Strange Use of Magic (Black Clover AU) Chapter 125: Strange Residence

[Third Person's PoV] 


Stephen looked at Secre awkwardly as he lowered his head into the warmth of the bath, trying to avoid eye contact. Meanwhile, Secre sat nearby with her legs crossed, her head resting against the back of her palm, her gaze fixed on him. Even without looking, he could feel the weight of her judgmental stare.


She let out a sigh before shaking her head and looking away.


"I suppose this is what I get for falling in love with a degenerate. What else could I have expected?" she mused.


"Ugh!" Stephen clutched his chest dramatically as if he'd been struck. "Your words wound me, you know."


"Good." Secre scoffed as she floated around him. "Like I told you before, you're blowing this whole situation out of proportion. Didn't I already say it was fine? I knew what I was getting into when I agreed to share you with Mimosa in the first place."


Stephen dunked his head under the water, resurfacing with wet hair clinging to his face. "I know... but still…"


"Don't tell me you feel bad about being with Mimosa?" Secre asked, eyeing him with suspicion.


Stephen immediately shook his head. "Never. That would be a disservice to our relationship. It wouldn't be fair to you or to her. But what I would regret is if I ended up hurting you in the process…" His voice trailed off as he looked down at his reflection in the water.


Secre's sharp gaze softened as a small smile tugged at her lips. She sighed again, pressing a hand against her forehead.


"God, why are you such a lovable idiot?" she mumbled to herself, shaking her head.


Stephen glanced up at her in confusion, but she merely waved him off. "It's nothing. Don't worry about it."


Before he could question her further, she floated down, wrapping her arms around his neck—much to his surprise—and placed a kiss on his cheek. Of course, her lips merely phased through him.


"I'm not hurt by what happened, so there's nothing for you to worry about," she reassured him. "I was just surprised... and a little in disbelief at how fast things are progressing between you two."


"Really?" Stephen asked, glancing at her astral form for confirmation.


Secre nodded. "Besides, our connection is much deeper, isn’t it? We have a spiritual intimacy unlike any other~" she teased, throwing his own words back at him.


Stephen's cheeks tinged red.


"How cute~ You're blushing," she chuckled, covering her mouth with a hand.


"It's just the heat from the bath…" Stephen muttered, looking away. "Speaking of which, I should get up and leave."


Secre giggled at his flustered state before floating over to her bird body.


Nero stirred, ruffled her feathers, and then flew over, perching herself on Stephen's shoulder.



---


Later…


Stephen stood outside the Black Bulls’ base, surrounded by his squadmates. He hovered in the air, his grimoire resting in his lap as he studied his magic. In front of them, Yami stood with his arms crossed, his usual intimidating presence commanding attention.


"Alright, listen up!" Yami barked. "Some of you might've already noticed, but we've been racking up so many stars that our black stars have completely disappeared from the board!"


The squad murmured excitedly, realizing their efforts had paid off.


"And since it's all thanks to you bums—" Yami turned and kicked open the doors to the base, revealing an enormous pile of meat stacked high.


"GO EAT MEAT!" he ordered.


Cheers erupted from the group, none louder than Charmy, who immediately began setting up multiple grills with the help of her oversized sheep. The entire base quickly filled with the rich aroma of sizzling meat, cooked in a variety of styles to satisfy everyone’s tastes.


Stephen sat off to the side with a plate of perfectly cut steak cubes, each skewered with a toothpick and glazed in a shimmering sauce. As the lively chaos unfolded around him, he remained focused, flipping through the pages of his grimoire while idly picking up a piece of steak.


“Come on, Stephen~ Stop being such a nerd and put that book down! Can't you see we're celebrating?!” Vanessa nudged Stephen.


“Sorry, but I just made a breakthrough with my magic. This isn’t something I can just put down,” Stephen replied apologetically.


“You can study magic whenever you want, can’t you? This might be the only time we get to experience one of life’s greatest combinations!” Vanessa said, trying to persuade him.


Stephen turned to look at her in confusion. Vanessa lifted both objects in her hands into the air: a kebab and a mug of beer. “Meat and booze!!”


Stephen shook his head. “Here.” His fingertips glowed golden as he drew a rune in the air. He pushed the rune toward her mug, and the mug—already half-empty—refilled itself.


Vanessa blinked, staring at the mug before looking at Stephen and then back at the mug. “What did you just do?”


“It’s an exchange,” Stephen explained. “You leave me alone, and in return, you get a mug that refills every time it’s empty. Basically unlimited beer.”


Vanessa’s eyes widened before tears began flowing rapidly from her eyes, like a natural river. Stephen jolted back, taken aback by her sudden tears.


Vanessa wiped her eyes, crying out in joy, “This is the best present anyone’s ever given me!! You’re a god amongst men, Stephen! A god!!!”


She threw her arms around him and cried tears of joy. “Unlimited beer! It’s just what I wanted but never knew!”


“If that’s seriously the best present you’ve ever received, I’m really going to start pitying you,” Stephen said, tilting his body away from her.


He placed a hand on her crying face and gently pushed her away. “Now stay away from me. You stink of booze… Remember our deal?”


Vanessa backed off, remembering their deal, and happily went to chug her beer. As she slammed the mug down, she watched in amazement as it refilled itself to the top, foam spilling out from the side.


A large, smug grin spread across her face as she cackled with glee.


Stephen rolled his eyes, continuing to eat his cube meat. Halfway through, he stood up and grabbed another plate, using his magic to levitate meat from the grill onto it.


With the plate nearly full, he started walking away, holding the plate in one hand and his book in the other.


“Hm? Were we being too loud?” Asta asked, noticing Stephen walking away.


“Nah, he left his food right here and didn’t finish it. Looks like that plate wasn’t even for him,” Magna said, eyeing Stephen’s retreating back.


Luck walked over, grabbed Stephen’s plate, and looked at Magna with a mischievous grin. “Want to play a prank on him?”


Magna grinned. “What do you have in mind?”


“Well, this party’s missing someone special~ Someone to liven it up,” Luck chuckled with an evil grin.


“You aren’t planning on lacing it with alcohol, are you?” Magna asked, a raised eyebrow showing his suspicion.


“...” Luck’s silence spoke volumes.


Magna grinned, mirroring Luck’s expression. “I like the way you think.”


“Hehehehehe!!” They both chuckled creepily over Stephen’s plate.


“I feel like we should stop them somehow,” Wanda said to Noelle as they watched the scene unfold.


Noelle scoffed. “Leave them. That’s what that idiot gets for leaving his food unattended.” 


…


Stephen stood outside a door, stored his grimoire, and knocked.


“Cooooome iiiiinnnnn,” a weak, drawn-out voice called from inside.


Opening the door, Stephen found a man just a few years older than him, with long, unkempt light blue hair. He was thin—almost skeletal—and looked feeble.


As soon as Stephen stepped inside, he felt his magic begin to drain. However, given his enormous reserves, he barely paid it any mind.


“Hey, Henry,” Stephen greeted. “I brought you something to eat. Must’ve been torture smelling all that food and not being able to join, so I figured I’d bring you a plate.”


“Steeeeeephen!” Henry cheered weakly. “Awww, thank you! You’re tooooo good to meeeee!!”


“I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I brought a bit of everything,” Stephen said as he placed the plate on Henry’s lap.


Extending his hand toward the nightstand, Stephen conjured a magic circle, and a large glass of juice materialized from it.


“Did Charmy coooook allll of thissss?” Henry asked, inhaling the aroma. “It smells amazinggggg.”


“Yeah, Charmy’s an excellent cook. I’m sure you’ll love everything on the plate,” Stephen replied, patting Henry’s shoulder.


“Well, I won’t keep you distracted any longer. Enjoy your meal,” Stephen said, waving as he turned to leave.


Henry looked down at the food, then back at Stephen with a warm, grateful smile. “I can’t thank you enough.”


“Once is fine for me. Just enjoy yourself,” Stephen said, closing the door behind him.


The moment he stepped out, sweat formed on his forehead. Damn… I only touched him for a second, and that absorption still siphoned most of my magic.


Sighing, Stephen walked away and pulled his grimoire back from the mirror dimension.


By the time he returned to the party, he was so engrossed in his book that he didn’t notice Magna and Luck huddled together, laughing.


Nor did he notice that the cube meat on his plate was glistening more than usual.


Still reading, he absentmindedly grabbed a toothpick, speared a cube of meat, and popped it into his mouth.


The moment he bit down, he froze.


Slowly, he lifted his gaze, exasperation washing over his face.


“God damn it.”


His head drooped, swaying slightly.


“...”


Everyone at the party fell silent, watching him.


“...”


Then—


Hic!


“PARTY STEEEEVEEEEEE!!!” Magna, Luck, and Vanessa all cheered excitedly.