On this side, Lynn was attempting a serious piece of "scientific research" — testing a Phoenix's alcohol tolerance.
Lynn stroked Levi's feathers with one hand while holding a glass bottle filled with amber liquid to her beak with the other. "Levi, want a sip? I heard Firewhisky goes great with a Phoenix. Maybe you'll breathe out flames with a hint of alcohol?"
Levi lifted her head, her eyes full of disdain. She twisted her neck a full one hundred and eighty degrees, presenting the back of her head to Lynn and the bottle.
Her meaning couldn't have been clearer: absolutely not.
Just as Lynn was about to continue teasing her, Levi suddenly snapped her head back.
"Master! Edgar and the others are in danger! They've activated the feather!"
The playfulness on Lynn's face vanished instantly, his eyes narrowing.
"Let's go."
Over in the Forbidden Forest, the black-robed figure hunched over the Unicorn's neck was startled by Malfoy's scream and looked up sharply.
His face was hidden beneath the hood's shadow, but overwhelming malice radiated from him.
Clearly irritated at being interrupted mid-"feeding," his wand snapped up and pointed directly at the nearest target — William.
"Avada Kedavra!"
Almost at the same instant, the air beside William rippled violently like disturbed water. Before a figure even fully emerged, a spell shot out.
"Expelliarmus!"
A brilliant red beam burst from the half-formed spatial distortion and collided head-on with the green Killing Curse.
The two spells did not cancel each other out. Instead, they locked together like two venomous serpents entangled in combat, erupting into blinding sparks and violent hissing sounds. Magical shockwaves blasted outward, scattering fallen leaves in every direction.
Edgar and the others scrambled behind nearby trees, hearts pounding as they watched the terrifying clash.
The black-robed man clearly had not expected such a precise and instantaneous counterattack. What shocked him even more was the method of arrival.
"It's a Phoenix Apparition! Has Dumbledore arrived?! Retreat — quickly!" a raspy voice echoed inside his mind.
"Yes, Master!"
He did not dare hesitate. Breaking off the spell struggle, his body exploded into a cloud of roiling black mist that surged backward and dissolved into the depths of the forest.
Only then did the spatial ripples fully stabilize.
Lynn stepped out calmly, Levi perched on his shoulder. A faint golden-red halo radiated from her body, subtly dispelling the forest's lingering chill.
"Thank you, Lynn! You came just in time! And you too, Levi!"
William emerged from behind a tree, face pale but voice filled with relief.
Before Lynn could respond, Malfoy's shocked voice rang out.
"This… this is… a Phoenix?! Merlin — it's really a Phoenix!"
Lynn blinked and turned toward him, adopting a puzzled expression.
"Huh? Malfoy? Why are you here? What Phoenix? You must be so scared you're hallucinating."
As he spoke, he casually flicked his wand, silently casting a Disillusionment Charm on Levi.
Her magnificent form instantly blurred, turned translucent, and then vanished into the air.
"The one on your shoulder—" Malfoy pointed furiously, but his words cut off as he watched the bird disappear before his eyes.
He froze, then nearly leapt in frustration.
"That Phoenix! Lynn! Do you take me for a fool?! Do you really think I didn't see that spell?!"
He whipped his head toward Harry. "Potter saw it too! Right, Potter?!"
Instead, he saw Harry collapsed on the ground, clutching his forehead scar. His face was deathly pale, cold sweat dripping down his temples. He was clearly in no state to notice anything else.
"Looks like he didn't," Lynn said lightly. "It's not safe here. Go find Hagrid — or head straight back to the Castle and inform a professor."
He paused briefly.
"As for me, I'd rather not get another detention for being out at night… or for other reasons."
With that, he ignored Malfoy's furious glare and signaled Levi.
Before Malfoy's eyes, Lynn, the invisible Phoenix, and the Unicorn's body were swallowed once more by spatial ripples — vanishing without a trace.
They left behind a shaken group… and a Malfoy gnashing his teeth at empty air, absolutely convinced he had seen a Phoenix.
Inside the trunk.
Lynn crouched beside the dying Unicorn.
As an alchemist and potion enthusiast, his mind automatically began calculating.
Unicorn horn — a top-tier potion ingredient.
Unicorn blood — immensely powerful for protection and purification.
Unicorn tail hair — an exceptional wand core.
Each one was priceless.
He even took out his tools, preparing to "harvest materials" the moment the Unicorn breathed its last.
[Ding! Mission issued: Save the Unicorn.]
[Reward: Silver Glow Flow]
[Effect: Delays the onset of curses, rapidly stabilizes injuries, and greatly accelerates natural wound healing.]
[You are a qualified nanny (crossed out) healer.]
[Ding! Mission issued: Obtain the Unicorn's body tissues.]
[Reward: Final Ebon Erosion]
[Effect: Accelerates curse activation, drastically worsens injuries in a short time, and prevents any form of healing.]
[You are also a qualified "poison healer" (confirmed).]
Lynn stared at the two completely opposing options, then at the weak Unicorn on the ground. His lips twitched.
'System… who do you think I am?'
Kill a Unicorn for rewards?
Was that something a model wizard like him would do?
Yes, he was sly.
Yes, he loved money.
Yes, he could be unscrupulous.
But he had principles.
…Probably.
"Sigh. You're lucky you ran into someone as soft-hearted as me."
He put away his tools and immediately pointed his wand at the wound.
"Blessing of the Dittany!"
Soft white light enveloped the injury.
Though it did not fully heal the damage, the wound — which had been bleeding slowly under multiple suppressive curses — instantly stopped seeping blood. The pain and corrosive effects were temporarily muted.
The Unicorn's trembling body gradually stilled.
Lynn leaned closer, examining the wound.
"How vicious. Truly vicious."
He could clearly sense multiple intertwined curses.
Some he recognized — the Putrefaction Curse preventing healing, the Soul-Siphoning Curse draining vitality.
Others were unfamiliar strands of dark magic layered over the wound.
"At least seven or eight debuffs stacked together. They really went for the kill."
He exhaled softly.
"Let's save it, Levi. Why am I so kind-hearted? This misplaced compassion of mine…"
He tactfully ignored the fact that moments earlier he had nearly begun dismantling it for materials.
"Okay, Master~"
Levi fluttered gracefully to the Unicorn's side.
She lowered her head, and a single tear slid from the corner of her eye onto the wound.
Sizzle—!
The moment it made contact, thick black energy burst outward with a corrosive hiss.
The entwined curses rapidly dissolved under the purifying power of the Phoenix tear.
Then Levi spread her wings, her entire body erupting in radiant golden light.
She lifted her neck and sang.
The melody was ethereal and sacred, carrying a pulse of life and purification. The sound resonated throughout the trunk's space, and the glowing light flowed like warm water over the Unicorn's body — concentrating around the wound at its neck.
Under the song and radiance, necrotic tissue flaked away bit by bit. Fresh flesh regenerated steadily. The dull silver-white coat gradually regained its luminous sheen.
Life was returning.
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