Ch.5858. The Fanatic is Dignified

# In this world, the Saint holds an extremely important position.

Even if her own abilities are lacking, she can harm monsters and demons through sheer compatibility alone.

In reality, without the Saint in the later stages, the number of enemies that appear increases nearly four times.

If that happens, no matter how insanely the protagonist powers up, damage occurs in places beyond reach, causing the difficulty to rise dramatically.

Despite Lilith’s casual personality and how we always tease each other without a second thought, she’s actually someone who deserves to be revered.

To put it bluntly, depending on circumstances, a Saint could receive better treatment than Princess Celia herself.

That’s why it wasn’t strange for people to follow Lilith around.

Even minor idols have stalker fans, so how could someone directly chosen by God be left alone?

“This is how it feels whenever I go outside. That’s why the Academy is honestly more comfortable.”

Thanks to this, Lilith seemed quite accustomed to these situations.

But… she’s not the type to enjoy attention from strangers.

She might act like it doesn’t bother her, but deep down she must find it uncomfortable.

That’s why she says the Academy is more comfortable.

‘The Academy will soon become uncomfortable too.’

Does she know? That little by little, people who revere the Saint are increasing within the Academy.

That soon, a religious group will form at the Academy, holding prayer meetings every morning and evening.

And… that during every mealtime, prayers directed at her will be heard from somewhere in the student cafeteria…

“What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“It’s nothing.”

Without realizing it, I had been looking at Lilith with sympathetic eyes.

Stay strong, Lilith. If things get tough, come to us anytime. Celia and I will tease you to cheer you up.

Anyway, even if she’s used to being followed, it must still be unpleasant.

Celia seemed to be thinking the same thing, appearing quite concerned about the person following us. However, she seemed reluctant to take action in the middle of the street, probably thinking it inappropriate for the Imperial Princess.

As a result, she kept glancing at me with expectant eyes.

Of course. Using a commoner as a shield would be the rational choice here.

With both the Imperial Princess and the Saint looking at me expectantly… the pressure is too much to refuse.

“Sigh. So? Who’s this person following us?”

I decided to step up.

Well, if we let them follow us all the way to where we’re eating, it might ruin our appetite.

“It’s that person.”

“What? You want me to handle it for you? You don’t need to be so thoughtful.”

When I casually asked who was tailing us, Celia pointed to someone.

I ignored Lilith, who was now pretending not to care despite having been staring along with Celia earlier.

The person Celia pointed to was a man wearing a leather hood.

His exposed arms and legs revealed an extremely thin frame.

Calling him a beggar might be an exaggeration, but he was nearly that skinny, and his leather clothing had some worn patches.

But somehow, he looked the part of someone stalking a Saint.

People tend to become more desperate when they’re lacking something.

Given our difference in build, I thought a simple conversation might resolve this, so I approached him without much concern.

As he kept backing away slightly, I followed him until we reached what was essentially an alley. He probably didn’t want to cause a disturbance in a crowded area either.

Once we were face to face in the alley, the man pulled back his hood, revealing his face.

But… that face was very familiar.

‘Wait. That’s him.’

I immediately recalled his name. Fanatic Zealot.

Well, he’s not a major character, so his name doesn’t really matter.

He’s basically a combat unit character who follows Lilith’s orders in the later story when she plays a significant role.

His most distinctive trait… is that he prioritizes the Saint’s existence above all else and considers everyone else in the world as mere accessories to the Saint. A genuinely insane person.

Right. It wouldn’t be strange for an ordinary person to follow her, but a fanatic like this would naturally cling to her.

I hadn’t seen him appear in the early stages, so I hadn’t thought about him at all. Maybe he was following her all along but just wasn’t mentioned in the game.

‘Now… what do I do about this…’

The fact that he appears as a combat unit in the later story means he’s extremely strong.

Size difference? Resolving this with just a conversation? Not a chance. I don’t know his current level, but he could probably devastate this entire area.

I don’t understand why someone like him is stalking her in these beggar-like clothes… but trying to understand a fanatic’s actions would be foolish. Let’s move on.

For now, he’s the most deranged among the strong characters I know.

He’s a genuine fanatic who prioritizes the Saint above everything else.

Other fanatics at least retreat when their lives are in danger, but this guy follows the Saint’s orders until death.

If the Saint were to punch a random passerby for no reason, he’d join in saying, “How dare you make the Saint’s fist dirty!”

“So you’re the one who was beside the Saint. What business do you have with me?”

Being who he is, he was incredibly brazen about what he was doing.

He was so brazen that despite being caught stalking, he openly admitted to watching her, probably thinking there was nothing wrong with him observing the Saint.

Well… actually, it wouldn’t be a problem. He wouldn’t harm her.

Rather, if someone tried to harm her, wouldn’t he step in to help?

But I couldn’t just leave him be.

The “not being a problem” part only applies to Lilith.

Fanatics are infinitely lenient toward themselves and what they believe in.

In other words, they’re infinitely strict about everything else.

If provoked wrongly, who knows what he might do. Even left alone, who knows what he might do.

He’s basically a walking bomb—how could I leave him be?

‘What should I really do…’

The more I thought about it, the more my head hurt.

If I just ask him to leave, he won’t listen. But setting up a situation to deal with him seems too troublesome.

With both the Imperial Princess and the Saint watching from behind, should I just go tell them he’s a fanatic?

As my thoughts drifted toward giving up, an excellent option came to mind.

So… was this it?

“Lu. Rafipi. Niesan. Napia. Harnemia. Perugina. Lilith.”

“…How do you know that!”

What I just muttered was a list of the names of past Saints.

Some of those names can’t be known through ordinary means, so when I casually mentioned them, his eyes began to show goodwill.

Then he cautiously asked:

“Do you perhaps believe in the same doctrine as I do?”

“If the pendant you’re wearing is genuine, then yes.”

The pendant he was wearing was the emblem of the cult this fanatic belonged to.

Yes. The excellent option was to pretend to be one of them.

“To meet a comrade in a place like this. What a joyous occasion. I am Fanatic Zealot. Just call me Fanatic.”

“Pleased to meet you, Fanatic. I am Ludion. Being a commoner, I have no family name.”

“Class is irrelevant in matters of faith.”

We shook hands with very businesslike greetings.

These fanatics were scattered and operating individually, with no means to exchange information, so this much was enough to gain sufficient trust.

By deliberately imitating the speech of a believer, I completely won him over.

As a result, there was no longer any wariness in his eyes.

However, some questions seemed to remain.

“But how is it that you walk alongside the Saint?”

Why would I, a believer, be walking side by side with Lilith, the Saint?

From his perspective, knowing nothing, it would seem strange.

There was no need to lie. I just told the truth, mixing in some believer-like speech.

“Ah, I was fortunately able to meet her as a classmate at the Academy.”

“Then those casual interactions with the Saint earlier…”

“Of course, it was all an act. I cannot burden the Saint, after all.”

“Hahaha! So that’s what it was. I almost classified you as a blasphemer without knowing.”

Though he laughed heartily, the content was chilling.

For those marked as blasphemers by fanatics, their fate usually begins with kidnapping and imprisonment, ending with torture and murder.

“I should have thought more deeply. My vision was narrow.”

“Not at all. I would have misunderstood too.”

It seems I managed to get through somehow, but honestly, it’s a bit nerve-wracking.

What happens if he finds out I’m lying?

Well, whatever happens, it would probably be serious… but would he even find out when we’re unlikely to meet again?

If it does get discovered, I’ll think about it then.

‘This should be enough, right?’

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 possibly…”

He showed quite a surprised reaction to my probing question.

How did I know? Well, fanatics like him always act based on purposes centered around their beliefs.

It’s only natural that they consider all their actions important.

Strictly speaking, it probably isn’t that important, but since he believes it is, there’s no need to burst his bubble.

“I have my ways of knowing.”

“You’re a person with many secrets.”

This vague response actually worked in my favor, giving me an advantage.

I think that’s enough. I subtly suggested he withdraw.

“Don’t worry too much and go about your business. I will absolutely protect the Saint no matter what happens.”

“Hmm. Is that so? But you’re still just an Academy student…”

As expected, things aren’t resolving as easily as I thought.

He seemed confident in his own strength and wanted to protect the Saint himself.

“Then shall we test it?”

I ended up having to draw my sword.

No matter how strong he is, as long as we’re not actually on a battlefield, the advantage is mine.

Want to taste some parrying?