

　It was Angela Hudson, a senior student.

　"This year's venue setup is handled by the Magic Academy, so they naturally want to showcase some different techniques."

　Seeing that Dak and the other two had turned around, she smiled and said, "How about we take a group photo?"

　"About a two-second projection?" Dark glanced at Diana beside him and, seeing her eager expression, suggested, "Shall we take one too?"

　Diana immediately became slightly excited

　He nodded like he was pecking at rice.

　Rose glanced at them, then stopped in her tracks and said softly, "Why don't you two take a picture first?"

　Dark nodded: "That works too."

　So he and Diana went to the back of the crowd to join the queue.

　Rose followed behind with a grin.

　The magic book's...

　It was very simple, and there weren't many people in line yet; they got their turn quickly.

　Dark walked up to the grimoire and, imitating the older students, gently touched the cover. With a wisp of magic injected into it, the grimoire glowed slightly, and a ten-second countdown appeared on top.

　He smiled and leaned against Diana.

　Both of them were wearing the same school uniform, and their heights differed by half a head.

　One had shimmering blonde hair, the other had dazzling silver hair.

　Dac always maintained an aristocratic air.

　Diana, on the other hand, exudes a quiet and noble air only when she is still.

　The two of them standing together looked quite well-matched.

　As the countdown on top of the grimoire gradually decreased from ten seconds to two seconds, Dark whispered, "Smile."

　"Okay," Diana replied obediently.

　Then, as the countdown went from two seconds to zero, she suddenly stood on tiptoe and quickly pecked the boy next to her on the cheek!

　"Chirp—"

　A faint light flashed on the magic book, and two magical photographs flew out from the pages and slowly drifted down.

　Dak was momentarily stunned, but instinctively reached out and caught the falling photo.

　The warmth of her lips still lingered on my face. Read the full text for free here.

　The [Bliss +1] that floats before my eyes illustrates a certain fact.

　He turned to look at his side, only to see that Diana had turned her head to the other side, her face flushed, staring intently at her toes like an ostrich.

　Behind them, Rose was stunned by this unexpected scene.

　"Next, I'll go!"

　She suddenly spoke loudly, quickly breaking the silence.

　Dark smiled slightly, then dangled one of the photos he had obtained above Diana's head, waving it in front of her like a fishing rod, and whispered, "Do you still want it?"

　Diana blinked, then suddenly reached out and grabbed the photo.

　But the photo perfectly captured the moment the girl kissed the boy.

　An indescribable joy welled up in her heart.

　I'm thinking that when I get back, I'll definitely find a frame to put it on and place it by my bedside!

　While she was engrossed in her own world, Dark had already finished taking photos with Rose.

　Then Rose took her arm, pulled her together, and took another picture of the three of them.

　This time, three photos floated out from the pages of the grimoire.

　Finally, Rose took another photo with Diana.

　In this way, each of the three people got three photos.

　Taking advantage of the relatively small number of people, they quickly slipped into the auditorium and headed towards their seats in the section reserved for first-year students of the Noble Academy.

　The auditorium has been newly decorated in black, representing the Magic Academy. Many odds and ends of magical items are hanging on the walls. The tablecloths on the four long tables have been replaced with dark purple cloth, and the floating candlesticks have been replaced with antique claw candlesticks. The spider silk decorations hanging from the ceiling give the auditorium a slightly dilapidated and old-fashioned feel.

　The ghost-type magical sprites hanging upside down from the ceiling like bats added a touch of gloom.

　Sen.

　Above the stage, huge banners were hanging.

　Tonight's end-of-term party is less of a year-end summary and more of a graduation ceremony for sixth graders.

　The awarding of the Academy Cup is actually secondary.

　Not long after Dak and his two companions sat down, more and more students poured into the auditorium.

　By six o'clock, almost all the students had taken their seats, and a sad melody began to play in the auditorium.

　The first-year students didn't feel much about graduation; it was too far away for them, and the desserts on the table were more appealing.

　As they ate their desserts, they curiously watched the sixth-graders closest to the stage, wondering if they would feel just as sad when they themselves faced graduation.

　A moment later, the professors, dressed in formal attire, came out from behind the stage and took their seats in the faculty section.

　The professors all looked serious tonight, and even Professor Lily didn't try anything funny.

　As Dark watched the professors take their seats from afar, his mind was elsewhere: "I wonder if Principal Arte has already returned to the academy for such an important occasion?"

　Rose, sitting next to him, asked curiously, "Dark, what are you thinking about?"

　Dark said softly, "It's nothing."

　He then turned his head slightly and saw Principal Arte walk onto the stage.

　"Principal Arte, as always, is the last to appear."

　Thinking of this, Dak couldn't help but smile.

　Although he couldn't tell whether the principal on stage was the real person or a clone, it didn't really matter.

　……

　"June has arrived in the blink of an eye, and nine months have passed since the first-year students enrolled."

　Principal Arte was not as flamboyant as she had been on Christmas Eve; she simply stood beautifully in the center of the stage and spoke softly.

　"And our sixth-year students can finally leave the cradle of the academy and stand on their own as adults."

　"As the principal, I sincerely hope that after you leave the college, you will be able to use your talents to benefit mankind and become pioneers who lead the times toward a better future."

　"We experienced and encountered a lot in the academy, but that's just the tip of the iceberg of the whole world. After you leave the academy, you will see and encounter even more."

　"I hope that when the time comes, you will not forget what you have learned in the academy, whether in terms of knowledge or spirit."

　"Now, let's talk about something happy, like the Academy Cup."

　Principal Art's smile was as bright as the moon, and her voice as gentle as moonlight. But the happy things she spoke of did not belong to everyone.

　The atmosphere in the auditorium, which had been gradually building up due to his previous remarks, took a sharp turn for the worse because of this sudden speech.

　Everyone in the academy knows that this year's Academy Cup belongs to the Magic Academy, so naturally the other three-quarters of the students can't be happy.

　However, Principal Arte acted as if nothing had happened and announced the scores for the four colleges one by one.

　In the end, the Fools' House came in fourth, the Knights' House in third, the Nobles' House in second, and the first place, as expected, went to the Magic Academy!

　As the final result was announced, thunderous applause erupted from the audience.

　Read the full text for free here

　Although three-quarters of the people were just going through the motions, it was indeed only a quarter of them who were able to make enough noise.

　Dark looked around at his classmates, all of whom had blank expressions, and he unexpectedly wanted to laugh, but he held it in.

　In short, the outcome of the School Cup was decided, without any meaningless twists and turns like in Harry Potter's first year.

　Even before graduation, the sixth-year prefect from the Magic Academy took to the stage one last time to represent the Academy and receive a golden trophy.

　That's this year's Academy Cup, a larger version modeled after the Holy Grail, with the year and the words "Magic Academy" engraved on the surface.

　"As a magic academy student who has served as a class leader since my second year, I am deeply honored to receive such a huge surprise as I am about to graduate!"

　The sixth-grade prefect held the Academy Cup trophy high, a radiant smile spreading across his face.

　"I hope that even after I leave, the Magic Academy will remain true to its original aspirations. Those who seek knowledge are the wise!"

　The students applauded again.

　After the sixth-grade prefect stepped down from the stage with the trophy, Principal Art returned to the stage. She first told a few chilling old jokes, and then suddenly raised her wand and tapped it lightly, and a golden light appeared at the tip of the wand.

　Then the golden light suddenly burst forth, and a golden halo appeared on the stage.

　Through the golden halo, one can see the golden cup still placed in the secret room.

　That is one of the three great artifacts for making wishes, the legendary wishing cup created by the gods, also known as the Holy Grail of St. Marian!

　Dark still clearly remembers that there was an inscription written in ancient script on the base of the Holy Grail.

　The front side reads: The greedy will end up with nothing.

　The opposite is: those who are not greedy have nothing.

　……

　Even from a great distance, the aura emanating from the Holy Grail remains captivating.

　When it appears, almost all the students' eyes are drawn to it, as if their entire souls are being sucked in.

　"Snapped!"

　Principal Art clapped her hands lightly, and the crisp applause reached everyone's ears.

　Everyone suddenly became awake.

　Students outside of first grade have all seen the Holy Grail before, but they still cannot easily escape its allure.