When Fujino opened her eyes, it was almost time for the sun to set.
She felt the familiar soft touch on her palm, as well as the tail unique to the Manticore race pressing on her thigh.
Gently squeezing the softness in her hand that she never tired of playing with, Fujino looked at Manticore's peaceful sleeping face close at hand, leaned over, and kissed Manticore lightly on the cheek.
"Mmm."
Woken up by this light kiss, Manticore looked shyly at the face less than three centimeters in front of her, her body curled up slightly, and the tail under the quilt swayed somewhat uneasily.
Seeing Manticore in this state, the smile on Fujino's face grew even wider.
Ever since she abducted Manticore from that reckless assassin organization, Fujino had often done intimate things with Manticore. Logically speaking, Manticore should have been used to it by now, but Manticore's naturally shy and timid personality always made her look so alluring in Fujino's eyes.
""377" Master, it's time to get up," Manticore said softly, "Tonight, Mr. SilverAsh is holding a banquet to thank you."
"I know."
Fujino smiled, reached out to stroke Manticore's soft long hair, and leaned her body closer into Manticore's embrace.
"We'll head over in a bit, no rush. For now, let's just enjoy some intimacy together."
"I understand... Master."
Manticore nodded shyly, her hands beneath the covers reaching for the buttons of the thin pajamas she was wearing.
"Master... please, enjoy me."
By the time Fujino and Manticore emerged from the room, the sun had completely set. Kjerag was shrouded in the darkness of night, with stars twinkling in the sky, looking magnificent.
Kjerag was very lively tonight. The God of the Holy Mountain had manifested and personally chosen a Saintess. While this wasn't necessarily something for the high-ranking officials to celebrate, it was a momentous event for the people of Kjerag.
The God of the Holy Mountain truly existed!
This was like a reassuring pill; most notably, Fujino had absorbed no less than five strands of faith energy today.
First Cloud was her believer, and the faith of the Kjerag people toward First Cloud could be converted into the faith Fujino needed. However, because of Fujino's faith energy, there was some consumption during the conversion process; otherwise, the faith energy obtained today would have been far more than just five strands.
However, Fujino knew that First Cloud was already planning with First Snow to redirect Kjerag's years of faith toward Fujino. This would greatly increase the faith energy Fujino could acquire.
But the time required for such a project was not short. Faith goals established over many years were not so easily modified; if handled poorly, all previous efforts could be wasted.
Fujino held Manticore's hand, walking leisurely along the snow-covered roads of Kjerag. Listening to the cheers of the Kjerag people all around, she felt quite at ease.
"So Miss Fujino is here!" Suddenly, Horn ran over from the side, scratching the back of his head with a smile: "I finally found you."
"Horn," Fujino smiled slightly. "SilverAsh sent you to find us, didn't he? We were just about to head over."
"I see," Horn nodded. "Miss Fujino, please come with us."
Fujino nodded and didn't refuse, walking side-by-side with Manticore behind Horn.
"By the way, you've dealt with the people from those two families, right?" Fujino asked Horn ahead of her.
"Yes, everything went according to Miss Fujino and Young Master SilverAsh's plan. It was very smooth. Now the Khazra Clan is the sole power in Kjerag. Furthermore, Manjuin has been wiped out, and with Miss First Snow becoming the God-given Saintess, the entire population of Kjerag can be said to stand with our Khazra Clan. All of this is thanks to Miss Fujino."
Horn spoke very sincerely, thanking Fujino from the bottom of his heart for everything she had brought them.
"A small matter," Fujino smiled faintly, saying nothing more.
Following Horn's vehicle, the three finally arrived in front of a massive ancient manor.
The ancient manor looked to have a long history, but it didn't appear dilapidated. It felt clean while simultaneously exuding a profound sense of historical weight.
This was the ancestral home passed down through the Khazra Clan. Fujino remembered SilverAsh telling her that this manor had accompanied the Khazra Clan since their first appearance in Kjerag until now. It had been hundreds of years; it could be considered a cultural relic.
As Horn pushed open the main gates, they saw First Snow pacing back and forth at the entrance, an anxious expression on her face. Clearly, First Snow had been waiting at the gates for quite some time.
But as soon as First Snow saw Fujino, a beautiful smile immediately surfaced on her face.
"Big Sister Fujino!"
First Snow trotted up to Fujino with a smile and went straight into Fujino's arms.
After becoming the Saintess, First Snow appeared to be the Saintess of First Cloud. However, that wasn't the case. First Snow was actually Fujino's Saintess. But aside from Fujino, First Cloud, First Snow herself, and SilverAsh and others who knew the plan, the rest of the Kjerag people and the religious order were entirely unaware of this.
And as the Saintess, First Snow felt even closer to Fujino, the one she truly believed in.
During their conversation last night, Fujino had proposed the idea of First Snow becoming her believer. First Snow hadn't been repelled by this; on the contrary, she was very interested. Thus, Fujino had made First Snow her own Saintess instead of making her First Cloud's Saintess as originally planned.
Although being First Cloud's Saintess could also be considered being Fujino's Saintess, the relationship would have been separated by First Cloud. The blessings or enhancements First Snow received would be nowhere near as powerful as being Fujino's direct Saintess.
In terms of her current strength, First Snow could absolutely pin SilverAsh to the ground and beat him without any problem.
Patting First Snow's hair, Fujino said softly, "Alright, let's go inside."
First Snow nodded with a smile and took Fujino's hand along with Manticore's. First Snow also knew Manticore, and the relationship between the two was quite good.
Entering the ancient manor, the space inside was very vast.
SilverAsh, Encia, Courier, and 2B—whom Fujino had assigned to help SilverAsh—were all already waiting for them.
"My friend, I truly thank you for your help this time." SilverAsh came before Fujino and gave a deep bow.
"Don't worry about it. Just pay more attention to Umbrella's business outside," Fujino joked.
"That goes without saying." SilverAsh looked up and said seriously, "Rest assured, from now on, Umbrella and our Karlan Trade will be the most loyal and unbreakable allies."
"Alright, Brother, don't talk about these things on a day like this." Encia walked to SilverAsh's side and patted his shoulder with a laugh, "Let's get started!"
"Then let us begin!"
With SilverAsh's words, the celebratory banquet finally commenced.
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