Meanwhile, Michael had absolutely no idea what the nobles inside the capital were currently discussing about him.

And even if he somehow learned they were discussing him right now, he still would not have cared much.

To Michael, things were actually very simple.

The people he wanted would eventually be found.

If they chose to run away from him, then that only proved they themselves understood they were guilty.

And if someone attempted to protect or stop them from being punished, then that only proved those people were partners of the guilty as well.

Michael did not consider himself some bloodthirsty madman.

At least, he genuinely did not think so.

These people were not innocent.

If he backed down now simply because he feared some unknown consequences, more people would suffer.

Even if those people could never personally threaten him, they could still continue ruining countless other lives beneath them just like they always had.

And was he truly supposed to simply let Arianne’s death pass quietly like this?

Michael genuinely could not understand that kind of thinking.

"Oh, she’s dead already, so everyone else should simply be forgiven."

To him, that mindset made absolutely no sense whatsoever.

If anything, Arianne’s death only made certain things unavoidable.

In any case, Michael’s current attention was no longer focused on the capital for now. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

It was focused entirely on Wisdom.

Inside the Everlong Forest, Michael stood silently while looking toward the massive creature floating before him.

Or more accurately...

The owl that could no longer truly be called an owl anymore.

Compared to before, Wisdom’s appearance had undergone enormous changes after evolving into the Abyssal Voidwing Owl.

Its body had become significantly larger.

The feathers covering it no longer looked like ordinary feathers at all. Instead, they resembled layers of dark crystalline matter that reflected faint silver-purple light.

Its eyes had also changed completely to pure white.

Once again though, even with Michael’s blood mixed into its evolution, Wisdom still shared no particular resemblance to him whatsoever.

Michael quietly observed everything.

Then slowly...

Wisdom opened its eyes fully.

BOOOOOOM!!!

The surrounding space instantly distorted violently.

Michael’s pupils narrowed slightly.

What terrifying spatial affinity.

At the same time, Wisdom’s gaze landed on Michael.

For a brief moment, the enormous owl looked terrifyingly unfamiliar.

Its pure white eyes seemed empty, almost like two silent holes opened directly into space itself. Combined with its crystalline feathers and the faint spatial cracks flickering around its body, it looked less like the pet Michael was familiar with and more like some strange bizarre creature.

Then Wisdom tilted its head.

The intimidating atmosphere disappeared almost instantly.

Michael stared at it for a few seconds before suddenly smiling faintly.

It did not matter how much Wisdom changed.

In the end, this was still his baby pet.

Michael raised his hand and rubbed Wisdom’s head heavily.

Wisdom’s eyes narrowed slightly in satisfaction as it leaned into his palm, its massive body shrinking slightly until it became a more manageable size.

Though Michael paid more attention to its newly acquired trait, Wisdom had also gained several skills from its evolution as well.

Manipulating its body size was one of them, something that greatly satisfied Michael.

In fact, even if Wisdom had not naturally gained the ability, Michael would have eventually taught it somehow.

Michael’s mood eased slightly afterward.

After several moments, he finally withdrew his hand.

"It’s time to visit the capital."

His voice was calm, but the coldness hidden beneath it had not disappeared.

At this point, Michael knew he could no longer participate in Aurora’s attack on the demonic faction.

At least, not during the early stages.

That was somewhat unfortunate.

However, if he finished dealing with the empire, Arianne, and the Lionheart Kingdom only to discover that the Federation and several academies were still locked in battle against the demonic faction, that would not be good news either.

It would mean the situation had already entered a truly heated stage.

Michael lightly rubbed Wisdom’s head again.

"For now, you’ll be the main transporter on this journey."

Wisdom blinked slowly.

Michael looked toward the direction of the Lionheart capital.

"Let’s see how far you can go."

The moment his words fell, Wisdom’s wings spread slightly.

Space around them folded inward.

A silent ripple swallowed both Michael and Wisdom.

In the next instant, the Everlong Forest disappeared from sight.

Michael and Wisdom reappeared silently beneath a dark evening sky.

A cold wind brushed past Michael’s face.

The surroundings looked somewhat familiar to him.

Several seconds passed before Michael’s eyes narrowed slightly in recollection.

"...This place."

He remembered it.

This was one of the outer wasteland regions bordering the Lionheart Kingdom’s central territory. Back then, when he had first traveled to the capital, he had crossed this exact area aboard a flying ship.

At the time, even with the speed of the flying ship, crossing this region alone had still taken a considerable amount of time.

Michael slowly looked around again.

Then his expression changed slightly afterward.

The distance was ridiculous.

From Thornvale to this location alone was already estimated to be over three thousand kilometers away.

Michael’s eyes narrowed slightly while looking toward Wisdom.

Back on Earth, this distance alone was already comparable to crossing several smaller states entirely.

Even he had not expected something this absurd.

At Rank 2, Wisdom’s spatial movement abilities were already terrifying enough.

But now?

After evolving into an Epic-grade Rank 3 creature and gaining the trait Blessed by the Void...

Its control over space had clearly undergone a qualitative transformation.

Most terrifying of all, Michael could tell Wisdom had not even reached its limit yet.

The owl itself did not even appear tired.

Instead, Wisdom simply blinked innocently at him before letting out a soft hoot as if asking whether it had performed well.

Michael stared at it for a few seconds.

Then he suddenly laughed softly.

"You little monster..."

Wisdom tilted its head proudly.

"With this speed, we only need a few more jumps before we reach the capital."

After giving Wisdom another direction, the two disappeared once more.

*

A/N: Thank you, Blair_Thomas and The_Northern_paths, for the massive support! I truly appreciate the continued support from every single reader, and happy 1,000 Chapters! More Chapters tomorrow!

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