"Baron Viravieyont? Is that right?"
A strange voice reached the baron's ears. It sounded as if the speaker had a mouthful of water—a peculiar voice, unlike any he had heard before. The oddly captivating sound tickled his ears, prompting the baron to scratch his earlobe and the back of his ear with his fingertips.
"Who's there?! Who dares enter my room without permission?!"
As the baron glanced around the room, he realized the source of the voice was a dark silhouette standing by the window. A black shadow, framed against the moonlight, spoke to him from outside.
"Grook. The night air has grown chilly this season, so I'll step inside for now."
The figure, cloaked in a deeply pulled hood and shrouded in shadow, appeared as a mere dark mass to the baron's eyes. But as the figure reached to open the window, the baron could make out the shape of its hand. Four thick, blunt fingers touched the glass and slid the window open. At a glance, it was clearly not a human hand.
"You don't look human… What are you?!"
The baron shouted at the uninvited guest slipping through the window into his room.
"Aaah… Is this your first time seeing a Grong? I heard you were once an adventurer… Have you truly never encountered one?"
As the figure stepped further into the room, approaching the baron, its form began to reveal itself. Barely reaching the baron's waist in height, it had disproportionately large eyes and a wide mouth compared to its face. With no clear distinction between neck and head, its short arms and long, bowlegged legs made it appear even shorter as it crouched low. Licking its face with a long tongue, the intruder's true form became clear: a giant, bipedal frog.
"So?! What business does a Grong frog have with me?"
"Gwoak. It's not a grand matter. The one who hired me sent me to retrieve the Eye of Velahirr that you possess."
The Grong intruder answered, licking its sticky, mucus-covered hand with its thin, elongated tongue.
"A frog thief, huh… Don't you think you're a bit too ill-suited for your job? Getting caught by the owner before you even steal anything."
The baron spoke, slowly stepping backward, his hand inching toward the scabbard resting beside his bed.
"Gwok. I'm no thief. These sticky hands and feet make climbing walls silently a specialty of mine… but my client hired me as an assassin."
"You've got a sharp tongue for a frog assassin! Either way, I have no intention of letting an intruder who broke into my castle live!"
Baron Viravieyont lunged toward the bed where his sword lay, swiftly drawing the blade.
"Guards! There's an intruder in my room!"
The baron's booming voice echoed through his chamber and carried out through the window, resonating across the castle's courtyard.
"Grook. It's no use. Before I came to this room, I took care of the guards on the watchtower and the castle walls. And, well…"
Creak—
As the Grong assassin's words trailed off, the sound of the baron's door creaking open filled the room. The baron instantly knew that whoever stood behind that door wasn't a guard rushing to his aid.
The door opened far too slowly, too leisurely. Normally, upon hearing of an intruder, the sound of guards' footsteps would have echoed from the end of the corridor to his door, and the door would have burst open with urgency. Whoever is behind that door is no ally, the baron thought.
"You didn't come alone!!"
"Exactly. You've got it right. I came with my companions. I'd introduce them, but… I suspect this will be a brief meeting. Grok Grok."
The Grong assassin's wide mouth curled into a thin, smug smile.
"No one's coming to help you, Baron. Only three Grong, here to kill you."
*****
In a forest where rain poured down, towering trees acted as giant umbrellas, channeling the falling rain along their leaves and branches, creating a sound like a soothing melody.
On a path within this forest stood a single carriage. Pulled by four gray horses, the carriage was adorned with metal fittings and exterior carvings, all painted black. A figure stepped down from it.
Clad in a thick cloak and hood to shield against the rain, the man who descended from the carriage spoke briefly to the driver—"This won't take long"—before veering off the path and heading into the forest.
He walked deep into the woods until the carriage was a mere speck among the trees, arriving at the base of a small rocky cliff. Continuing alongside the cliff, he eventually slipped into a narrow gap between two large boulders.
Though the entrance was tight, the passage within the rocky crevice was wide enough for three or four people to pass through comfortably. As the man walked, torches wedged into cracks in the walls cast light to guide his steps.
At the end of the dim cavernous passage, a space bathed in bright crimson light awaited.
"You've arrived, client. Groook."
Three Grong greeted the man. The small hideout within the cave was lit by a glowing lantern, cluttered with scraps of tattered cloth and several clay jars that seemed to have once held something. A short-legged wooden chair sat beside a table covered with dried insects, and a small jar held a clear liquid, suggesting the three Grong frequented this place.
"I'm a bit late. The rain slowed the carriage more than I expected."
"Kukuku. No worries, no worries. Rainy days put us in a good mood, so waiting is no trouble at all."
"By the way, I always get confused when I see you three. The black-patterned one is Grook, the brown one is Khearook, and the dark green one is Logon, right?"
The man pointed at each of the three Grong, naming them as he went.
"Correct. The pronunciation's a bit off, but human tongues struggle with Grong names."
"Now, can I see what you were supposed to bring?"
The man pushed back his rain-soaked hood, addressing Grook.
"Here it is. Conveniently, the baron had it stored in a sturdy box, which made it easy to carry. Grooook."
Grook handed the man a small box.
"Let's see… Hmm… It's definitely the Eye of Velahirr. A gem with this hue is one of a kind, so it's easy to verify. It's smaller than I expected, but it's within the size I had in mind, so no issue there. The payment will be the same as before, then?"
After opening the box to inspect the Eye of Velahirr, the man pulled out three purple gems wrapped in a small cloth from his cloak and handed them to the Grong.
"Gems of Kuopuwa!"
"Gwuuuk. Very nice!"
"But what do you plan to do with the Eye of Velahirr?"
Grook asked as he tucked the gems into his possession.
"It'll likely be used to decorate a goblet. My master wishes to adorn the handle with the Eye of Velahirr."
"Grooo. You live in a different world from the likes of us."
Grook's eyes widened, his throat puffing as he spoke to the man.
"By the way, there's one more job I'd like you to take on. How about it? I'll pay quintuple the usual rate."
The man spread his hand, showing five fingers to Grook.
"Let's hear it. Grooook."
"Quintuple, you say…"
"Quintuple… quintuple…"
The promise of fivefold payment made the three Grong's eyes widen as they crowded closer to the man.
"Not long ago, I hired mercenaries to steal a statue being transported by a carriage, but they failed. It seems a Knight of the Hidden Moon was leading the carriage and its soldiers…"
"Hidden Moon Knights are tough. Grok."
"Greok. Magic users are always a pain."
"No, the Knight of the Hidden Moon wasn't the problem. Have you heard of Gulick? They say he used to be an assassin."
The man stroked his chin, addressing the Grong, who were listening intently.
"That snake-like bastard? I know him well. We've crossed paths a few times. Gruwak."
"Then you understand. He's skilled enough to take on a Hidden Moon Knight. The issue wasn't the knight—it was that Gulick was defeated by two adventurers who showed up to help the knight. Or rather, by one of those two, to be precise."
"Sounds like those adventurers were skilled. Or perhaps Gulick was worn out from fighting the knight? Can you tell us more about what happened?"
Khearook, licking the back of his hand, asked the man.
"Hmm… I only heard this from Gulick's men who escaped, so the details are sparse. What they all agreed on was that it was a female knight and a highly skilled male swordsman—and that the man could also use magic."
"So, the job is to take care of the female knight, the male adventurer, and the Hidden Moon Knight? Gwook."
"Originally, I only wanted the statue stolen, but things have gone awry, and retrieving it now seems impossible. My master said that if the statue can't be taken, it's better destroyed. So, yes, eliminate those three and destroy the statue. Can you do it?"
"Groook. Consider it done. For five times the pay, there's no need to haggle or complain."
Grook grinned broadly at the man.
"I'm glad you see it that way. They were spotted heading north from Froikton in the west just yesterday, so by now…"
"By now, if they crossed the river and kept going… they'd likely be in Louwoul or Nordford."
"Probably. The soldiers escorting the carriage are regular troops of the House Vanas, so they shouldn't be hard to track down."
"Then we're wasting time standing here."
"We'd better move out soon."
The three Grong peeled themselves from the cave wall they'd been leaning against and started walking toward the exit.
"I should head out before sunset as well. I need to procure the gems for your payment, so let's meet in five days at the forest on the outskirts of Louwoul."
"Five days is plenty. Oh, and please pass along my thanks to Duke Kavil for his continued patronage. Grok Grok."
Grook's wide mouth split into a grin as he addressed the man.