Chapter 55: Secre Swallowtail.

''Hi, do i know you?'' Asta asked, those little horns on the woman's head and that black feathered dress reminded him of a certain little bird.

The woman in front of him pouted cutely, then she approached him and softly hit his head.

''Huh?'' Asta looked at the woman with confusion.

''I'm Secre Swallowtail'' The woman said.

''What the h-'' Asta was about to said but Secre covered his mouth with his two hands in a very tender way.

''Shhh, they are sleeping'' Secre looked at the girls on the bed with a warm smile, then she began to shine with a dark light and transformed into a little bird that Asta knows very well.

Asta's eyes widened looking at the bird flying in front of him.

Secre flew to the ceiling and Asta followed her.

Both of them sat close to the edge of the roof while looking at the beautiful moon and the night full of stars, Asta decided to speak first because he had plenty of questions.

''So are you human or demon or bird-demon?'' Asta said looking at her small black horns.

''I am human but I used forbidden magic which made me pay the price'' Secre said as she pointed her horns, she hugged her knees while looking at Asta and then said:

''Five hundred years ago, i had to use forbidden magic to seal a demon. Lemiel the previous Wizard King and Licht the Leader of the Elf tribe were deceived by this Devil. At the wedding of Licht and Tetia the sister of Lemiel, many elves were slaughtered and among them Tetia died, a unknown group who envied them launched a surprise attack against them.'' Secre said, her eyes dilated a little remembering things.

''So it was a separate group and a devil that caused this problem beetwen humans and elves'' Asta said as he looked at Secre.

''Yes... Licht hoped that humans and elves could come to understand each other at some point and even begin to live together, but those hopes were immediately destroyed, After that massacre, he used the stones to become a gigantic demon, and attacked the Clover Kingdom. Lemiel was trapped while all the massacre was happening but he managed to free him and was able to protect the kingdom being seriously injured, so I decided to seal it with magic stones until that devil tries a move again'' Secre said.

''So you spent 500 years waiting for moves from the devil and the elves.'' Asta looked at Secre so deeply that she felt overwhelmed and nervous.

''Yeah... I don't age, it's like an immortality as long as they don't kill me, rarely does my body develop a bit and I am left with the appearance of a 18-year-old woman. As I knew this, my family would end up getting old and dying, besides that because of my appearance they would think that I am possesed by a devil, which would scare them a lot because in those times people were quite afraid of demons. So I decided to stay in my bird form for those 500 years.'' Secre said as she get closer to Asta.

Asta knew that anything he said was not going to be able to heal her fate, so he decided to hug her shoulder, not say anything and listen to her.

''...'' Secre exhibited a small smile as she placed her head on Asta's shoulder, she knew very well what he was thinking because she had spent years with him and could understand how he thought.

''I had already accepted and understood that good things were not waiting for me after using forbidden magic, so the impact was less painful. The only thing that kept me going was that I had a goal and a dream, my goal is to kill that devil and my dream is that humans can live together with elves without problem. Just like Lemiel and Licht wished'' Secre said as her big eyes glowed with hope.

''It's a beautiful dream and I think it can be fulfilled, no. I'm sure it will happen'' Asta said, and added in his mind 'If in my previous world we could live together, I can do it here too'

''Thank you...''

''But what would you do after achieving that goal and that dream?'' Asta asked.

''Mhmm, I haven't thought about it very well. Maybe I should rest after so many years?'' Secre said with a complicated expression, but in reality it was the opposite, she wanted to continue living and enjoy more of her time with Asta and the girls. Since they became like her second family.

''No''

''Mhm?'' Secre tilted her head in confusion, her big eyes met Asta's and he felt his breath hitch for a moment.

''You can't fool me, What do you want to do after fulfilling your dreams?'' Asta asked, his eyes looked at Secre as if they were absorbing her soul.

''I want to stay with you and the girls'' Secre said as as she bite her lips, her eyes began to water a little. Her concern was that the same situation would repeat itself as years ago, at some point they would grow old and she would have to see them die.

''There's still many things to do, Besides, do you want to leave after me and my wives found out that all this time you were a human?'' Asta said.

''I would have preferred not to appear because I know that you would see things much more differently knowing that I am human, but only I can seal the devil. Because I'm the only person who possesses that kind of magic'' Secre said.

''Yeah, And now that you've shown yourself I won't let you go'' Asta said.

''You know you're being very selfish, right? and possessive'' Secre said as her pale cheeks turned a reddish color.

''You are worried that we will get old and at some point repeat the same situation that happened with your family, right?'' Asta ignored Secre's words and said.

''Yes...'' Secre said in an incredibly low voice.

''Easy, we will only discover some way to solve it right? after all we live in a world of magic, there are endless possibilities'' Asta said as he exhibited a smile.

''I am very clear about that, but since the day I used forbidden magic, I understood very well that using great power has great consequences.'' Secre said.

''Then we'll get rid of the consequences''

''I don't think it's that easy''

''So I'll make it easy''

''I don't think that's how it works''

''Come on stop being so negative''

''I'm not negative, it's the reality, I have lived 500 years seeing many things''

''That doesn't change that you should think about the negative''

''I told you I'm not negative, I'm just realistic''

''Then I'll destroy all that realism and take you to a world of fantasy.'' Asta said as he exhibited a small smile.

''Hahaha, Don't you know when to give up?'' Secre let out a soft laugh as her eyes turned into a crescent shape, the blush on her cheeks and her ears combined with that pale skin made her look stunningly beautiful along with that expression.

''I'm a simple man, I don't think much about things or the negative, I'm used to always moving forward without stopping'' Asta said with a melancholic voice that confused Secre for a moment.

''A simple man would do everything you did? forgive me but you are very wrong''

''Huh? I have only fought against weak people, only one has managed to cheer me up a lot''

''Only you would consider those people to be weak, besides a simple man would not gain so much power too quick and would have four beautiful and strong wives who are even nobles of the utmost importance.''

''It seems that you have analyzed me too much'' Asta exhibited a sly smile.

''E-Ehhh It's not that, it's just that the more I looked at you, the more impressed I was with how simple everything you did seemed, as if you had repeated it for years or a lifetime'' Secre sluttered as her big eyes move side by side because that she doesn't notice that Asta acted strange when he heard the end of his sentence

''Wait, don't tell me you saw me doing that with Noelle and Mimosa right?'' Asta said suddenly.

''I-It was not intentional, whenever I wanted to rest on your head you two would end up doing that as if you were rabbits and in many situations I saw you by accident'' Secre got even more nervous, her biggest secret is buried deep, she will never let anyone find out that she was staring at them because after all she is a woman and spending 500 years without any affection made her dying of curiosity to take a look.

''Seeing each other by accident sounds like an excuse''

''Do not come to twist things I already told you it was by accident''

''Then I'll believe you''

''Thanks for the unnecessary trust.'' Secre rolled up her eyes.

''Why unnecessary?''

''I've been with you since you were a lovable kid with chubby cheeks, To say that we trust each other would be an understatement dumb''

''Oh, Now that you are in your human form, do you want to touch them?'' Asta brought his face close enough so that Secre could feel his breath.

She tried not to get flustered, and looked Asta straight in the eye. After her hand gently caressed his cheek, she began to feel hypnotized by that sweet expression with which Asta looks at her lost in those deep green eyes.

''Hey Secre...'' Asta held Secre by her waist and pulled her so close that their lips were brushing, Secre felt as if her heart was about to burst out of her ribcage.

''T-Tell me''

''Stay with me''

''Mhm?''

''Don't ever think about a stupid thing like deciding to rest, you haven't even lived a full life. Even though you lived like a bird for 500 years, that doesn't change that you're still a young woman.''

''That's what you think, but there comes a time when you get tired. Those 500 years were bloody hellish but I can't give up my mission there are many lives at stake and I am well aware of it'' Secre placed her head against Asta's and closed her eyes.

''Despite that you can't leave''

''Why?''

''I haven't made you happy yet''

''Hahaha, now I understand even more why you have more than one wife, you are very insistent even with someone unattractive like me'' Secre let out a soft laugh as she said.

''Not very attractive? are you an idiot?'' Asta asked without separate his head from hers.

''My skin is so pale that I look like I'm dead, I have dark circles under my eyes, my appearance is that of a devil, I'm not very developed, just balanced and I'm sure you prefer more developed women''

''Hahaha you are wrong Secre, Do you want to know the first thing I thought when I saw you down there?''

''What?''

''I thought you were a little fallen angel that descended to enchant me with her purity, for a moment I was like a fool you know? everything that you see as flaws in you, seems like perfection to me''

''...'' Secre's face turned completely red and her breath hitched, she thought that Asta preferred women as his wives but it was clear to her that he didn't, she could feel that his words were completely real.

''Stay with me'' Asta hugged Secre.

''You are very greedy...''

''Stay with me and be only mine''

''You are very possesive...''

''You don't like it?''

''If you didn't have even a little possessive feeling to me, I would hate you.''

''So will you stay with me?''

''You win. I'll stay with you, But if you don't make me very happy, I'll curse you with eternal youth and live the life of a rabbit with you.''

''Is that kind of life a curse or a paradise?''

''For someone like you I guess it's a paradise''

''You know me very w-'' Before Asta could say anything, under the beautiful moonlight Secre took the first step.