"Hostages?"
When Lidas and Anima said that, Shien was stunned for a moment.
Then he realized what they meant.
"You mean Iris and the others?"
Shien hurriedly asked.
"That's right." Anima nodded, her expression somewhat grave. "Iris and her Priestly Corps, along with the Goddess who went with them to support the Beastmen Race a month ago, were captured by the traitor tribes of the Beastmen Race led by Geura. We've finally found their whereabouts."
As she said this, Anima herself felt conflicted.
Anima was no stranger to Geura.
He was indeed capable and full of potential. He could have received her blessing, and it would not have been surprising if he had eventually become the true king of the Beastmen Race.
His very existence was unusual. He belonged to no particular type of beastfolk, yet possessed the strengths of every beastfolk. To Anima, the birth of such a special lifeform, one that combined the traits of the entire Beastmen Race, was nothing short of a miracle.
Originally, Anima had been quite delighted by Geura's birth.
But that man had a vicious temperament. He showed no respect for life, and he was dark and cold by nature. He had even dared to murder his own father merely to seize the position of tribal chief and become the leader of the tribe.
Anima did not approve of such a disposition.
Thus, not only had Anima refused to grant Geura her blessing, she had even given him a rather harsh assessment.
Now, Geura had dragged the entire Beastmen Race into betraying the God Race and humanity, joining the camp of the New Primal Demon. In a sense, this both shocked Anima and failed to surprise her.
She had already known deep down that this mixed-blood beastfolk would one day do something wrong.