Strange use of Magic (Black Clover AU)

[Third Person's PoV] 

As Stephen walked away with his hands in the pockets of his swimming trunks, Nero came flying in and landed on top of his head.

Since they hadn't disconnected their telepathic link, Stephen and Nero were still able to communicate mentally.

*"So, what the hell was that about?"* Nero asked, leaning over his head to look at him with her trademark deadpan expression.

Stephen's cheeks turned a light shade of red as he muttered, "It was payback. No one likes being teased that much, and I'm not the type to just sit there and take it. So, I got my revenge."

*"Uh-huh… So, sexually assaulting her was your idea of payback?"*

*"I didn't sexually assault her! I applied sunscreen, just like she asked me to. I just happened to be really good at it… though I do feel like I went a bit too far,"* Stephen admitted, scratching his cheek.

Nero scoffed. *"Lucky for you, from where I was sitting, she seemed to enjoy it a lot… maybe a bit too much."*

Stephen tilted his head upwards to glance at Nero, causing her to fly slightly above him, looking down.

Smirking, Stephen replied, *"Don't worry, when you get your body back, I'll give you a massage too. I'll help take away those 500 years of stress."*

If Nero had been in her physical form, she would have turned beet red at the implications of Stephen's words. Embarrassed, she began pecking him on the head while he laughed, dodging her attacks.

Nero suddenly stopped as something ahead caught her attention. *"Up ahead,"* she said, alerting Stephen.

Stephen looked ahead as Nero perched on his head. His eyes narrowed when he saw Noelle and Wanda being cornered by two guys hitting on them—one with black hair and the other blond.

Wanda grabbed Noelle's hand and tried to walk away, but the blond guy extended his arm to block their path.

"Whoa, whoa, come on. We're just having a conversation~ Trying to get to know each other," the blond said with a confident grin.

Stephen started walking toward them but froze when Wanda punched the blond in the nose without hesitation. He stared in surprise, as did Noelle, both shocked by Wanda's action.

"Ugh! You bitch! You broke my nose!" the blond screamed, clutching his bleeding nose.

Wanda glared at the other guy and raised her fist. "Are you going to let us pass, or do you want some too?"

The black-haired guy shook his head rapidly, grabbed his friend, and ran off. Wanda scoffed. "Cowards."

"Pfft—hahaha!"

Hearing laughter, Wanda and Noelle turned to see Stephen doubled over, holding his stomach. Wanda's cheeks turned slightly red, realizing he had witnessed everything.

Both women approached Stephen, who wiped his eyes, still smiling. "And here I was, thinking I might need to rescue you," he teased.

As he looked at Noelle and Wanda, he finally noticed why they had attracted attention. Noelle wore a light blue two-piece bikini with a scale-like design that accentuated her curves. Wanda wore a dark red bikini with a black floral pattern, paired with a red silk cloth tied around her waist, emphasizing her long legs.

"It's not funny…" Wanda pouted, trying to hide her embarrassment.

"Sorry, sorry. It just caught me off guard. I wasn't expecting that," Stephen chuckled.

"Oh yeah? What were you expecting?" Noelle asked, crossing her arms.

Stephen grinned teasingly. "That I'd play the white knight and come to rescue two beautiful ladies."

Noelle scoffed, though she blushed slightly. "Then you'd be no better than those two idiots."

'He called me beautiful!' Noelle thought, her chest fluttering with excitement.

Stephen rolled his eyes, while Wanda chuckled. "How's your hand?" he asked, raising a brow.

Wanda glanced at her hand, noticing blood and slight scrapes from not using her magic to protect herself. "It's alright, I suppose," she replied with a small smile, appreciating his concern.

Stephen shook his head, taking her hand in his and clasping his other over it to cast a healing spell.

Noelle watched quietly but froze at Stephen's next words.

"Be careful next time. The nose is the easiest to break, but they can recover quickly and counterattack. Aim for the jaw or temple instead—it's more likely to knock them out or disorient them."

"What kind of advice is that!?" Noelle exclaimed, glaring at him. She turned to Wanda, who was nodding seriously. "And why are you taking it!?"

"It's good advice," Wanda shrugged.

"You should be discouraging her from getting into unnecessary danger!" Noelle sighed, exasperated.

"Trouble is common for us Magic Knights. Since it's unavoidable, I'd rather teach her something useful to keep her safe," Stephen replied with a shrug.

"…I hate how much sense that makes," Noelle muttered.

Stephen turned to Wanda. "About your stance earlier—spread your legs slightly for balance and keep your center grounded. When you punch, rotate your hips into it. It'll add more weight to the punch and make it stronger."

Noelle watched in disbelief as Stephen demonstrated, and Wanda mimicked his movements with a focused expression. "You guys are unbelievable," she muttered, shaking her head in exasperation.

However, before Noelle could comment any further, Yami appeared, demanding everyone's attention.

"Alright, listen up, you brats! We're not here to laze around. We're here on a mission from the Wizard King," Yami declared, his tone authoritative.

"Oh, that's right... I completely forgot about that," Asta said, rubbing the back of his head with a sheepish grin.

"We're here to find a Mana Stone deep in an Underwater Temple," Yami continued, informing them of their objective.

Stephen raised an eyebrow. I literally just learned about the true nature of Mana Stones, and now we're off to find one. Talk about convenient, he thought to himself.

"And while you brats were busy messing around, I went ahead and gathered some intel. This temple is at the very bottom of the ocean, but the Mana in the area kicks up ocean currents so strong that even first-class mages can't normally get near it. However, on the night of a full moon, the Mana weakens, and we might be able to get through."

Everyone looked at Yami with surprise and disbelief.

"Is anybody else shocked that the captain is actually doing his job? I think I just got the shivers," Magna muttered, earning nods of agreement from the others.

"I'll murder every single one of you," Yami said, irritated by their reactions. "As the name suggests, the Underwater Temple is on the ocean floor, so we can't just stroll in. We'll be relying on Noelle's water magic to get us through."

"Eh?" Noelle pointed to herself in disbelief. "Me!? You expect me to transport everyone using Sea Dragon's Lair?! That requires incredible magic control! Why not get someone else to do it? Stephen has all kinds of weird spells—surely he has something better for this, right?"

"Sorry, but I don't have any water-related spells," Stephen said, shaking his head.

"But… if it fails…" Noelle muttered, her apprehension growing.

"If you fail, you'll be pulled away by the ocean currents and drown," Yami said bluntly, his cigarette hanging loosely from his mouth. "This is a top-secret mission entrusted to the Black Bulls. There's nobody else. You will do it."

Noelle hesitated, doubt written across her face.

Wanda stepped forward and placed a reassuring hand on Noelle's shoulder. "We've been training together, right? We'll keep working until you're ready," she said with a comforting smile.

"Wanda..." Noelle whispered, her expression softening.

Meanwhile, Stephen playfully bonked Noelle on the head. When she looked up at him, he was smiling confidently. "Haven't we been training for moments like this? Don't forget all the progress you've made. You won't even need the whole week to get it down."

Noelle's eyes widened as she remembered their training. Specifically, she recalled Stephen helping her refine her magic control and him mentioning a water bubble spell she might be able to do. She looked down briefly before lifting her head, her resolve strengthening. "I'll do it," she said firmly.

Yami smirked slightly and gave her an approving nod. "Then you'd better get to work."

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