Chapter 83

A woman's hair is a highly useful material in magic.

Its uses are varied, and since there are no substitutes, there is always a demand for it.

Naturally, nobles, for whom hair is life, would never use their own as magical materials, so what is used is mostly from commoners.

And commoners, taking advantage of this demand, often grow and sell their hair for money.

I remembered this when Chris mentioned it.

"…Alright."

I nodded slightly and turned to Chris.

"Chris"

"Hmm?"

"Since you imagined it, you must know the method, right?"

"Hahaha, do you know who I am?"

"If that's the case, come with me. We'll go in again."

"Hmm, I am fine, but…"

"? What's wrong? You sound like you have something stuck in your teeth."

"My imagination… No, never mind. Let's go together."

Chris started to say something but shook her head lightly and dismissed it.

Then, she brought out her clone, Chibi Chris.

I turned to Jeanne and Patricia.

"Wait for us here."

"Understood."

"Okay."

Jeanne and Patricia accepted the instructions without hesitation.

Leaving Jeanne, Patricia, and Chris's main body outside, I entered the cave again.

This time, it was just Chibi Chris and me.

We walked down the path we had taken once before.

"…"

I suddenly felt a sense of unease.

I looked at Chibi Chris.

Despite her usually noisy nature, she was silent.

"Is something wrong?"

"It's nothing, really?"

"Is that so?"

"Yes."

Even so, there was still a sense of unease.

Before I knew it, we had returned to the place from earlier.

A giant tree that looked like a mushroom.

"Well… I intended to return to gather after getting Patricia out… Chris, what do we do from here?"

"…"

"Chris?"

Sure enough, Chibi Chris remained silent.

I wondered what was wrong, but she just smiled up at me.

"…"

I reconsidered.

Chibi Chris is "Chris."

Though her vector is different, she has the same bright personality as Chris.

That means she probably has the same extensive knowledge and deep consideration as Chris.

So, there must be a reason for her silence.

I decided not to press her further and turned to the Dragon Tree.

I looked at it carefully, trying to see if there was anything unusual.

I stared intently at the Dragon Tree.

"…"

I thought I heard something.

It sounded like a dragon's voice.

I turned around, but Chibi Chris remained silent.

It wasn't Chibi Chris's voice?

Then…?

I looked around and listened carefully.

It was definitely a dragon's voice.

But it wasn't words; rather, it was more like breathing.

After looking around, my gaze settled on the Dragon Tree.

In this cave, the only things named "Dragon" were Chibi Chris and the Dragon Tree.

However, the Dragon Tree is a tree.

A tree can't make a dragon's voice.

"…?"

Come to think of it, why is this called a "Dragon" Tree?

I had accepted it without question.

There was the original Dragon Vector, and I had accepted the name Dragon Tree without any doubt.

"…No, wait a minute."

The image of the Dragon Vector floated in my mind, and related memories surfaced.

"Chibi Chris… there are animal and plant types of Dragon Vectors, right?"

"Yes."

Chibi Chris replied.

"But why is the origin of the Dragon Vector only plant type?"

"That's not true, there are both."

"…I see."

I nodded slightly.

The image in my mind gradually turned into a certainty.

"What is the name of the animal type origin?"

"It's the Dragon Tree."

"…Hmm."

That means… I thought further.

Chibi Chris fell silent, as if to say she had already said the necessary minimum.

I listened carefully.

"…"

Sure enough, I heard breathing—what sounded like a dragon's breath.

I approached the Dragon Tree.

Then, I said—

"Transform."

I transformed into a dragon person and dug into the base of the Dragon Tree with all my might.

Transforming into a dragon person, I instantly dug into the ground.

And then—there was a dragon-like head connected to the roots of the Dragon Tree.

No—this is a bit different.

"Growing from the dragon's head…?"

"The Dragon Tree, also known as the Earth Dragon Water Grass."

"Ah."

"Trees in the water, dragons in the earth."

"Ah…"

I nodded.

The entrance was special, but this space must have been flooded before I entered.

"The origin of the Dragon Vector is one."

"That's right."

Chibi Chris nodded clearly.

"Hehehehe, as expected of my best friend. You found it well."

I was praised by Chibi Chris but could only smile wryly.

If Chibi Chris was that silent, there had to be something going on.

Then, I looked at the Dragon Tree—Earth Dragon Water Grass—again, observing it.