Chapter 379: Conditions for Capturing a Unicorn

Airmid gently shook her head.

"A complete cure is impossible."

"Miss Firefly's condition has evolved into her Skill, deeply engraved into her very soul. At this point, I'm afraid even the gods would be powerless."

Aiden's heart sank.

He understood the weight of those words very well.

If there truly was a way to cure Firefly's Entropy Loss Syndrome, then how could the exceptionally talented Alfia have stopped at Level 7 back then, and that Dragon of the End, hailed as the ultimate trial, would probably have been slain long ago.

As a physician, Airmid knew clearer than anyone the desperate situation Firefly faced.

She shouldn't have become an adventurer in the first place; every battle she fought was accelerating the drain on her life.

But if she didn't become an adventurer and didn't acquire "Excelia" to raise her life's upper limit, then it would just be a slow, agonizing death of waiting for the inevitable.

It was an unsolvable, deadly cycle.

Airmid looked at this quiet, resilient girl before her, her heart filled with a healer's helplessness and sympathy.

She would do everything in her power to treat any patient; even if the disease left her helpless, she would absolutely never give up.

Airmid, Miss Hyacine, and Naaza from the Miach Familia had already formed a specialized research group, primarily focusing on Firefly's condition.

Of course, the research expenses for this were entirely funded by the Focalors Familia. After all, Airmid's patron deity was famously stingy and loved taking advantage of others. The cost of hiring a top-tier healer like Airmid was definitely an astronomical figure.

"We are currently developing a new medicine specifically for Miss Firefly's condition." Airmid suddenly said, "However, this medicine requires a rare material, and we need your help."

"What material?" Aiden asked immediately.

Airmid's expression turned serious, and she uttered a name that shocked everyone present.

"The horn of a Unicorn."

"A Unicorn?!" Aiden's brow instantly furrowed deeply.

He certainly knew of the Unicorn.

In this world, even Unicorns that lived in the Dungeon were referred to by adventurers as "Sacred Beasts."

They were classified as one of the Rare Monsters in the labyrinth; powerful and noble, even the Loki Familia, who constantly went on Expeditions, rarely saw them in the Dungeon.

If they were so scarce even in the Dungeon, witnessing their glory on the surface was even harder than ascending to heaven.

Aiden and his group had been active in the Lower Levels for so long, yet they had never seen this legendary monster either.

Seemingly noticing Aiden's doubts, Airmid dropped another bombshell of intelligence.

"I know Unicorns are very rare, but according to our Familia's intelligence network, a wild Unicorn has recently appeared in the outside area. Many well-informed adventurers have already started making their moves."

Aiden raised an eyebrow, understanding dawning on him.

This was the gap in foundational strength.

The Focalors Familia might seem to be developing rapidly right now, but that was strictly in terms of their adventurers' combat strength.

In terms of capital, industry, and especially intelligence networks—fields that required time to accumulate—they still fell far short when compared to a faction like Dian Cecht, which had operated in Orario for ages.

"I hope you can come with me to find that Unicorn," Airmid's gaze swept over Aiden, Hyacine, and finally landed on Firefly. Her tone carried both a plea and her persistence as a physician. "To obtain its horn, but we must not harm its life. The final goal of the mission is to help it safely return to its true habitat."

Not harming the Unicorn's life, only obtaining its horn to craft the specific medicine.

Aiden looked at Airmid's resolute eyes, then looked at Hyacine and Firefly beside him, and nodded.

"I understand."

"So, you're telling me we need to go to the outside world to find this Unicorn, and capture it alive?"

Inside the ornate conference hall of the Palais Mermonia, Furina sat in the main seat, her little legs leisurely swinging in mid-air, while she held a half-eaten piece of mousse cake in her hand.

"That's right," Hyacine nodded, her expression serious. "Airmid-dear said that a Unicorn's horn possesses extremely potent purifying, healing, and detoxifying effects. For crafting the medicine capable of suppressing Firefly's condition, it's an indispensable core ingredient."

"Then how do we do it?" Daphne frowned, ever the pragmatist. "The Unicorn is a legendary Sacred Beast, powerful and proud by nature. Wouldn't capturing it alive be a hundred times harder than just killing it outright?"

"Yes, which is why we need to exploit a special habit of the Unicorn." The corners of Aiden's mouth curled into a smile as he picked up the conversation. "Unicorns are attracted to purity."

"Purity… Oh, I get it!" Daphne realized in a flash of insight. "You mean the legend about them liking to sleep in a maiden's embrace, right? So, we just need to form a squad made up entirely of virgins to capture it."

"V… virgins?!"

It was as if a clap of thunder exploded in the quiet room.

The silver fork in Furina's hand dropped onto her plate with a clatter, her leisurely demeanor instantly freezing.

Not only her, but the smile on Tifa's lips—who had been listening pleasantly nearby—froze as well, and Robin, who was sitting gracefully, imperceptibly stiffened her spine for a second.

"There is an ancient legend," Hyacine dutifully explained, completely ignoring the bizarre atmosphere, "describing how a herd of Unicorns that came to the surface played with beautiful fairy maidens in a forest, the two sharing a deep spiritual connection. They say that ever since then, Unicorns are drawn to entities as noble and pure as fairies—which, using a human analogy, would be pure, unblemished virgins, and they will sleep peacefully in their embrace. Putting aside whether the legend is true or false, the Adventurer's Guild has confirmed that this horned creature does indeed possess such a habit."

"If it's virgins, then that shouldn't be a big problem." Daphne nodded, taking it as a matter of course. "We have so many girls in our Familia, they should all fit the criteria. Forming a virgin squad to capture the Unicorn works for me."

Her purely logical statement was like an invisible sword, stabbing precisely into the hearts of certain individuals.

"U-um!" Furina violently raised her hand, her small face tense as she tried to salvage the situation. "The Unicorn is outside Orario, right? The Guild has a rule that gods aren't allowed to casually leave Orario, so, so I won't be able to go this time."

"Then I'll stay behind and watch the house." Tifa spoke up almost immediately, a hint of undetectable nervousness in her expression.

"Eh?" Jeanne looked at Tifa in confusion. "If someone needs to stay behind, just have Aiden do it, right? He's a guy, we wouldn't need him to catch the Unicorn anyway. Tifa, aren't you curious about the Unicorn? That's a legendary Sacred Beast, it's a rare chance to see one with your own eyes."

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