Chapter 194: Chapter 195: A Lively Festival
The performance of Group 4 had ended.
But the academy festival was far from over.
Across the academy grounds, the other performance venues remained filled with music, laughter, applause, and the voices of students presenting the performances they had spent weeks preparing.
The festival had transformed the entire academy.
Normally, the grounds were filled with students rushing between classrooms, instructors moving from one lesson to another, and the occasional sound of training taking place in the courtyards.
Today was different.
Everywhere people went, there was something happening.
One building had been converted into a theater.
Another had been transformed into a concert hall.
A large outdoor stage had been constructed near the eastern courtyard, where students were performing traditional dances while musicians played alongside them.
Farther away, another group had prepared a theatrical performance involving a historical story about an ancient kingdom.
And near the central gardens, several students were performing songs while an audience gathered around the open-air stage.
The academy no longer felt like a school.
It felt like an entire city celebrating.
---
Group 1
The curtain opened.
A completely different atmosphere filled the stage.
Bright decorations covered the background, while several students dressed in colorful costumes entered from both sides.
The performance was a musical comedy.
The story followed a group of travelers who accidentally became involved in a dispute between two noble families.
The actors moved across the stage while singing and performing exaggerated expressions.
The audience laughed.
"Look at him!"
"He’s terrible!"
"That’s the point!"
The actor playing the foolish nobleman stumbled over a chair.
The audience erupted into laughter.
Even the instructors couldn’t help smiling.
One professor shook his head.
"Those students certainly know how to entertain an audience."
Another laughed.
"They’re having fun with it."
The music continued.
The actors danced across the stage.
One performer dramatically fell to his knees.
"I have been betrayed!"
The audience laughed again.
The performance continued for several more minutes before finally reaching its conclusion.
When the curtain closed, the audience immediately applauded.
The actors returned to the stage and bowed.
Several of them were smiling broadly.
They had clearly enjoyed themselves.
---
Group 3
At another venue, the atmosphere was completely different.
The stage was dark.
Only a single spotlight illuminated the center.
A student stood alone beneath it.
Then music began.
A soft melody filled the hall.
The student began singing.
Her voice carried through the entire room.
The audience gradually became quiet.
No jokes.
No laughter.
No exaggerated acting.
Only music.
The song was about leaving home and finding one’s own path.
Several students listened silently.
One girl whispered,
"Her voice is beautiful."
Her friend nodded.
"Yeah."
An instructor sitting nearby closed her eyes.
She simply listened.
The performance continued.
Another student eventually joined the singer.
Then another.
Soon the stage was filled with performers.
Their voices blended together.
The audience watched as the lights slowly brightened.
When the final note ended, there was a brief moment of silence.
Then—
Applause.
Loud applause.
Several students stood.
The performers smiled and bowed repeatedly.
---
Eastern Courtyard
The outdoor stage was considerably louder.
A group of students was performing a traditional dance.
Their costumes were colorful and carefully designed, while musicians stood behind them playing traditional instruments.
The dancers moved together in precise formations.
Their movements were energetic but controlled.
The audience gathered around the stage, with several students standing because there were no longer enough seats.
"How long did they practice this?"
"Probably weeks."
"They’re really good."
The music became faster.
The dancers accelerated.
The audience began clapping along with the rhythm.
Some students even started cheering.
"Come on!"
"Let’s go!"
The dancers completed the final formation.
The music stopped.
The audience erupted.
The performers bowed.
Several of them were laughing from exhaustion.
One student whispered to another,
"I thought I was going to collapse halfway through."
"You almost did."
"Don’t remind me."
They laughed.
---
Northern Hall
Another performance was already underway.
This one was a dramatic stage play.
The story followed a knight who returned to his homeland after years of war only to discover that everything he remembered had changed.
The performance was more serious than the others.
The actors spoke with controlled emotion.
The audience listened carefully.
One student whispered,
"This one is actually pretty good."
His friend nodded.
"The knight’s actor is really convincing."
An instructor sitting nearby quietly agreed.
"They’ve clearly practiced their dialogue."
The play continued.
The knight eventually stood before his childhood home.
He looked at the empty doorway.
"I came back."
The lights dimmed.
The audience remained silent.
Then the curtain closed.
Applause followed.
---
Central Courtyard
The largest crowd had gathered around the central outdoor stage.
Several students were performing together.
There were singers.
Musicians.
Dancers.
Even students performing short comedy sketches between the musical numbers.
The atmosphere was chaotic.
But in the best possible way.
Students were laughing.
Cheering.
Clapping.
Some were taking pictures.
Others were simply watching with their friends.
"Where should we go next?"
"Group 3’s performance starts in ten minutes."
"I heard Group 1 is really funny."
"We already watched it."
"Then let’s go to the eastern courtyard."
"What are they performing?"
"Traditional dance."
"Again?"
"It’s different this time."
A group of first-year students hurried past.
"Wait for me!"
"You’re too slow!"
Another group of fourth-years walked in the opposite direction.
"Have you seen Group 4 yet?"
"No."
"You missed it."
"Was it good?"
"Really good."
"What did they perform?"
"A romance."
"Was it actually emotional?"
"Yeah."
A student laughed.
"One of the instructors was crying."
"Seriously?"
"I swear."
The conversation disappeared into the crowd.
---
The festival continued throughout the afternoon.
Every performance venue had its own atmosphere.
Some were loud.
Some were emotional.
Some were elegant.
Some were ridiculous.
But they all shared the same thing.
The students were enjoying themselves.
For many of them, it was one of the few occasions when students from different years could spend an entire day together without worrying about ordinary classes.
First-years watched fourth-years perform.
Fourth-years cheered for first-years.
Second-years helped backstage.
Third-years moved between venues to support their friends.
Instructors who were normally strict sat among the audience, laughing and applauding alongside their students.
Even the academy staff seemed less serious than usual.
The festival had brought everyone together.
As the afternoon progressed, the academy grounds became even livelier.
Music could be heard from several directions at once.
Applause echoed between buildings.
Students rushed from one venue to another whenever they heard that another performance was about to begin.
"Where are you going?"
"Group 2!"
"They’re starting again?"
"No, the second performance."
"Then I’m coming too."
"Wait!"
The students disappeared into the crowd.
Another group passed by.
"Did you see the play earlier?"
"Which one?"
"The princess and the adventurer."
"Yeah."
"That was surprisingly good."
"I know."
"I actually cried."
"Me too."
"You cried?"
"Shut up."
Their laughter echoed through the courtyard.
Nearby, another group was discussing the musical performance.
"That nobleman was hilarious."
"I know. He fell over three times."
"I think that was intentional."
"It probably wasn’t."
They laughed.
The festival continued.
The academy grounds were filled with performances, conversations, music, and laughter.
Only students enjoying the occasion they had spent so much time preparing for.
And as the sun gradually began descending toward the western horizon, the festival showed no sign of slowing down.
If anything—
the academy was becoming even more lively.
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