After confirming that Hagrid and the others were safe, Lewis finally turned back to check on the unicorn.
When he returned, the once-beautiful creature looked utterly miserable. It no longer had the strength to chase after the Scholar's Moonstone and could only lie on the ground, groaning in pain.
Yet when Lewis approached, it showed a surprisingly joyful expression.
Was the Moonstone really that attractive?
It was practically addicted to it.
Lewis pointed his wand at its wounds.
"Heal."
This was the most basic healing spell. Over the past half semester, Lewis had mastered nearly every spell below the third circle available to him, and healing magic was no exception.
But when he cast the spell, the unicorn's wounds only stopped bleeding slightly—they didn't actually heal.
That didn't make sense.
He had tested the spell on himself before, and it had always worked instantly. Why was it ineffective now?
Refusing to believe it, Lewis tried again and again. Each time, the wound improved slightly—
only to split open again within a minute.
Finally, Detect Magic gave him the answer.
A dense curse lingered over the wounds.
Certain dark spells could prevent healing. Snape's Sectumsempra was a classic example.
Lewis frowned.
He tried giving the unicorn a stimulant potion from his Auror belt, but the effect was minimal.
Then he noticed something strange.
There had been a wound on the unicorn's nose earlier—
but now it was gone.
How?
He looked at the unicorn.
It was lying beside him, gently nudging the pouch at his waist.
"…The Moonstone?"
Lewis took it out and held it near the unicorn's largest wound.
Immediately, the curse began to fade.
Gradually, it was completely dispelled.
The wound itself began to recover.
Lewis cast Heal again.
This time, the effect was obvious. The silver-blue blood stopped flowing.
"So it can dispel curses."
With that realization, Lewis worked methodically.
Using the Moonstone to cleanse the curses, and healing magic to restore the wounds, he treated the unicorn one injury at a time.
Soon, the unicorn was out of danger. With rest, it would fully recover.
You have observed the Scholar's Moonstone dispelling dark curses. You have learned the spell Remove Curse.
Remove Curse: A third-circle abjuration spell that instantly removes all curses from a target.
You have comprehended the Moonstone's healing power and grasped the use of natural energy to restore life. You have learned the spell Rejuvenation.
Rejuvenation: Uses natural energy to heal.
"Rejuvenation? That's a Druid spell…"
Lewis was stunned.
Until now, everything he had learned belonged to the wizard system—magic powered by mana.
But this was different.
Druidic magic drew upon nature itself.
The two systems were fundamentally distinct.
"So the Moonstone's power is tied to nature…"
Everything clicked into place.
No wonder it reacted to the Forbidden Forest.
No wonder it led him to the injured unicorn.
No wonder the unicorn was so drawn to it.
Lewis recalled what wizardkind knew about unicorns:
They were beautiful creatures found in northern forests. Adults were silver-white, while the young were golden. Their horns, blood, and hair possessed powerful magical properties.
Yet in other worlds, unicorns held deeper meaning.
They symbolized purity and goodness—guardians of nature.
In worlds with gods, they served deities of forests and nature, acting as protectors of the wild.
They were beings intrinsically connected to natural power.
Wizard studies had long noted that magical creatures used a different kind of magic than wizards.
But no one had explored it further.
Now Lewis understood.
Besides mana, there existed another system entirely—
natural energy.
It flowed through the world itself, through forests, through creatures like the unicorn.
If he published this discovery, it would shake the entire wizarding world.
But that was for the future.
Right now—
he just wanted to pet the unicorn.
It was simply too adorable.
Judging by its proportions, this unicorn wasn't fully grown. Its mane still had traces of gold mixed into the silver.
Despite the disheveled fur from battle, its coat shimmered like silk. Its form was elegant, its eyes bright and gentle.
Even someone like Lewis, who wasn't particularly fond of pets, couldn't resist.
He cautiously reached out his hand.
The unicorn responded eagerly, pressing its head into his palm.
So much for unicorns rejecting male wizards.
Lewis grinned and pulled it closer, happily stroking its head.
"…Hey, stop that. You're messing up my mane."
A soft, youthful female voice suddenly sounded in his arms.
Lewis froze.
Right—he could speak with animals.
"…You can talk?" he asked awkwardly, letting go.
"Of course. What unicorn can't talk?"
The little unicorn rolled her eyes, then tilted her head curiously.
"But… Druid, how can you speak our language?"
That expression nearly made Lewis want to pet her again.
"It's magic," he explained. "I can communicate with most magical creatures—if they're intelligent enough."
That was true. The quality of communication depended on intelligence.
With cats or dogs, it was like talking to toddlers.
With creatures like toads or rats, only basic emotions could be conveyed.
But unicorns—
they were as intelligent as humans.
"Magic is amazing," the unicorn nodded. "As expected of a Druid."
She happily nuzzled his chest.
"Thank you, Druid, for saving me!"
"You were so clever—setting traps in advance and luring the bad guy here to defeat him. You're incredible!"
Lewis felt a bit embarrassed.
In reality, he had been running away, not setting traps deliberately.
But faced with those bright, innocent eyes—
he couldn't bring himself to correct her.
"…It was nothing," he said.
Then he asked, puzzled, "But I'm a wizard. Why do you call me a Druid?"
"What else would a Druid be?"
The unicorn blinked.
"My parents told me—the one chosen by nature is a Druid. The Moonstone chose you, so you're nature's representative. That makes you a Druid."
Lewis fell silent.
So they didn't really understand Druids either.
That made sense.
In this world, Druid traditions had vanished thousands of years ago.
But the existence of the Scholar's Moonstone suggested that true Druids had once existed—
and that the Moonstone might have been their sacred artifact.
Which raised a troubling thought.
When the Saxons conquered Britain and wiped out Celtic culture—
had wizards played a role in eradicating Druids?
After all, rival spellcasters rarely coexisted peacefully.
Lewis suspected he might have stumbled onto a hidden truth.
But that was history.
What mattered now—
was the Moonstone.
If it truly carried the power of nature…
then perhaps—
he could learn to wield it himself.
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