Just Match

"So you think you found Gloine?" Lavinia asked.

"At the very least, I think I have a lead." Roko nodded, "But the problem is that he might be onto me."

"How so?"

"Corissa might have told him."

"The princess of Cordis?!" Lavinia cried, "You're friends with her?!"

"More or less."

"Well...you are connected to Memoria Auspice." Lavinia sighed, "I should have known."

"Have any suggestions on how to deal with a demon?"

"Without knowing what kind of demon it is?"

"I don't know, are there any universal weakness they have?" Roko moaned, "Like holy water or crosses?"

"They aren't ghosts."

"Ghosts exist?"

"I mean, I haven't met any personally." Lavinia shrugged, "In any case, the situation has become quite different now. If he is what you think he is and he is also onto you, this assassination has become a race to see who catches the other first."

"You don't need to tell me." Roko said as he stood up, "Well, I'm off to go hunting. You still good here?"

"Oh yeah." Lavinia said as she munched on a cracker, "These rations aren't half bad."

"Well I'm glad someone's having fun."

"Hey, you get to go outside. Ain't that fun?"

"I don't even know what fun is anymore." Roko muttered as he returned to the seal inside the sewer research building and walked towards it. Immediately, Roko was sent back to the inside of his room. Bending down, Roko removed the spatial seal he had placed under his bed and returned it to his backpack. Roko took a deep breath, opened his door and stepped outside.

"And then he said I need to get some actual friends before I can think of leaving the work to them."

"Oh my. Sounds rough."

As Roko walked down to the castle's lobby, he spotted Corissa cheerfully chatting with a young man the same age as both of them. Varis just stood off to the side.

"Morning." Roko greeted the two of them as he walked over, "Is this a friend of yours, princess?"

"Oh, morning Roko." Corissa smiled, "Yes, we've been friends for a while."

"I'm Alec." Her friend introduced himself, "I'm just a knight in training living in the castle."

"Or that's the story anyway." Corissa laughed, "Alec doesn't exactly take his training seriously."

"I think I'm still pretty good though." Alec laughed alongside Corissa, "Not that I can beat any of the actual knights around here."

"You two seem pretty close." Roko noted.

"We were around the same age when he first arrived in the castle so we got along pretty easily." Corissa explained.

"Thanks to my dad." Alec scoffed, "He was very keen that we get along together. Now he won't leave me alone about taking my training seriously."

"Your dad huh?"

"How about you, Roko?" Alec asked, "What's your parents like?"

"My parents?" Roko replied absentmindedly. He hasn't thought about his parents in what felt like years. Not ever since he first arrived in this world. He had been living on his own for so long that he got pretty used to being alone all the time. Roko didn't have any particular problems with his parents but he hasn't talked to them all that much. And now he can't talk to them at all.

"I-I'm sorry." Corissa said, noticing Roko's pensive silence, "You don't have to talk about them if you don't want to."

"Oh, no, it's fine." Roko sighed as he pulled his mind back to the conversation, "My parents were nice. Pretty supportive even when I said I was going to leave them to live on my own."

"You live on your own already?" Alec said, surprised, "You're the same age as us though, right?"

"Well back in my home world, I lived on my own." Roko replied, "Ever since coming here, I have been making use of Memoria Auspice's hospitality."

"Ah, you're that guy from another world I heard about." Alec nodded, "I figured you'd be an interesting fellow."

"I didn't know I was that famous." Roko sighed.

"I don't know if I'd say you're famous." Corissa said, "But you're well known among the governing nobles at least."

"Nobles?" Roko blinked, "You're a noble?"

"Oh did I not mention it?" Alec said, "My dad is-"

"Alec!"

Roko turned around as he saw Collis approaching them, "I knew I'd find you here!"

"You dad is Collis?" Roko asked.

"Yeah."

"...Well that makes things easy." Roko said as he took a step back and looked at Alec, "Scan."

"Hm? What are you scanning him for?" Corissa asked.

"I knew it." Roko said as Collis joined the three of them, "Sir Collis and Alec. Does the name 'Comhlacht Gloine' mean anything to you?"

"That's the name of the person the princess warned me about." Collis frowned, "The one that summoned a demon?"

"Yes. Though I suppose you haven't forgotten your real name have you, Sir Collis?"

"Real name?" Corissa gulped, "What do you mean?"

"My scan reveals the name of my target." Roko sighed, "Though it appears it only gives me the name that they were born with. That's why I know that Sir Collis' real name...is Beidh Gloine."

"But Gloine is..." Corissa gasped.

"You seem surprised as well, Sir Collis." Roko raised an eyebrow, "Can I assume you did not know your own son's name?"

"Of course he wouldn't." Alec spoke up with a tired sigh, "He's never bothered to learn my real name."

"What do you mean?" Roko asked.

"This 'father'." Alec scoffed, "Was kind enough to give me a new name after killing his own wife."

"What?!" Corissa cried, "Sir Collis, you..."

Collis looked down mournfully.

"This deadbeat dad left his own wife, didn't even bother to learn his own son's name only to come back, kill the woman he loved and then pretend to be a father with the child he left behind."

"No I..." Collis said weakly, "You've got it wrong. Your mother...she was a traitor."

"Am I supposed to care about the work of some dad that knew nothing about his family?"

"..."

Alec scoffed and walked a few steps away from them, "I'll never forget the day you came and killed my mother. That's why I decided to take on the name she gave me."

"Then how about you introduce yourself?" Roko said, "It's a common courtesy after all, 'Alec'."

"I'm hurt that you'd be so mocking about it it, Roko." Alec chuckled, "I do consider my name to be Alec you know. I haven't given up on that name. But I'll say what you want to hear."

Alec turned around as dark aura burst out from around him and the figure of a winged demon appeared behind him, "I am Comhlacht Gloine. The one who made a pact with a demon."

"Looks like you've been found out, Alec." The demon sneered as he looked down at the shocked trio, "What will you do now?"

"I don't suppose you can erase memories, Alder?"

"Hardly." The demon scoffed, "I'm not a genie, you know."

"Very well." Alec sighed, "I guess we'll have to kill them."

"Wait!" Collis cried out as he stepped forward, "I don't understand! Why are you doing this?! Why did you make a deal with a devil?!"

"Hm? Wasn't it you that said I needed to actually achieve something with my life?" Alec frowned, "I made a deal with the devil so I can do just that."

"Do what?! What are you trying to do?!"

"I don't have to answer an old man like you." Alec replied, "Alder."

The demon smirked as he raised his fist and lunged towards Collis.

"Varis!"

At Corissa's cry, Varis stepped in front of the demon and caught its fist, the impact of its attack shaking the air around them as the knight held the demon back.

"Oh? Impressive." Alder said as he struggled to push his attack through, "I didn't think there would be any human that could match me in strength."

Varis' other hand went for his sword, forcing Alder to retreat before Varis could slash him.

"Be careful with that one." Alec said as Alder returned to his side, "He's not normal."

"Neither are you, Mr. Deal With the Devil." Alder smirked, "Well, I'll see for myself just how powerful this person is for myself."

Alder rushed towards Varis with claws outstretched. The demon's hand clashed against Varis' sword, pushing against the steel blade with just his supernatural skin. Keeping Varis' sword in place, Alder reached over the sword with his other hand to claw at the black knight. Varis grabbed his arm by the wrist and wrestled it to the side before the attack could reach him. Alder sneered as he wrapped his tail around his body, preparing to swipe at Varis while he had no way to defend himself. Before he could attack, electricity sparked out from Varis' arms, traveling down the demon's arm and blasting him away from the knight. Varis gripped his sword with both hands and made for a slash while Alder was still recoiling only for the demon's tail to whip up and block his attack.

"You're not half bad for a human." Alder sneered, "But you're no match for a demon like me just yet."

Varis took one hand off his sword and grabbed the demon's tail, sending a burst of electricity into the monster, Alder cried out in pain and wrenched his tail out of Varis' grasp.

"You cheeky little." Alder winced as he landed on the ground, "I guess I'm going to have to actually take this seriously."

"Please do." Alec rolled his eyes.

Alder lunged towards Varis, spinning around in midair and swinging his tail at the knight with full force. Varis brought the flat of his sword up against his other arm for support. The tail smashed into Varis with a powerful clang but Varis managed to stay strong after blocking the attack with his blade. Varis made to grab the tail once more but this time, Alder's tail quickly wrapped Varis' wrist and lifted him up into the air. Alder smashed Varis against the ground multiple times before throwing him through a potted plant, through a pillar and into the wall of one of the castle's rooms. Varis's sword clattered to the ground next to Alder as the demon laughed sadistically,

"Haha! You must feel pretty rattled inside that armor of yours! Can you even stand properly, little human?!"

"Varis?!" Corissa yelped.

From the smoke, a volley of ice spears flew out and shattered against the demon's toughened hide. Varis stumbled out of the smoke, visibly tired but with no sign of damage on his black armor.

"What, still alive?" The demon said as he kicked Varis' sword off to the side, "What are you going to do, oh not-so-shining knight?"

Varis took a few stumbling steps forward before charging headfirst at the demon. The knight punched at the demon only for the demon to catch his attack easily. Varis' next punch was just as easily caught as Alder forced them into a grapple. Struggling to overpower the demon, a dark miasma started to exude out of Varis' body before latching onto Alder.

"W-What?!" Alder cried as he stepped away from Varis as the miasma began to force him to convulse in pain.

In the confusion, Varis moved in to land a punch in the demon's face and stomach before kicking him across the ground.

"You know curse magic?!" The demon grimaced as the miasma circled around him.

"Hard to believe you're a princess' knight." Alec frowned, "Are you sure you're not a cursed knight or something?"

"Alec, stop this!" Collis cried as he stepped into the battle, "What do you think you're doing?!"

"What? I'm doing what you've always wanted." Alex smirked, "Making something of my life."

"And what is that exactly?" Roko asked.

"Eh. You'll find out eventually." Alec smiled, "I won't be too low profile if everything works out."

"Whatever it is, you need to put a stop to it!" Collis shouted, "What reason do you have to make a deal with a devil?"

"Eh? We're just using each other."Alec chuckled, "If anything, I'm benefiting more from this relationship."

"You can explain yourself while you're in holding."

"Corissa..."

"Please don't make this any harder on yourself." Corissa said as she stepped forward, "I don't want to continue fighting you."

"I feel the same." Alec shrugged, "Though I expect you're quite disappointed with me."

"Not disappointed." Corissa bit her lip, "Just...shocked."

"Oh? That makes me feel a lot better, thanks."

"This racket will have caused a stir within the castle." Corissa explained, "In time, more knights will appear. Please just give yourself up peacefully."

"Why? You haven't defeated me yet."

"That's only a matter of time now isn't it?" Roko frowned, "You're all alone now."

"Is that what you think?"

With a roar, Alder stood up and with a flap of his wings, dispelled the miasma around him.

"Did you think your pain would be a match for a demon?" Alder sneered, "We demons practically made the modern curse spell!"

"He's up already?!" Collis cried.

"Well, those knights you talked about probably are coming." Alec smiled, "So I think we'll bow out for now. We still have work to do after all."

"Wait!" Collis cried out as the Demon wrapped its wings around Alec.

"Bye." Alec smiled, "I'm sure I'll see some of you again later. Hopefully not you, old man."

"Wait a minute!" Roko cried as a black cloud began to obscure the pair, "Scan!"

Varis dove into the smoke but once it cleared away, neither Alec nor the demon could be found.

"I can't believe Alec made a pact with a demon." Corissa sighed as she sat down in the empty cafeteria.

"Were you close to him?" Roko asked.

"He was my only friend for a while until I found Varis." Corissa bit her lip, "He was always a bit lazy and rarely did any work but he was always easy to talk to."

"I see."

"In any case, Collis has been taken in for questioning and there is an ongoing search for Alec. Everything is being taken care of so you don't need to go chasing after him yourself okay?"

"Yeah, I suppose that's true." Roko shrugged, "This all seems a little out of my league."

"What?" Corissa blinked, "I thought you'd insist on joining the search for sure."

"That demon seems way too powerful." Roko sighed, "If Varis had trouble fighting it, I don't think I have much of a chance."

"That's true." Corissa turned to look at the silent knight by her side, "Are you sure you're okay, Varis?"

Varis nodded.

"In any case, this was an unfortunate incident." Roko said, "I hope it gets resolved soon."