In the magical world of Black Clover pretty much anything is possible, including the ability to transform into a bird – here’s Secre Swallowtail’s Nero bird form explained. Created by Yuki Tabata, Black Clover is a fantasy manga that was adapted into a four-season anime series by animation studio Pierrot. It’s set in a world where magic is commonplace and follows the adventures of main protagonist Asta, an orphan who is born without any magical powers to speak of. Nevertheless, Asta sets out to become the next Wizard King of Clover Kingdom, a prestigious title usually only bestowed to those with massive magical prowess.
When Asta turns fifteen in the story he receives a devil-possessed grimoire which he acquires via anti-magic – the ability to nullify other magical forms. Thanks to his newfound abilities, along with his own determination and physical strength, Black Clover’s Asta is able to become a magic knight with a squad known as Black Bull with which he goes on missions to protect the Clover Kingdom from invasions and other such threats. While working with Black Bull, Asta is joined by a little bird that he names Nero who helps the squad find a series of magic stones they’ve been tasked with locating.
However, Black Clover eventually revealed there was more to Nero than meets the eye. When the magic stones that Nero helped the Black Bull squad locate were placed into a statue of Lemiel Silvamillion Clover (the first Wizard King), the statue came to life and Nero reverted to her original form – a young woman named Secre Swallowtail who was Lemiel’s loyal servant some 500 years ago. But how and why did she transform into a bird in the first place?
It was revealed on Black Clover that five centuries ago, a devil named Zagred orchestrated the slaying of the powerful Elf Tribe on the day Lemiel’s sister Tetia was set to marry elf leader and Lemiel’s best friend Licht, who was the original owner of Asta’s grimoire. Licht was the sole survivor of the massacre and used the magic stones to turn himself into a huge demon that subsequently went on a rampage. Lemiel was forced to fight the demonic Licht but sustained fatal injuries in the process which Secre remedied by using the stones to turn him into a statue. Secre also used the stones to seal away Zagred but paid a price for using their forbidden magic when she was turned into a bird. She spent the next 500 years keeping an eye on Licht’s grimoire which eventually brought her to Asta.
Back in Black Clover’s present day, Asta battles and defeats Zagred with the help of Lemiel. Sadly, Lemiel dies after his magic runs out but Secre Swallowtail finds a new purpose in life as a member of the Black Bull squad. Now able to freely switch between her human and bird forms, Secre joined the Black Bull squad on plenty of missions throughout the rest of Black Clover during which her avian form proved useful when needing an element of surprise or stealth.
