Chapter 13: Gifts and a Partial Confession
After another flash of light, Leo returned through the portal once again.
The first thing he did was grumble. "That flash is way too bright. Can't they lower the brightness a little? My eyes take forever to adjust. If an enemy popped up right now, I'd be finished before I could react."
After about a minute, his vision cleared. Realizing he was back in his own room, Leo opened the door and stepped out, only to see Asta outside furiously scrubbing the floor with a rag.
When Asta spotted him, his eyes lit up. "Leo! Long time no see! Where've you been?"
Leo replied casually, "Just training in my room — working on magic control. How long was I in there?"
Asta thought for a moment. "Maybe two or three hours?"
Then, as if remembering something unpleasant, he frowned. "Don't think I'll let you slack off again. Cleaning the whole base by myself is exhausting!"
Listening to Asta's endless complaints, Leo guessed immediately that he'd been arguing with Noelle again.
"Alright, alright," Leo said, waving his hand. "I'll handle it." With Chain Control Magic, he bound a mop, towel, feather duster, and brush, letting them clean all at once. Within minutes, the base sparkled from end to end.
While Leo finished one section, Asta returned carrying a bucket of water and pointed toward a dark corner of the base. "Oh, right — there's another Black Bull in that room. You should meet him, but don't get too close. He says he's cursed, and anyone nearby gets their mana drained."
Asta opened the door, revealing a man with messy blue hair lying motionless on a bed.
Leo took a step forward to greet him — but instantly felt his mana being drained away at alarming speed. What the hell? A human vacuum cleaner? he thought, startled.
The man's voice came slowly, each word drawn out as though speaking for the first time in ages. "Don't… come… closer… or… your… mana… will… be… drained."
It took him nearly twenty seconds just to say that.
Leo resisted the urge to sigh. You're definitely not lightning, he thought dryly.
Asta moved closer and spoke with him casually.
Leo asked, "Asta, aren't you going to introduce me? I don't even know who this senpai is."
Asta nodded. "Oh, right! This is Henry-senpai. He's been with the Black Bulls for a long time. Henry-senpai, this is my friend from the same village — Leo."
Leo smiled politely. "Nice to meet you, Henry-senpai. Please take care of me."
Henry's lips moved slowly. "Hello…"
While Asta chatted with Henry and even played with the tiny bird nesting in his tangled hair, Leo's mind was already at work. Within seconds, he had an idea.
"I think I have a way to temporarily seal your condition," Leo said.
Henry looked genuinely shocked. His parents had spent years searching for someone who could cure his mana-draining body, but they had disappeared on one such journey. Hearing those words now stirred something deep within him.
"Alright," Henry said slowly. "I'd… like… to… be… friends… with… everyone… again."
The instant he agreed, Leo acted. From a distance, he extended his Chain Magic — getting too close would be dangerous. But as soon as the chains touched Henry, Leo felt his mana draining rapidly through them.
Not good.
He immediately reinforced the spell, forming a Mana Flow Seal. It blocked Henry's mana circulation completely, sealing both output and intake like corking a pipe.
Henry blinked and said, "I… can't… absorb… your… mana… anymore."
Then, haltingly, he continued, "But… I… need… everyone's… mana… to… live…"
Leo cut him off mid-sentence, suppressing irritation. "So, if the seal lasts too long, you'll run out of mana and die from exhaustion, right?"
Henry nodded slowly. "Yes…"
Leo sighed. "Alright, then I'll come by every day to seal and unseal your mana. I haven't invented an automatic version of the spell yet."
From the side, Asta shouted, "That's amazing! You actually broke his curse! You're incredible, my rival!"
Leo groaned. "Who's your rival, you hot-blooded midget?"
Asta grinned. "You, me, and Yuno — we all swore to become Wizard King together!"
Leo frowned. "When did I ever say that?"
Henry spoke up again, still painfully slow. "Now… you… can… meet… all… the… other… Black… Bulls…"
Leo sighed inwardly. "Still so slow… but fine. How long can you last with the seal active?"
Henry replied, "About… one… hour…"
Leo clapped his hands. "Perfect. Asta, I'm giving you a special mission — gather all the Black Bulls. We're having a banquet tonight. A proper dinner party."
Asta's eyes lit up. "A banquet? That's so cool!"
He grinned, then turned to Henry. "Henry-senpai, you should make your official appearance tonight! For now, we'll remove the seal so you can rest easy. When the banquet starts, Leo can seal your mana again before introducing you to everyone." He said this while undoing the chains that bound Henry.
There were still about seven or eight hours left before evening. Leo decided to find Charmy first — with her magic, preparing a feast would be no problem. But before that, he had a gift for her.
When Leo reached the dining hall, it was exactly as he expected — Charmy was already there. He waved and called out, "Charmy-senpai!"
He opened his Magic Book and pulled out a stack of thick tomes. "Here — a collection of recipes from another world."
The moment she heard "recipes from another world," Charmy's eyes sparkled. She flipped through the books eagerly. Inside were recipes for barbecues, desserts, soups, and stews — foods she'd never even imagined. Even the descriptions made her drool.
As she read, she immediately summoned her Sheep Chef and began having it cook while reading along. But before long, she froze. "Oh no! We don't have any of these ingredients!"
Leo noticed her entering her dangerous "second state" and quickly reacted. He released a pile of rare ingredients and edible plants he'd sealed from the Misty Forest.
Charmy instantly calmed down, her excitement returning. Leo let out a long sigh of relief. If she entered her "Sleeping Sheep Mode," one hit from her could easily kill him — especially since his body was still recovering.
Even though his chest wound had mostly healed, another one of those hits could easily shatter his ribs again.
Then he reminded himself — he had Nen now. Why should I fear physical attacks? With Ken, I can block most of it. It'll still hurt, but I'll survive.
Guess my journey as a close-combat mage really begins now, he thought, before realizing he'd drifted off again. Raising his voice, he shouted toward Charmy, "We're having a banquet tonight, so make plenty of food!"
Without waiting to see if she heard, he turned and left.
Back in his room, Leo sat down to organize his thoughts. He had only begun mastering Nen, and there were still many advanced applications left to refine — En, which expanded perception; In, which concealed aura; Ko, Ken, Ryu, and others.
In wasn't especially useful here since people in this world sensed magic instead of aura — unless he could find a way to hide his mana too. If he did, he could become completely undetectable even by mages.
He also reviewed Ko, which strengthened objects by focusing aura into them, and Ken, which formed a solid defense. Then there was Ren, which released powerful bursts of aura, and Ten, which constantly wrapped the body in protection.
He knew the theory behind all six — Ten, Zetsu, Ren, Hatsu, Gyo, and En — but he hadn't developed much beyond the basics. He wasn't quite as fast a learner as Gon had been on Greed Island.
After hours of focused training, Asta came knocking. "Leo! Come on, the banquet's ready!"
Asta was practically bouncing with excitement as they walked toward the outdoor area. "There's so much good food! You're gonna love it!"
When they arrived, the Black Bulls were already gathered, chatting and laughing. But when Asta mentioned there was a "small surprise," everyone turned toward Leo expectantly.
Leo took a step back and gestured toward the doorway. From behind it, Henry slowly stepped out.
Leo raised his voice. "Everyone, let me introduce someone! This is Henry — one of the original members of the Black Bulls! The self-repairing base and the shifting rooms you've seen are all thanks to his magic."
Henry looked up slightly and said, "Hello, everyone."
For a few seconds, the entire base went silent. Then Grey screamed, "Wait— you're the castle ghost!?"
Gauche, Vanessa, Magna, and Charmy all shouted in unison, "What?! How did we not know about another member?!"
Luck's eyes gleamed with excitement. "Henry, can we fight?"
Gordon mumbled something inaudible — something about "making him into a doll," but no one caught it.
Captain Yami finally stepped forward and explained. "This whole base is Henry's magic. As long as people live here, he survives by absorbing a bit of their scattered mana. Back when the Black Bulls didn't have a base, this place became our home."
Magna's eyes widened. "No way! That's awesome!" He stepped forward and patted Henry on the shoulder — only to collapse instantly.
Leo froze. What the—? My seal shouldn't have any leaks!
Yami turned to Leo. "So, how come he's moving around without draining us?"
Henry opened his mouth slowly. "Because…"
Leo quickly interrupted before he could drag the sentence out. "Because it's my magic! I sealed his connection to external mana. It's temporary — if it lasts too long, he'll weaken and die — but it's safe for the length of the banquet."
Yami smirked. "Seriously? That's badass."
Leo sighed inwardly. Not exactly the praise I was hoping for, Captain.
He clapped his hands. "Alright! Enough talk. Time for the little surprise I mentioned earlier!"
He flipped open his Magic Book to a marked page and released several items onto the ground.
First, he pulled out ten boxes of medicine — each containing ten pills. The label read: Guaranteed to clear you out completely, no matter what's inside.
Leo grinned. "Captain, this one's for you. It's a laxative pill. One dose, and you'll never worry about constipation again."
Yami squinted. "For real? Majika?"
Leo nodded firmly. "For real. Majide."
Without hesitation, Yami swallowed one — and within ten seconds, bolted for the restroom.
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