Things Of Beauty

Violet glanced warily back at Matthias, she didn't exactly want people to think she was unwilling to cooperate with them. A visit from Theodore was hardly a problem. However, if her dungeon was seen as scary, fewer people would visit and then she wouldn't be able to accomplish her goals.

"Alright, I will answer three, and only three, of your questions, so long as you leave this room first."

Tobias was quick to agree as he ushered the others out into the hallway. They still needed to revisit the dungeon this week, yet they were already upsetting the dungeon master. The fact that it turned out to be one of the rare types of dungeon masters, did not help much. An evolved monster dungeon master would just kill you outright, but a dungeon master that used to be one of them was far worse. They could grow spiteful, choosing to toy with them before killing them in painful and gruesome ways. Sometimes it could even spiral out of control as other adventurers ended up killed in the process. Tobias hardly wanted to be responsible for such a thing happening.

Mirabella glanced back at her brother for reassurance and found none before she looked back at Violet to ask

"Are you sure you're alright with me asking questions of you, mistress Violet?"

Violet merely nodded and so Mirabella continued

"That's awfully kind of you. Can I ask why your dungeon doesn't seem to have any [Traps] despite being so large?"

Violet considered lying, but figured that it wouldn't actually be a smart move. Her system was meant to hold her to dungeon contracts and it would likely be a good idea to uphold her promises as well.

"I want this first floor to be used as a training ground for young adventurers and children so that they can more easily grow into full-fledged adventurers. As such, I have willingly chosen to agree to a dungeon contract limiting my [Traps] to just outside my dungeon core room. You can ask the dungeon diplomat assigned to this dungeon, if you don't believe me."

The group of four looked at each other, feeling a good bit confused as to what would motivate a dungeon master to do such a thing. However, Mirabella hardly wanted to waste a good opportunity by asking any follow-up questions.

"Alright, thank you. Can I also ask about what a kodama is? We've never heard of one before and ran into one in your... wildflower meadow room?"

The names of the rooms in this dungeon were still quite strange to Mirabella. They sounded very innocent and peaceful, which was in stark contrast to what she had come to know about dungeons. Violet only nodded as she replied

"Yes, well, slimes are my primary monster, but I do have some contracted [Monsters] as well. The kodama are peaceful nature spirits that are incapable of combat. They merely take care of their surroundings and love nature."

Thodin Bharrum gulped audibly. The fact that he had killed the poor thing in such a violent manner did not look good on him. Even if the dungeon master were to be lying about such a thing, the fact that he had killed a monster she cared enough about to describe it in such a way was unlikely to end well for him. Luckily, he could trust his party members to not sell him out. Others might not have been so kind when faced with the wrath of a dungeon master.

Mirabella pretended to be checking her dungeon map as she tried to calm down and clear her head enough to ask the last question. However, it was rather difficult and her brother was forced to step forward instead.

"Sorry, mistress Violet. My sister has a tendency to get flustered at times like these. She still isn't used to being the spokesperson when dealing with dungeon masters. I hope you don't mind, but I'll ask the last question on behalf of the group.

Is there a particular sort of theme you are going for in this dungeon? Since adventurers are supposed to leave tribute, but we aren't supposed to influence your building decisions, it would be good to know what to tell our guild so they can spread the news."

Violet looked thoughtfully at Tobias. She could tell the group seemed even more on edge than Gregory had been when they first met. It wasn't like she was completely clueless. Still, she decided to act as if nothing had happened and, instead, answered with

"I just want a beautiful dungeon to live in. No creepy spiders or hissing snakes to keep me up at night. Just somewhere peaceful and quiet to spend the rest of my long life.

As for tribute, I've been known to ask for culinary ingredients or plants in the past. However, I will soon outgrow my use for such things. Having the same things given as tribute every time is bad for my dungeon's growth. So, you can just tell your guild that I want things of beauty. Bring me things that shine, with beautiful colors, or that I can craft wonderful new rewards for my challenges with."

Tobias also found this strange, but he merely nodded in response. Who was he to tell a dungeon master how to build their dungeon? He might not have minded living in a dungeon with all sorts of unimaginable horrors so long as he could keep himself safe, but it was unreasonable to think everyone would feel that way. Although, that did raise other questions for Tobias. Questions like whether Violet was originally a spoiled noble's daughter or if she was an extremely rare reincarnated dungeon master. 

It just didn't make sense for most people from this world to be so bothered by [Monsters] that they would make things harder on themselves as a new dungeon master. Although, no one could deny that the dungeon seemed to be built quite well, despite the limitations Violet had forced upon herself. The 'slime parkour' challenge was nearly impossible to cross without stripping oneself of armor and swimming across. The 'hay meadow' room had even taken his party by surprise when the slimes had jumped out from seemingly nowhere. If they had been more dangerous [Monsters], they likely wouldn't have left the room without some severe injuries.

All of this gave Tobias's party much to think about as they made their way out of the dungeon and regrouped at the local tavern.