Beast Tamer Alice

Later that day, Violet received another round of visitors. While she had been told it was a possibility, it was still a pleasant surprise to see there were others interested in her dungeon. Of course, that didn't keep Violet from remaining vigilant as she waited to find out just how dangerous her new guests were.

When a man dressed in armor and wielding a sword walked in, Violet felt nervous. Even seeing the young girl, who looked only slightly older than Henry, beside the man didn't calm Violet's nerves. This party seemed to be rounded out with a third member, a rather young-looking wolf who followed the young girl around like a love-sick puppy.

"Greeting dungeon master, I am David, a retired guardian adventurer, and this is my daughter Alice and her tamed beast, Luna. We are from the nearby small city of Elesfield. We heard that your dungeon might be suitable for younger adventurers and I came to investigate the matter. Where would you prefer we leave your tribute? You do not appear to have tribute tables set up."

The complaints about the lack of tribute tables were starting to become a bit tiring to hear, even if this was only the second time Violet had heard it. Still, what was, perhaps, more interesting was the mention of the city name. Violet hadn't even thought to ask about the town she was, apparently, nearby. Perhaps she could ask Gregory about it the next time he visited with his son.

"Right, sorry about that. You can just put any tributes at the foot of that tree. Just a fair warning, but this is the only room currently available for exploration in this dungeon. I have one slime monster that anyone is free to challenge and you may gather whatever resources you want from this room. However, once you have done that, you must leave and not return any sooner than tomorrow at the earliest."

David eyed the young woman who appeared to be serving as the dungeon master. He found her to be rather young and not particularly strong-looking. Most human dungeon masters who were originally from this world retained their classes after becoming dungeon masters and could use them to their advantage to defend the dungeon. However, Violet didn't look like she belonged to this world.

The purple dress she was wearing was a bit too casual to belong to a noble, but the quality and colors were far too expensive for anyone else to afford. That made it far more likely that she was one of the rare reincarnated dungeon masters who were reborn into the position. While weak, those sorts of dungeon masters had a tendency to be more clever and, therefore, far more dangerous. David nodded thoughtfully as he replied

"Very well, we shall do as you say. It is rare for dungeon masters to come out and greet adventurers. Thank you for blessing us with your presence. May I also have the honor of knowing how to address you?"

Violet's eyes widened in surprise as she replied

"You may call me mistress Violet. I appreciate your cooperation."

Violet decided to give up on forcing people to use a more casual title when addressing her. It was a waste of breath to constantly have to explain things to every new person who walked into her dungeon. Still, it was quite surprising to learn that it was unusual for dungeon masters to greet adventurers. Violet could see herself being more reluctant to always greet new adventurers once she had more floors, but right now it was certainly a necessary safety precaution. She was hoping to discourage anyone from trying to go deeper into the dungeon and reaching the dungeon core. Still, Violet couldn't imagine shutting herself away in the dungeon core room as it would feel far too lonely.

"It's alright, honey. I'll be right here, you can go ahead and engage the slime. If it gets too scary, you can come to me and I'll protect you."

Violet listened as David reassured his daughter and couldn't help but think the young girl was adorable when she replied

"Okay, daddy! Come on, Luna, let's go!"

The young wolf pup wagged its tail in excitement and quickly followed Alice's orders. Soon, Violet was watching as the young pup dodged her slime's attacks before jumping forward and swiping its claws forward or biting at the slime. The attacks seemed far more successful than Henry's wooden sword attacks were. However, it soon became apparent that Alice was also clueless about how to properly attack a slime.

With David here to guide his daughter, Violet didn't feel the need to offer unsolicited advice. David was a retired adventurer, so he should be capable enough to guide his daughter and ensure she could improve her skills with time. It wasn't like with Henry where his father was a farmer who seemed to just be doing the best he could for his young child, but was clearly out of his element.

Violet wanted to ask David about his class as a guardian, but was unsure if it would be appropriate. She didn't want to take away from Alice's experience in one of her first dungeons either. Still, it was pretty interesting watching Alice interact with her pet wolf. Violet wondered if Alice had a beast-tamer class like in the stories she used to read in her old world.

While Violet knew about a lot of different classes from the games and stories in her world, it was a bit different to be in a world of magic. If the classes could differ so much from game to game in her world, Violet could only imagine how different things might be in this new world. That was why Violet couldn't help but feel fascinated as she watched the adventurers who entered her dungeon. It was even a bit disappointing when Alice's pet wolf, Luna, finally defeated the slime since Violet could no longer watch them fight. Violet hoped that the pair would return again so that she could have more opportunities to watch them interact with her dungeon creatures.

Seeing the strange, partially built beehive, David inquired

"Is this supposed to be like this?"

Violet glanced at the tree before shrugging and replying

"I only recently acquired the bees so they still need time to build their hive. If you return in the future, it will likely be more developed then."

David nodded before replying

"We have some family that lives here, so we will probably stay for a few weeks before leaving again. If we can, we will swing by again tomorrow. The slimes are a good match for Alice's current level and it will be a good learning experience for her. I'll have to report to the adventurer's guild by the end of the month. I'll put a good word in for your dungeon when I do. I can imagine there will be other beginner adventurers eager to take advantage of the easy resources and low-level [Monsters].

I do have some concerns about your ability to protect your dungeon, though. Am I right in assuming that you have been reincarnated and weren't an inhabitant of this world previously?"

David looked nervous as his hand brushed across the hilt of his sword. It was still in its sheath, for now, but it was more than obvious that David seemed on edge. Violet felt uneasy as she replied

"Yes, I am a reincarnated dungeon master. I would have thought the dungeon diplomat would have reported that information if he had told your guild about it."

David seemed to calm down as he took in Violet's calm, but confused demeanor. He shook his head as he replied

"I wouldn't know since I'm just an adventurer. We only get told the most relevant information like what types of [Monsters] to expect or the number of floors a dungeon has. Maybe whether the dungeon master is more human or monster since that can affect how aggressive versus clever they are.

You seem way too relaxed for a dungeon master. Honestly, it is a bit worrisome. It would be a shame if your dungeon were to be destroyed as slime [Monsters] for a starting monster are rather rare. I'm sure your dungeon can become a valuable resource to the townsfolk and new adventurers alike. However, that is only if you can survive that long.

I wouldn't normally do this, but I have a little one to consider now. What would you think of us forming a contract with your dungeon diplomat's help?"