If you didn't opt to recruit Nora at the start of the blacksmith mission she is gone forever -- you still might be able to get the coral message from the tavern without her though, so I'd give it a shot.

Fun story about those elemental fields: you can use them for regeneration and evasion as well. There is a water spell called Water Pole (I believe, I'm not super familiar with the Remake names), and Dancing Leaves in Wind Magic that grant the target the magical shield status, which grants end of turn regeneration and something like a 20% chance to dodge attacks when the spell's respective field is active.

You seem to be fairly developed stat wise, so there are two easily missed quests that you can open now. If you talk to the Astronomer's sister in Lance she should have an option to ask about the Aurora, which she should tell you is approaching now. To find it, after you see that message, exit to the region map, then again to the world map, and wait for a good long while (Feels like around 5 minutes to me, but I'm super impatient, so it may be less) -- don't leave when it starts, make sure it fully occurs, then return to the region map around Lance and you should see the Aurora Path. There is an item called the 'Dragon Scale' you find in Leonid's castle (and in two other locations, though one is permanently missable) which makes end-game tier gear in the workshop, but you can't use until you encounter one of a certain class of enemies, the first of which is at the end of Aurora Path quest.

The other is a hidden cave that opens by talking to an old woman in the bottom left house of the left of the two towns that are fighting each other with mercenary armies -- I believe the second 'transport-goods-past-thieves' mission leads you to the right of the two towns. It's the one below the Thieves Cave if you went there earlier. She'll tell you about either the Thieves Cave or Ancient Cave. You'll need to find a password in the Devil King's Castle to fight the boss in the ancient cave, but it is the best grinding spot in the game outside of the new bonus dungeon or Khalid's unique dungeon.