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“So, Vice-Captain Fonkt has escaped?”

Yuoh Nevilnel, upon receiving the report, wore a blatantly disappointed expression.

Perhaps feeling guilty for causing that reaction, the elderly gentleman hurried to smooth things over.

“My apologies, our Saint. By the time my son went to take him into custody, he had already fled the Dines family’s estate. It seems the second daughter of the Dines family is also missing, and the whole household has fallen into an uproar.”

“You did search for him, I assume?”

“But of course. The Dines family’s heir himself cooperated diligently. That household may officially present themselves as divided—head of family siding with the Emperor, heir siding with the anti-Emperor faction—but in practice, they are anti-Emperor. They can be trusted. So, please, do not lose heart.”