In this world, the Saintess holds an incredibly important position.
Even if her own specs are lacking, she can still deal damage to demons and the Demon Race simply because of her inherent advantage.
In fact, if there’s no Saintess in the later stages, the number of enemies that appear almost quadruples.
If that happens, no matter how crazily the protagonist levels up, damage will occur in places they can’t reach, and the difficulty will skyrocket.
Lilith’s personality is so laid-back, and we tease each other so casually every day that it’s easy to forget, but she’s actually someone who could live a life of reverence without it being strange.
Frankly, depending on the situation, the Saintess might even be treated better than Seria, the Princess.
And because of that, it’s not that weird for people to follow Lilith around.
I mean, even a slightly popular idol gets stalker fans—how could they leave someone chosen by a god alone?
“Every time I go outside, it’s like this. Honestly, the Academy is way more comfortable.”
Thanks to that, Lilith seems to have gotten pretty used to these situations.
But… she’s not the type to enjoy attention from strangers.
She might act like it’s no big deal, but deep down, she’s probably uncomfortable.
That’s why she says the Academy is more comfortable.
‘The Academy’s gonna get uncomfortable soon too.’
Does she know? That, knowingly or not, the number of people at the Academy who revere the Saintess is slowly growing?
That soon, a religious group will form at the Academy, holding prayer meetings every morning and evening?
And… that every mealtime, somewhere in the Student Cafeteria, prayers directed at her will start echoing…?
“What? Why are you looking at me like that?”
“It’s nothing.”
I ended up looking at Lilith with pity in my eyes without realizing it.
Hang in there, Lilith. If it gets tough, come find me anytime. Seria and I will tease you together.
Anyway, even if she’s gotten used to people following her, it’s still bound to be unpleasant.
Seria seems to think so too, as she’s clearly bothered by the person following them, but as the Princess, she probably feels awkward stepping forward in the middle of the street.
As a result, I’m now getting these subtle, expectant looks from both of them.
Yeah, makes sense. It’s only logical to use the commoner as a shield here.
With the Princess and the Saintess both giving me these expectant looks… the pressure’s no joke, and I can’t refuse.
“Sigh. So? Who’s the person following us?”
So I decided to step up.
I mean, if I leave it alone and they follow us all the way to lunch, it’ll just get on my nerves and ruin my appetite.
“That person over there.”
“What? You want me to handle it for you? Fine.”
“You don’t have to do something so nice for me.”
When I casually asked who the person we were tailing was, Seria pointed at someone.
Seria and I were staring at them together earlier, but now Lilith was shamelessly pretending not to notice, so I just ignored her.
The person Seria pointed at was a man wearing a leather hood.
His arms and legs were exposed, showing how incredibly skinny he was.
Calling him a beggar might be a slight exaggeration, but he was pretty much that level of emaciated, and his leather gear was a bit worn out too.
But honestly, he kinda fit the vibe of someone stalking the Saintess.
After all, the more someone lacks something, the more desperate they become.
Given the difference in our builds, I thought just talking to him would solve things, so I casually approached.
He kept backing away, and I followed him all the way to what was practically an alley. Guess he didn’t want to cause a scene in a crowded place.
Once we were deep in the alley and face-to-face, the man flipped back the hood to reveal his face.
But… that face looked way too familiar.
‘Wait, isn’t that… him?’
The name popped into my head immediately. Fanatic Zealot.
Well, he’s not a major character, so his name doesn’t really matter.
Just think of him as a combat unit character who follows Lilith’s orders in the later parts of the story where Lilith shines.
His biggest trait? He’s a genuine lunatic who prioritizes the Saintess’s existence above all else and sees everyone in the world as mere accessories to her.
Yeah, it’s not weird for a normal person to follow her around, but for a fanatic like him, it’s only natural to cling to her.
I hadn’t seen him appear in the early parts, so I didn’t even think about him. Maybe he’s been following us without being mentioned in the game.
‘Well… what do I do now…?’
The fact that he appears as a combat unit in the later story means he’s ridiculously strong.
Difference in build? Solving things by talking? No way. Even if I don’t know his exact level right now, he could probably turn this whole area into a wasteland.
I have no idea why he’s stalking in such a pathetic state… but trying to understand a fanatic’s actions is just stupid. Let’s move on.
For now, he’s the most unhinged among the strong guys I know.
A true fanatic who puts the Saintess above everything else.
Other fanatics at least back off when their lives are in danger, but this guy will follow the Saintess’s orders until he dies.
If the Saintess randomly punched a passerby, he’d be like, “How dare you dirty the Saintess’s fist!” and join in on the beating.
“So, you’re the one who’s been sticking close to the Saintess. What business do you have with me?”
Given the kind of person he was, he was incredibly bold about what he was doing right now. I mean, how bold do you have to be to get caught stalking and still openly show that you’re watching? He probably thought there was nothing wrong with keeping an eye on the Saintess.
Well… to be fair, it probably wasn’t a problem. He wasn’t likely to cause any harm. In fact, if someone tried to harm her, he might even step in to help.
But that didn’t mean I could just leave him be. The “no problem” thing only applied to Lilith, after all.
Fanatics are endlessly lenient toward themselves and what they believe in. Which, in other words, means they’re endlessly strict about everything else.
If you accidentally provoke them, who knows what they might do? Even if you leave them alone, they might still do something crazy. They’re basically walking bombs—no way you can just leave them be.
‘What am I supposed to do…?’
The more I thought about it, the more my head hurt.
If I just told him to go away, he wouldn’t listen. And trying to set something up to deal with him would be way too much trouble. The Princess and the Saintess were watching right behind me—should I just go over and blow his cover as a fanatic?
As my thoughts were drifting toward giving up, a pretty good option popped into my head.
So… this was it, huh?
“Ru. Rapipi. Niesain. Napia. Harunemia. Perugina. Lilith.”
“…How do you know that?!”
What I had just muttered was a list of the names of past Saintesses. Some of them weren’t things you could know through ordinary means, so when I casually brought them up, the look in his eyes started to soften with goodwill. Then he cautiously asked:
“By any chance, do you also believe in the same doctrine as I do?”
“If the pendant you’re wearing is genuine, then yes.”
The pendant he was wearing was a symbol of the religious order this fanatic believed in.
That’s right. The “pretty good option” was to pretend to be one of them.
“Meeting a fellow believer in a place like this. What a joyous occasion. I am Fanatic Zealot. Just call me Fanatic.”
“Nice to meet you, Fanatic. I’m Rudion. I’m a commoner, so I don’t have a family name.”
“Hierarchy doesn’t matter in faith.”
We shook hands like proper members of society.
After all, this fanatic was operating individually, fragmented and scattered, with no real means of exchanging information with others. So, this level of interaction was enough to gain his trust.
I even deliberately mimicked the speech of a believer, and he completely fell for it.
As a result, there was no more wariness to be found in his eyes.
Just a little doubt seemed to linger.
“But how come you’re walking around with the Saintess?”
Why was I, a believer, walking side by side with Lilith, the Saintess? From his clueless perspective, it must’ve looked pretty weird.
There was no need to lie. I just mixed in some believer-like tone and told the truth.
“Ah, I was fortunate enough to meet her as a fellow student at the Academy.”
“Then those casual remarks you made towards the Saintess earlier…”
“Of course, it was all an act. I couldn’t make the Saintess feel uncomfortable.”
“Hahaha! So that’s how it was. I almost mistook you for a disrespectful fool.”
He laughed heartily, but the implications were chilling. Being labeled as disrespectful by a fanatic usually starts with kidnapping and ends with torture and murder.
“I should’ve thought more deeply. My vision was too narrow.”
“Not at all. Even I would’ve misunderstood.”
It seems like I managed to get through it, but honestly, I’m a bit scared. What happens if they find out I’m lying?
Hmm. Whatever it is, it’s gonna be a big deal… but it’s not like we’ll meet often, so will they really find out? If they do, I’ll just think about it then.
‘This much should be enough, right?’
At least I seemed to have gained his trust. Time to wrap this up.
“But… don’t you have other important matters to attend to?”
“How did you…”
My casual jab surprised him.
How did I know? Well, fanatics like him always act based on their beliefs and goals. It’s only natural to take all their actions seriously.
If you really think about it, it’s probably not that important, but since he believes it is, no need to poke the bear.
“There are ways to know everything.”
“You seem to be a person of many secrets.”
Ironically, this vague response worked in my favor, so it’s a win for me.
This should be enough. I subtly suggested he back off.
“Don’t worry too much and focus on your tasks. I’ll definitely protect the Saintess no matter what.”
“Hmm. Is that so? But you’re still just an Academy student…”
As expected, it’s not as easy as I thought.
He seemed confident in his strength and wanted to protect the Saintess himself.
“Then, would you like to test me?”
In the end, I had no choice but to draw my sword. No matter how strong he is, as long as it’s not an actual battlefield, I have the upper hand.
Wanna taste some parrying?
