Taeho and Sehe's voices could be heard as four individuals, who had ventured off to search for the Divine Beast in a different direction, approached us.
I greeted them with a downtrodden expression.
"How did you come across this location?"
"We heard rumors of a creature resembling the Divine Beast being spotted here, so we decided to investigate."
"Uncle Si, what's the situation with the Divine Beast? Did you manage to locate it?"
"Well, that's
I shared the events of earlier with everyone.
Upon hearing my account of the Divine Beast escaping through a dimensional gate, everyone's disappointment was palpable.
"It escaped through a dimensional gate?"
"I had no idea it possessed that capability."
"Then how are we supposed to capture it? If we pursue it, won't it just keep running through the gate!"
I nodded in agreement with Taeho's slightly frustrated statement.
This was a vastly different challenge than trying to find a lost puppy.
I turned to the two Angels with a dissatisfied expression.
"Why didn't you inform us beforehand that the Divine Beast had this ability? If we had known, wouldn't we have made different preparations?"
Urki grew visibly nervous and agitated at my questioning, while Ashmir, as per usual, maintained an impassive expression and replied coolly.
"Disclosing crucial information about the Divine Beast is against the rules. It's not possible for us to reveal the Divine Beast's abilities."
"What?! We're trying to assist here Ughh."
I struggled to keep my emotions in check.
Ryan, noticing my distress, gave me a reassuring pat on the shoulder, conveying his understanding of the situation.
I'd rather communicate with a wall than with the Angels!
This statement, spoken by someone about the Angels, came to mind once again.
The Angels' frustrating actions and attitudes were not new, but it was important to focus on capturing the Divine Beast that had fled.
Before thinking about how to locate it, I reflected on the peculiar situation I had just witnessed.
"Ms. Ashmir, Urki. Do you remember when we encountered the Divine Beast and approached it?"
"Yes."
"Of course, I remember."
"At that time, the Divine Beast was relaxed enough to accept a hot dog from a stranger, but as soon as it saw us, or more specifically, the two of you, it ran away. Isn't that strange?"
As the two Angels stated, there was no reason the Divine Beast should have fled from them.
I suspected that they were hiding something from me.
However, Urki protested with a resentful expression.
"I, I don't know why the Divine Beast ran away. I just followed instructions and took care of it as best I could. I never did anything to harm or scare it."
"What Apprentice Urki says is true. Although he was often clumsy, he did his best to take care of the Divine Beast."
"Well"
At their words, I set aside my suspicions.
Although the Angels' way of thinking was short-sighted and frustrating, I didn't believe they would outright lie.
I trusted the conviction in their words.
At present, I was unsure of the reason for the Divine Beast's flight.
The heartwarming image of a reuniting owner and lost pet had vanished, and now it seemed we would have to resort to capturing it forcibly.
But how in the world was I supposed to accomplish that?
If I attempted to capture it, it would likely flee through the dimensional gate again
Ryan approached me and spoke to me, who was preoccupied with the situation.
"Come to think of it, hasn't this happened before?"
"?"
"Of course, at that time, we weren't looking for a Divine Beast, but for a tomboy who ran away from home."