Chapter 14: The Evening Banquet
The second gift Leo picked from the pile was a stack of books tied together with twine. A quick glance told him they contained medical techniques related to the use of threads.
"The second lucky one is Vanessa," Leo announced. "These are about healing injuries with thread techniques."
Vanessa raised an eyebrow. "And what good will that do?"
Leo replied evenly, "You can use your threads to treat wounds. The Black Bulls don't have anyone skilled in healing magic — that's our biggest weakness."
Vanessa smirked. "Oh? My sweet little junior thinking of me so fondly? Maybe we should do something about that tonight?"
Leo ignored her completely.
She sighed dramatically. "So cold."
Moving back to the pile, Leo picked out another set of items — several iron rings and a weighted vest.
"The third lucky one is Asta," he said. "These are weighted training tools. If you wear them while training, eating, or even sleeping, and remove them in battle, your body will move far faster and stronger."
Asta's eyes widened. "That's amazing!" He immediately put them on.
"Don't wear it now," Leo warned. "You won't even be able to eat."
But when he saw Asta move effortlessly despite nearly two hundred kilograms of added weight, Leo quietly shut his mouth. Monster physique… definitely not human.
While Asta admired his new gear, Leo pulled another single book from the stack and handed it to Noelle. It contained the principles behind the Water Cutter spell — she could read it herself.
Then he found another about electricity and magnetism and handed it to Luck.
"Fight me," Luck said instantly.
Leo sighed. "Not today. I have enough training as it is."
Next came a small, discreet book — The Art of Flirting. Leo wordlessly handed it to Finral.
Finral's eyes darted left and right before he quickly tucked it into his coat, pretending nothing had happened.
The following gift was a book about mirrors and optical reflection, which Leo gave to Gauche.
Then he found a book about poisons and medicines for Gordon, and a flame control manual for Magna.
Finally, Leo pulled out a small white mask with a soft smile painted on it and turned to Grey. "This is for you," he said. "Everyone here is your friend. You don't have to hide anymore."
Grey stayed silent, only releasing small clouds of smoke.
"If you're too shy," Leo continued gently, "then wear this mask. No one will see your face, but remember — we're all comrades, all family. You don't have to be afraid."
After a pause, Grey nodded slightly and placed the mask over her face. The smoke cleared, revealing a blue-haired girl wearing the Black Bulls' robe.
The entire room froze.
For a long moment, no one spoke. Then voices erupted all at once.
"Who's that?!"
Even Grey, covering her masked face, stammered, "D-don't look at me! I'm embarrassed!"
Just then, a loud yell came from the restroom. "AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
The ground shook. Yami stepped out, looking strangely refreshed — until he saw the masked girl.
"Oi," he said, pointing. "Who's this? Wearing our robe, acting bold at our party?"
Everyone shouted in unison, "That's Grey! You recruited her yourself!"
Yami blinked, glancing around. The smoky figure was gone. "You're kidding me!"
After the laughter settled, Gauche turned serious. "Leo, those gifts… they aren't from this world, are they? Even the printing on those books — you can't find that here."
Charmy raised her hand while chewing. "Yeah! These ingredients too — they taste completely different. Leo, where did you even get them?"
Vanessa leaned back, swirling her wine. "Don't tell me you've been sneaking into other kingdoms again."
Leo paused. Everyone's eyes were on him. Then he said calmly, "You're right. These things aren't from this world's magic flow. They come from… another dimension I can access through my grimoire."
The room fell silent again.
Charmy blinked. "Another dimension? Like… a food dimension full of snacks?"
Leo gave a small laugh. "Something like that. My grimoire connects to a different plane — a kind of parallel realm outside our world. Time moves differently there, and the mana feels strange. I can't stay long, but if I seal materials or items into my grimoire, I can bring them back."
Yami leaned forward, intrigued. "So, spatial magic with a twist, huh? That explains the weird stuff but not in a bad way."
Vanessa nodded. "Figures. You've always been full of surprises."
Gauche muttered, "Tch. As long as it's not dangerous, I don't care."
Asta, of course, looked thrilled. "That's amazing, Leo! You can travel to other dimensions! You gotta take me next time!"
Leo shook his head with a faint smile. "It's not that simple. The places I visit aren't safe. The mana there feels… wild, unstable. One mistake, and even I could get trapped there forever."
Asta clenched his fist. "Then I'll train until I'm strong enough to go with you!"
Leo chuckled softly. "That's exactly what I expected you to say."
Yami clapped his hands together. "Alright, enough weird talk. Time to eat before Charmy loses her mind. Let's celebrate properly."
The tension vanished. Laughter filled the hall as everyone dug into the feast. Charmy and her sheep bustled between tables, piling food high onto plates.
Leo watched quietly from his seat. The light from the chandeliers reflected off everyone's grimoire emblems — a chaotic, loud, but undeniably warm family.
For the first time in a long while, he allowed himself to relax. His true secret — the truth about world travel — would remain hidden.
For tonight, it was enough to enjoy the laughter, warmth, and the rare peace that only the Black Bulls could create.
Asta's eyes gleamed with excitement. "That's so cool! I wanna visit another dimension too!"
Magna crossed his arms, grinning. "Count me in when that happens!"
Leo smiled faintly. "Right now, that's not possible. But maybe someday, if I find a way to adjust the spell, I could bring others along."
He paused, then looked around at the curious faces. "Actually, there's something you all should know. During my last dimensional crossing, I spent nearly half a year saving up my own mana to power that one trip. So… you understand what that means, right?"
Everyone just stared at him blankly.
He sighed. "Alright, let me make it clearer. If I rely only on my own mana to travel again, it'll take me at least a full year to gather enough. And that's with missions, cleaning duty, eating, sleeping — you know, the usual Black Bull chaos. So you get what I'm saying now, right?"
The group looked at each other in confusion and said in unison, "No. What are you saying?"
Leo rubbed the back of his neck, realizing they didn't get it. "Oh, right. I meant — I can use everyone's extra mana to help charge the spell. Each of you can lend me whatever mana you're not using, and I'll seal it into the spell using my binding magic. That way, with all of us together, it'll only take a few days to gather enough for a full trip."
He lifted his grimoire and smiled. "Alright then, Finral, you first."
Finral groaned dramatically. "Come on, Leo! I use all my mana for transportation. I don't exactly have spare mana lying around!"
Leo raised an eyebrow. "Different dimensions, different versions of The Art of Flirting."
Finral's eyes instantly lit up. "Actually… I can probably manage to leave enough for two or three teleportation spells."
With a sly grin, Leo flipped open his grimoire to a blank page. "That's what I thought. Go ahead."
Finral placed his hand on the page, and a faint glow pulsed as his mana flowed into the seal.
Leo then moved to Magna. "Alright, Magna, your turn."
Without hesitation, Magna reached forward, channeling a small amount of mana.
Leo frowned. "That's barely anything. What happened?"
Magna shrugged helplessly. "Got drained by Henry earlier. Still recovering."
Leo groaned under his breath. "You've got to be kidding me."
Next, he approached Grey. "We're comrades, right? Please lend me your mana."
Grey didn't hide her face this time — the mask was already there. She silently reached out and placed her hand on the grimoire. The page glowed faintly as her mana was sealed inside.
Leo turned to Vanessa next. "Vanessa, in the other dimension, there are centuries-old wines… you know what I mean."
Vanessa's eyes sparkled instantly. "Now that's motivation. Please hurry and bring back as many as you can!"
Without another word, she pressed her hand to the grimoire and transferred her mana.
Next was Luck. Leo grinned. "If you lend me your mana, I'll spar with you a few months from now."
Luck's eyes brightened. "Deal." He pushed his mana into the book with visible excitement.
Then Leo moved to Gordon. "We're all friends here," he said simply.
Gordon nodded without a word and quietly channeled his mana into the grimoire.
When Leo reached Gauche, the man sighed. "I'll give you half. I need the rest to keep in touch with Marie."
Leo nodded understandingly. "Fair enough."
Charmy was next. She handed over a portion of her mana — only seventy percent. Her Sheep Chef was still busy feeding everyone.
Finally, Leo stopped in front of Asta, who was watching eagerly.
Asta pointed at himself. "Uh… you do remember I don't have any mana, right?"
Leo nodded. "Right. Never mind."
He turned to Noelle. "Noelle, if you give me your mana, I'll help you with something in return."
Noelle frowned slightly. "I'm royalty. What could you possibly help me with?"
Leo looked at her calmly. "Helping you control your mana."
That caught her off guard. "What? You… you can help me with that? That's impossible!"
Leo shook his head. "Not impossible. The reason you can't control your magic is simple — your mana pool is too large. It overflows, and your body can't handle it. I can fix that temporarily by sealing ninety percent of your mana. You'll only use a tenth of your power, but it'll let you refine your control perfectly."
Noelle's eyes widened, and for once, her pride slipped away. "Do it."
She placed her hand on the grimoire, and the pages glowed bright blue as her immense mana surged into it. Leo then cast a seal within her, closing off nine-tenths of her power and leaving only a small flow open.
Noelle summoned a small water sphere and gasped — for the first time, it obeyed her command perfectly. Her smile said everything.
Finally, Leo turned to the captain.
Yami stood tall, arms crossed, his presence alone enough to make Leo tense.
"Captain Yami," Leo said seriously, "I need your mana."
Yami's brow twitched. "You what?"
Leo straightened, his tone unwavering. "In the other dimension, there are powerful medicines — including some that treat… constipation. The one you took earlier was the last one I had."
Yami narrowed his eyes. "Are you threatening me, kid?"
Leo stammered. "N-not at all, Captain! Just… informing you of the situation."
"Damn troublesome," Yami muttered. But after a moment, he sighed, stepped forward, and placed his hand on the grimoire.
The air grew thick as waves of raw mana flooded into the seal. The pages pulsed violently, glowing brighter than they ever had before.
Leo felt the weight of it immediately — Yami's mana alone was enough to rival nearly everyone else combined.
When the flow finally stopped, Leo exhaled slowly, his arms trembling slightly from the intensity. What terrifying power… so this is the strength of the captain of the Black Bulls.
The page sealed itself with a hum, the stored energy radiating faintly. The preparations for the next crossing — or perhaps, something even greater — had just begun.
=================================================================
Hey readers! Want to jump far ahead in the story? The moment you join our Patreon, you'll instantly unlock 30 advanced chapters — giving you a huge head start beyond the public releases.
And it doesn't stop there. Every month, you'll also get 60 brand-new chapters, released steadily at 14 per week, so there's always fresh content waiting for you.
Plus, there are even more fics updated at the same reliable pace, ready to explore. Come join now and keep the adventure flowing without pause!
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/JoyceCruize