I'm The Only One With Cancer-Chapter 155: Final Spar II

Zen could not help but feel shocked, asking, "But I remember that whenever you and Teacher address the Fire God, you either use his title or call Him Ignis."

"Oh, there’s a fun story behind that, too!"

Adara giggled, looking like a child who had been caught doing something mischievous.

Seeing him tilting his head with his eyes full of curiosity, she cleared her throat and said, "You see, back the,n when we first met Him, we didn’t know how to read. Although the kind couple who took us in and managed the orphanage taught us some basic words, they already had their hands full just taking care of us.

So, even in the same place, Arthur and I didn’t have the chance to learn much beyond growing crops, doing house chores, and hunting.

Besides that, we also had a hard time pronouncing words."

"Oh?"

The interest in Zen’s eyes intensified as he tried hard to think of Arthur, who had been very strict and always looked like he could do anything, as a child who did not even know how to pronounce difficult words.

Adara’s smile got wider as she nodded, "It’s exactly what you think! When Brother Ignatius introduced himself to us, Arthur and I weren’t able to pronounce his name. After trying for a couple of hours, he gave up and told us to call him Ignis instead."

"To think that that’s the story behind the name of a god..." Zen could ot help but become speechless.

"Anyways~ That’s it for the story!"

Adara said cheerfully as she stood up from the wooden chair and stretched her body.

Her eyes looked extremely lively at this moment, as if she were a child who was seeing the world for the first time.

One could tell that just by her telling someone of the past that only a few remember, her mood had already been lifted by a considerable amount.

She extended her hand towards Zen, saying with a wide smile, "Let’s go inside! I think it’s the perfect time, since if I’m not wrong, Arthur’s about to finish cooking dinner!"

"Aunt Ada..."

Zen reached out to her hand and used it as leverage to stand up, but his expression told her that he seemed to be conflicted about something.

"What is it, my dear nephew?"

"Did you do this intentionally?"

Seeing his sharp gaze, Adara played dumb and shrugged, "What do you mean?"

"You... waited until all the work was done before making your move, didn’t you?"

"Oops, it seems I’ve been found out! Teehee~"

Seeing her running away like a child, Zen could not help but shake his head, "Is she really the Saintess of Fire?"

Even with the blessing she shared with him, he could not help but doubt it.

’Oh well, maybe that’s why she and Teacher are compatible with each other...’

Seeing that he was not moving, Adara shouted, "What are you waiting for!? My husband had just finished cooking, let’s go back before it gets cold!"

"Who’s your husband!? Who are you talking about!? You’ve skipped out on all chores again, didn’t you!?"

"Heek!"

Arthur’s voice came from the dilapidated building, making Adara jump in fright as she hurriedly signed for Zen to keep silent with her index finger over her lips.

Seeing her childish actions, Zen could not help but chuckle.

He looked at the night sky, observing the moon and the twinkling stars that littered it.

’I’ll...’

A thought appeared in his mind, making him feel a myriad of emotions.

"...finally leave this place tomorrow."

The group then had their dinner over conversations, particularly about Arthur and Adara’s past, which Zen was very much interested in.

They spent the night as they always did.

Only this time, neither of them said aloud that it might be their last for quite some time.

And just like that, the night swiftly passed by.

***

The next morning...

"Are you ready?" Arthur asked, still wearing the pope’s robe of the Temple of Fire.

The orange and gold embroidery over the pristine white cloth made a beautiful contrast and made his figure even more imposing.

"Wooh! You’re so handsome!"

"That’s my husband, right there!"

"Take me home later!"

...

Off to the side, Adara could be heard fangirling over him, shouting a myriad of comments—some of them even rated 18+.

It was only when Arthur shot her a glare that she fell silent, albeit reluctantly.

A few distances away, in front of Arthur, Zen was using all his strength to prevent himself from laughing out loud.

’Aunt Ada... really has a unique character, unlike the saintesses I’ve read about in novels...’

He was currently dressed in a priest’s robe from the Temple of Fire, the latest set of clothes Arthur had given him.

Of course, the embroidery it had was less luxurious than Arthur’s, but it was still beautiful in its own right.

Seeing that his apprentice was not focused, Arthur’s brows furrowed, "Focus, Deadman. This is a sacred tradition of the Temple of Fire."

"Ehem, I apologize, Teacher." Zen nodded, his expression turning solemn.

On the side, Adara assumed a serious stance as well.

Seeing that everything was in place, Arthur started speaking, "The ceremony you’re about to go through is called the Rite of Firepower. As its name implies, it is a ceremony where the apprentice will be judged by their teachers."

"There are many variations of this ceremony; there were times when the teacher and their apprentice would spar for a whole day, others would want to check every skill the apprentice has learned, and the like."

He then looked Zen in the eyes, "But considering all the training we’ve done, I’ve chosen the most suitable one for you."

"In the past, I have been the only one holding back in our spars, but I have noticed that, as time passed by, you began holding back as well, am I right?"

Zen’s ruby-red eyes constricted before he nodded, "Yes, Teacher."

’!!!"

Their conversation left Adara speechless, ’So, I still haven’t seen Deadman’s true power, after all...’

...

"Then that shall not be the case today."

Arthur said calmly, his eyes reflecting the first rays of the sun that had just begun rising on the horizon.

After a moment, he explained, "In this variation of the Rite of Firepower, there will only be two rounds. Simply put, you attack while I defend in the first round. In the second, I attack, and you defend."

’Hmm? I don’t remember it being this simple... Why did he shorten it? He isn’t that type of person...’

Adara tilted her head, curiosity flickering across her face as something suddenly clicked in her mind.

’Wait... don’t tell me—’

’He didn’t seriously forget the procedures and the opening ceremonial rites, did he?!’

To confirm her guess, Adara slightly squinted her eyes and stared at Arthur from her seat, a silent pressure being emitted by her. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

On the outside, Arthur looked calm and imposing.

If one did not know any better, they would have thought that he simply shortened it in consideration for his apprentice.

However, who was Adara?

She could be said to be his childhood friend— the one who grew up with him and experienced all sorts of things with him.

The one he spent his whole life with, despite it being unintentional.

As such, the lingering hint of embarrassment present in his eyes did not escape Adara’s hawk-like gaze.

And obviously, Arthur had no way of hiding it from her.

Despite this, Adara chose not to expose him.

’Brother Ignatius... I wonder what kind of face you’d make if you could see Arthur now? The very same man who was the strictest among the three of us when we founded the temple—forgetting the opening ceremonial rites!’

She giggled a little, unable to hold it in.

’I never thought I’d live long enough to see this side of him. Hahaha.’

But in her mind, she was already rolling off the floor while laughing uncontrollably.

’Why didn’t he just ask me— Oh.’

Adara’s expression turned strange at this moment, ’Why can’t I remember it...’

Unbeknownst to her, the reason why Arthur did not even think of consulting with her was that she had never memorized any of the ceremonial rites of the Temple of Fire from the beginning.

That was right.

Despite being the saintess, Adara was quite... slightly... a little... unreliable.

...

While Adara was immersed in her thoughts that seemed to lead to an existential crisis of some sort, Arthur had just finished explaining everything to Zen.

"You’re free to use any weapons— anything to deliver your strongest blow. And in return, I, too, will be facing you with my strongest form. "

Hearing his teacher’s words, Zen nodded, ’So, it’s like a turn-based battle...’

Oblivious to his thoughts, Arthur continued, "There’s no need to worry about holding back. Even if I die, it will only be natural. After all, such things had happened in the past as well. Instead, my dying will only further prove that I have raised you well. Though, of course, I’m just saying this for your information."

"If you ever think about killing me, you’d have to try after you become a god." Arthur’s expression remained calm, but his eyes shone with a resplendent brilliance of boundless confidence.

"..."

His words made Zen speechless, ’Why is he... so extreme?’