The envoy had not been completely honest. Of course, it was also possible it was because Michael hadn’t given him enough time to speak.

In any case, during their conversation Michael silently pieced together the scattered fragments of information obtained from the memories of the other four dead men. And the more he thought about it, the uglier his expression became.

Truthfully speaking, Michael’s original impression of Arianne had always been relatively simple. Gentle. Kind. A little timid at times. Though when truly necessary, she could still show determination.

But plotting to assassinate an imperial prince? That was not something Michael would normally associate with her. Especially not after hearing the Third Prince’s identity and status.

Arianne was not stupid. So why did she still do it?

Based on his impression of her, if Arianne was in trouble she could not handle, her first actions would either be to run, hide, or seek help. Thanks to the memories of the other four dead men, Michael had already learned it was because she no longer had anywhere left to run.

Two of those men had been Rank 2 supernaturals. And coincidentally, those same two had participated in an operation against the Evermoon Manor several days ago.

Although neither of them were leaders of the operation, they still knew fragments of the truth due to being part of the attacking force. The reason for the assault had been simple.

The Evermoon Family was accused of colluding with an enemy of the empire.

Michael did not even need to think deeply to understand that something had definitely happened to Duke Evermoon. Perhaps he had already been imprisoned. Perhaps worse.

Either way, Arianne definitely knew. Which explained everything afterward.

If her father had already fallen, if the empire had already turned their attention toward the Evermoon Family, and if Princess Priscilla herself was unable to help, then who exactly could Arianne seek protection from?

No one.

Michael slowly closed his eyes briefly. The more he connected the pieces together, the clearer the image became in his mind.

Arianne had probably realized very early that there was no escape. So instead of fleeing, she chose a final struggle. A final attempt to bite back before death.

Michael lowered his gaze toward her pale face again.

"...Idiot."

His voice was extremely soft. But there was no mockery within it.

From the memories he had viewed, Michael had also gained a rough impression of the empire’s Third Prince. Truthfully speaking, the man did not appear particularly impressive. At least not in Michael’s eyes.

In truth the man genuinely did look extremely weak based on his appearance. Arianne had probably underestimated him because of this.

Of course, though his cultivation was naturally far above Arianne’s, his actual combat instincts did not seem especially remarkable, otherwise Arianne would never have succeeded in crippling him even partially. The fact that she managed to destroy one of his balls before dying already proved he was not exactly a strong fighter.

Michael’s fingers lightly brushed across Arianne’s crimson-stained hair once more.

He remained seated silently for a long time. The shattered remains of the envoy still covered the hall walls while blood slowly dripped onto the wooden floor below. Arianne’s severed head rested quietly in his hand. Meanwhile, the shadows around the hall had already calmed somewhat.

Eventually, Michael exhaled slowly.

"To do anything else, I need to be at the capital."

His voice was low and calm. However, despite the killing intent still lingering within his eyes, Michael had not completely lost rationality.

Right now, he could not leave immediately. Wisdom’s evolution was still incomplete. So no matter how much he wanted to immediately rush toward the Lionheart capital, he still restrained himself.

However, though he could not personally leave yet, that did not mean he could do nothing.

From the memories of the dead men, Michael already knew the Third Prince currently remained within the Lionheart capital. And more importantly, the imperial delegation would likely remain there for quite a long time. After all, weakening the kingdom politically was not something accomplished in a few days.

The prince could wait.

But before that, Michael’s eyes slowly narrowed. He would first send a small gift.

Slowly, Michael turned his gaze toward the corpses scattered throughout the hall. Or more accurately, toward the four remaining corpses. The fifth no longer existed. Only scattered blood and flesh remained after Michael had exploded him moments ago.

As for why Michael had not bothered reading that man’s memories before killing him, there had been no need. From the memories of the others, Michael already knew the truth. That fellow had not actually been the envoy. He was merely a servant, one of many attached to the real envoy’s entourage.

Of course, among ordinary people, such a servant still possessed relatively high status. But to Michael, he was worthless. In fact, all five of them were worthless.

Michael’s gaze gradually deepened. A calm look slowly appeared on his face again. This time it carried a distinctly cruel edge.

The Third Prince wanted to send him a gift. Very well. He would return one himself.

Meanwhile, back in Aurora, Michael had already returned home.

Fortunately for him, both Aunt Mia and Lily were currently outside together, leaving the house relatively quiet. Only Jester remained, which worked perfectly for Michael.

Right now, he was not in the mood to speak with anyone else.

The lifelike undead sat silently within the living room, flipping through a thick book with his usual calm. The moment Michael entered the house, Jester’s eyes slowly lifted toward him. Immediately, he noticed something was wrong. The aura around Michael felt unusually cold.

Michael went directly to sit beside Jester, and immediately the head of Arianne appeared in his hands.

Jester’s gaze briefly shifted downward. Silence lingered briefly inside the room.

Then Michael finally spoke. "...Is it possible to raise someone from the dead?"

*

A/N: Thank you Blair_Thomas/Dark_One and every reader for the continued support!!! A Mass release has been requested by many of you. Due to story progress it’s also needed so next Chapter update will be a mass release to prevent stalled reading progress.