“And actually, the seed vault the druid is looking for… might not be on the top floor.”

Winter said slowly, rubbing his chin.

“The alchemy tower is expanded upward every year. They couldn’t move the seed vault, which needs careful management, every time. It might be located… lower than you think. I don’t know much about the floor layouts, but I can guide you to the floors my authority allows. After that… it’s up to the druid.”

“Oh…!”

“But hiding here would be safer… are you really set on going outside?”

“You said this place is safe for now but at risk of being discovered soon, right? It’s better to try something and get caught than just sit around and get caught.”

Earning said the seed vault area would be the safest in the alchemy tower. It’s where the most valuable and important things are stored. In other words, if things go south, I could threaten to smash it all, right?

“I’m not going.”

Earning coldly said as she tended to my injured Dryad.

“I think we’ve come up high enough now. The goal of evacuating So-jeong to the alchemy tower has been achieved. I was worried the entire building I was in might burn to death, but we’ve avoided that.”

“Burn down the entire building? Is that possible?”

“I told you. What’s coming here is the flame itself. If you’re going, go alone. And while you’re at it, figure out a way to retrieve my Honeysuckle.”

Her knowledge was useful, but seeing how she hadn’t collaborated with me in the previous battle, there was no guarantee she’d be a big help going forward. I really had no reason to go with her.

Earning glared at Mesquite, who stood firmly behind me. She explained her reason for staying here in her own way, but it seemed like another reason was that she didn’t want to be with Mesquite, who had injured her Dryad.

I left Earning in the empty lab and went out into the hallway with Winter. Since Winter knew the layout, our route choices were much safer than when I was wandering around with Earning.

After climbing two or three more floors, Winter stopped. He said this was as far as his authority extended.

“Thank you. You’ve been a great help.”

“I wish I could help more… I’m sorry. Is there anything else you need?”

“No! I can’t rush you any more than this when there’s so little left anyway.”

At my words, Winter smiled awkwardly. He said he’d take this chance to ask Earning about his illness and went back to the empty lab where she was.

From now on, it was really just me and my Dryad. Winter said this floor was beyond his authority, but it didn’t look any different from the lower floors. It still felt like wandering through a forest.

What if the doors were camouflaged like the one I entered the empty lab through? I couldn’t just feel each one as I went along.

Just then, Wolfsbane fidgeted anxiously and tugged at my collar around shoulder height.

“What’s wrong?”

The child, who had been hanging her head and fumbling, pointed in one direction and cautiously opened her mouth.

“Jae… I think someone’s calling me from over there.”

At where Wolfsbane was pointing, there was nothing but an endless hallway. There’s nothing there. Why are you suddenly creeping me out like that?

“Jae, it might be worth listening to the child Wolfsbane. Perhaps he’s sensing the same thing as Daisy before.”

“The same thing as Daisy?”

At Mesquite’s words, I looked at Daisy. She, whose eye level was now a bit higher than mine, widened her eyes and stared back at me when she heard herself mentioned.

“Do you remember when Daisy first found her kin?”

“If you mean kin, Daisy2? In the 28th terrarium, Daisy suddenly had a feeling and checked under a pile of rubble… No way?”

It’s perfect timing, since I don’t have a navigation system either. What I’m looking for is information on Wolfsbane. The probability of finding that information was high in a place where I could feel the energy of my kin. Wait, kin? That doesn’t mean there’s another Wolfsbane Dryad, does it?

As I headed in the direction Wolfsbane led, the corridor, which had seemed like an ordinary forest path, began to change as I approached.

Pale purple flowers hung densely from the ceiling like clusters of grapes, and the orange lighting shifted to a blue hue. A stone bridge formed across the grassy floor, and on the walls, once simply covered in vines, colorful flower buds burst open. It was like a magical scene.

“Wow… it changed all of a sudden. It’s beautiful….”

I stared, entranced by the breathtaking sight, almost forgetting the situation. It felt like walking down the entrance path to a fairy-tale village inhabited by sprites.

But the end of the corridor was a dead end. Is this really the right place? Wolfsbane followed where it led, but since the destination was a blocked wall, it seemed very bewildered.

Could this be a disguised door too? But even when I touched it, there was no response. Is a researcher with authorization like Winter needed? We came all this way—what do we do now?

Wolfsbane, as if enchanted, followed me and placed its hand on the wall. Then, surprisingly, a change occurred.

Protected species confirmation complete

Main: Monkshood, Sub: Aconitum japonicum / Reed canary grass combined improvement N.03

Opening the entrance for protected storage management.

In accordance with protection policy, humans are not permitted to enter this area except in special cases. Place the target species in the designated space and return.

The vines parted to both sides like a curtain, and the stone tablet I saw in the greenhouse emerged. Blue text filled it densely.

“Oh… it seems Wolfsbane was recognized as being from here!”

Just from the text on the tablet, I could get information about our Wolfsbane. I already knew it was related to Monkshood, but I didn’t expect there were two other combined species. What are Aconitum japonicum and Reed canary grass?

“It says humans can’t enter…”

Shortly after the stone tablet emerged, a small door the size of a TV slid open beneath it. A round blue marking appeared on the floor. It seemed to mean I should leave Wolfsbane there and go back.

If you think I’ll just obediently turn back after seeing just a warning, you’re sorely mistaken. Looking closely, it seemed like someone my size could crawl through.

“My master, Jae, wants to go through the door, right?”

“Uh-huh!”

Of course! Beyond this door is what I want!

Before I went in, Daisy, who is similar in size to me, went in first. It was a reconnaissance mission in case of emergencies. If the door tried to close as soon as Daisy entered, I planned to urgently summon it back with an artifact.

After smoothly passing through the small entrance, Daisy informed us a moment later that there was no one inside.

Mesquite and Elder, whose bodies would get stuck at the shoulders even if they crawled, went back into the artifact, while I and Wolfsbane decided to crawl in. As Wolfsbane was the last to pass through, the door slowly closed behind us.

They said humans couldn’t enter, but even coming in like this, nothing unusual happened. I was worried an alarm might go off.

The space beyond the door was incredibly vast. Unlike the outside, the air here was a bit cold, greeting me first.

It’s a little chilly? The lighting was as dim as holding a single torch inside a cave. Shelves so tall their ends were out of sight lined up neatly in rows. On the shelves, closed Dryad pots, similar to those seen in the greenhouse, were stacked neatly.

Coming closer to examine, each had a number written on it, but I couldn’t get any detailed information. I shouldn’t recklessly open the lid, right?

Straightening my back and looking around, the sight of thousands of Dryad pots filling the vast space was truly magnificent. The orderly arrangement with no margin of error felt overwhelming.

So what’s inside those countless Dryad pots are artificially improved strains created using forbidden methods in the Alchemy Tower? This place was practically a den of crime. If this were a crime investigation drama, I’ve just walked into a drug warehouse.

“Who’s there?”

An elderly voice came. Ah, we’ve been caught! Startled, I looked over and saw a person with beige hair, a thin, reed-like flower stem tucked behind their ear like a pen, and wearing a monocle.

“A Dryad?”

At my mutter, he nodded.

“I am Papyrus, entrusted with the duty of managing this place. According to the notification, the protected species was supposed to be retrieved….”

He looked me, Daisy, and Wolfsbane over one by one, then tilted his head.

“The protected species was one, the Aconitum modified strain, product name number 3… but why are there three?”

Should I take him out? He looks weak. Just knocking him unconscious would be….

“A malfunction? Those days happen too. History always flows in unpredictable directions.”

He was a strangely careless-looking Dryad. It was about time for Mesquite and Elder to come out of the artifact, so I said to wait a little longer.

“You who have been retrieved together… what kind of modified strains are you? You’re not human, are you?”

“Of course not. How could I be human. Isn’t this place off-limits to humans?”

“Of course. The only times humans can enter are when repair work is needed, or when following evacuation guidelines according to disaster regulations. It’s not repair week and the Tower is quiet, so there’s no way you’re human.”

He actually believes this? He really believes it? He’s supposed to be carrying out the duty of managing this place, and he can be this careless? Don’t I look nothing like a Dryad no matter how you see it?

“This one is that Aconitum modified strain.”

“Ah, item number 3. I’ve been waiting so long. You were away for so long, I thought you’d never be reclaimed. I need to check the data—it might be badly damaged.”

“This one… is a modified strain of Red Daisy…”

“If it’s a Red Daisy… it’s a type that can produce many variants, so there are countless modified strains… So many that just thinking of Red Daisy makes the entire history in my head turn red.”

Are there really that many artificially modified Red Daisy strains?

“But if the main type is Red Daisy, it’ll be easy to find. I’m sorry I couldn’t recognize you. What modified strain are you?”

“Um…”

What should I say? If it’s a type with many modified strains like Daisy, she might get confused too. What should I make up?

“Black Lily…?”

Even after saying it, I felt embarrassed and slapped my mouth. Papillion’s nonsense had been so incessant that this was all I could think of. How shameful—claiming to be a Black Lily with my own mouth.

“Aha, if it’s Black, that was a type modified as a combat dryad under the Administrative Manager. But isn’t there a separate place managing it? This is a storage location—a place to wait for the right time and sleep eternally. It seems you’ve come to the wrong place…”

“I’m a defective product. That’s why I’m here for storage.”

“I see. No wonder your dryad power felt so weak. Don’t be too disappointed. Just by being born as a new species like you, you can serve as a foundation for producing countless superior varieties in the future.”

She said that to comfort me in her own way, but if I were a real dryad, I think I’d be deeply hurt. Yet she was such a ridiculous dryad—it made me wonder how far my lie could fool her.