Greed and Despond (Ban x Sin!Reader)

20

There were two men in the ring now. I could identify their magical abilities pretty clearly. The large, muscular man, Taizoo, who had won several of Vaizel's previous fighting festivals, had mediocre power at best. He didn't have any definitive magical abilities, and his power didn't stand out too much from the crowd. His opponent, however, was a Holy Knight (the second to Griamore). He didn't seem to be a particularly strong Knight, but his powers were certainly noticeable. The man, whose name I believe was Hauser, had blonde hair that was
styled ridiculously, and was pretty muscular. He looked very confident in his ability to win.

"Hey King, looks like you're up next," Ban spoke, sounding bored. He turned to face the aforementioned fairy, who was laying in the floor with a large puddle of blood below his face that had leaked from his nose. Ban raised an eyebrow. "Huh? You're already dead?"

I turned my attention away from the fight as it began, and heard several punches being thrown. The Hauser guy is going to win- there's really no point to this fight, and thus no point in watching it. I turned to Diane.

"I really can't believe it's you," I smiled, "It's like a dream come true, but I think you're awesome at your normal size too."

"I know right!" She laughed, "It's really cool!"

"Where'd you come up with the name Matrona?" Ban asked, butting into the conversation.

"Huh? Oh, Uhm..." Diane spoke, furrowing her brows ever-so-slightly. "It's the name of an old friend of mine."

"Oh, cool," I hummed, turning back to face the battle. The big guy was wheezing, and Hauser seemed to be bored with the fight. I chuckled, shaking my head. "There's really no point to this fight- Hauser's barely used any of his power, and Taizoo's already on the brink of passing out."

"Yeah, the pairings have been pretty crappy thus far," Ban said, looking at the fight as well.

"I'm just waiting for your fight against Meli!" I beamed, facing him excitedly. He glanced toward me with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, I guess," he shrugged, causing me to laugh. I punched him lightly in the arm.

"Oh, come on! I'm counting on you to win!" I grinned, and he looked at me with slight surprise. "Remember? I said I'd be rooting for you."

He let his gaze linger on me for a few moments, then faced the battle once again. I frowned, facing the fight absentmindedly. What am I doing...?

Hauser threw his final punch, sending Taizoo flying upward and out of the ring. I sighed, shaking my head lightly to disregard my thoughts and focus on the fight.

"AND THE WINNER IS HAUSER!!!!" Shouted the referee, a short man who had a red cloth covering his entire body, which was connected to a metal helmet. His voice was particularly annoying.

"Alright!" Laughed the Holy Knight, flexing as people cheered around him. He hopped off the stage, joining the crowd. I stared at him for a moment. I could've sworn that I recognized him.... I didn't notice it until now, but he seemed very familiar.

He turned to face me, catching me gaze. My face turned bright red as he raised an eyebrow at me. I awkwardly held up a thumbs up in his direction, mouthing 'Good job'. It took a moment, but he grinned back at me, returning the gesture but mouthing 'Thanks' instead.

I turned away from him, facepalming at my complete awkwardness. I didn't really notice Ban glaring in the Holy Knight's direction.

"ALRIGHT!!!" The ref shouted, "LETS BEGIN ROUND ONE, FIGHT 3!! CAIN VS OLD FART!"

Diane snorted from beside me, making a face of disgust. "Who has so little sense that they came up with that name?"

"Meeeeeee~" Ban replied in a singsongy voice, causing Diane to roll her eyes. The corners of my lips twitched upward in a small smile.