"Sorry, I might not be able to help you," Leonard said, explaining his situation.
But the unicorn didn't give up. From where the Ancient Sprout rested against its horn came a faint, fragmented whisper.
"Here... safe... much safer..."
Leonard paused, then suddenly understood what it meant.
It wanted to use the Botanical Garden as a refuge.
No wonder the unicorn had been hanging around the garden so often—it had been planning this all along.
Leonard thought for a while, weighing the pros and cons.
To be honest, while the Botanical Garden wasn't impenetrable, any intruder group smaller than fifty people would basically be coming to fertilize the soil.
Two layers of magic immunity were enough to handle most wizards, and the self-destruction mechanism that followed was downright insane.
So yes, the garden could absolutely serve as a safe haven against Voldemort.
But that only meant the garden could handle it—it didn't mean Leonard was willing to agree to the unicorn's request.
Truthfully, Leonard didn't like the idea of exposing the Botanical Garden to anyone. He knew that doing so would inevitably attract unwanted attention.
And Voldemort—though currently parasitizing Quirrell—wouldn't die just because Quirrell did.
If Quirrell died while invading the Botanical Garden, its location would be exposed to Voldemort and the Death Eaters alike.
Besides, what would Leonard actually gain from protecting a unicorn?
A unicorn's friendship? Please. What use was that? He'd make more profit breaking one down and selling the parts.
In short—it was doable, but not worth it.
Leonard had just finished his calculations and was about to refuse when the long-silent System suddenly appeared again.
[Temporary Mission: Unicorn's Plea]
[A unicorn facing mortal danger has come seeking refuge in your Botanical Garden]
[Mission Objective: Protect the unicorn]
[Mission Reward: Initial Talent Evolution]
A temporary mission? The System was at it again.
Leonard froze for two seconds, then fixed his eyes on the reward.
Initial Talent Evolution?
He noticed the System had said "talent evolution," not "talent skill evolution."
Leonard had plenty of talent skills—technically, every active or passive enhancement ability he possessed came from his core talent skill, [Optimize Growth].
But his one and only innate talent was Friend of Plants—the ability that prevented him from being harmed by his own creations.
That talent was the cornerstone of his entire ability system. Its evolution was no trivial matter.
This was a serious bargaining chip—and it made Leonard, who had been ready to refuse the unicorn, hesitate.
Then the next prompt from the System appeared, becoming the final straw that broke the camel's back.
[Long-Term Mission: Fatal Visit]
[Your Botanical Garden has begun to take shape—it's time to welcome some visitors.]
[Mission Objective: Receive visitors. Each confirmed dead visitor accumulates Evolution Points (the stronger the wizard, the more Evolution Points earned).]
[Mission Reward: Optimized Mutation—consume Evolution Points to grant magical plants advantageous mutations.]
"Alright, I agree. If you find yourself in danger, you can take refuge in my Botanical Garden." Seeing enough benefit in it, Leonard agreed to the unicorn's request without hesitation.
The unicorn let out a soft whinny and bowed gratefully. Before Leonard could even respond, it shook off the Ancient Sprout wrapped around its horn and dashed into the forest. Before long, it returned with several equally beautiful unicorns, one of which was a small golden foal.
Unicorns were peculiar creatures—when first born, their coats were golden, and only as they matured did they turn silver-white.
Watching the entire family approach, Leonard couldn't help the twitch at the corner of his mouth.
So there were this many unicorns hiding in the Forbidden Forest?
Led by the first unicorn, the herd slowly drew closer. When they caught sight of Leonard, their eyes reflected curiosity, caution, and confusion all at once—clear proof of their intelligence.
The little unicorn, however, was far less wary. It bounded happily toward Leonard, tilting its head with an innocent look at this strange human. Then, with cheerful energy, it nuzzled its head against him.
Leonard chuckled at the foal's playful behavior and reached out to touch its horn.
Compared to its elders, the young unicorn's horn was smooth and soft to the touch.
The little one clearly enjoyed it, closing its eyes contentedly and letting out a series of soft, pleasant sounds.
The lead unicorn cast the foal a glance but didn't intervene. It turned toward the others and let out a series of short and long calls, as if explaining something.
Soon, the rest of the herd seemed to understand and responded with friendly neighs directed at Leonard.
Leonard scratched the little unicorn's chin, watching it squint in comfort. Then he looked at the herd and said, "While I'm letting you use the Botanical Garden for shelter, you'll need to be careful. First rule—don't damage any of the plants."
The lead unicorn nodded.
"And another thing," Leonard continued, "I can't just let you stay for free. I'm taking on some risk here. You understand that, right?"
The unicorns all nodded together.
"Then how about this little one stays with me," Leonard said with a grin. Seeing the herd stir in alarm, he quickly added, "I won't take it away. It can live near my Botanical Garden, and you can visit whenever you want."
Raising a baby unicorn sounded far more impressive than raising a dragon anyway. Dragons were covered in scales—nowhere near as satisfying to touch as a golden-coated unicorn.
And once it grew up, it could even serve as a mount, perfect for getting around the Forbidden Forest.
Of course, once Leonard graduated, he planned to find a way to take the little unicorn with him. But that kind of talk would only make the herd nervous. For now, he just needed to see if this harmless arrangement would trigger any warning from them.
The lead unicorn hesitated, then turned to confer briefly with another. At last, it nodded to Leonard.
Deal. One baby unicorn acquired.
Leonard couldn't hide his smile. "Come on, I'll show you the way."