Regulus of Hogwarts: Lord of the Stars

Chapter 392 The Invisible Edge

Narcissa's mother, Druella, is, by relation, Regulus's aunt.

I saw him quite a few times at family gatherings when I was a child, but I've seen him less often since I grew up, though we're still close relatives.

But at the funeral that day, he and Druella didn't even exchange a glance.

Firstly, the occasion was inappropriate, and secondly, he beat someone's daughter so badly.

He couldn't bring himself to say he felt even a little bit guilty about what happened with Bella; it would be a lie.

Since we've already fought, we've fought; we're in the right either way.

She struck first, she used black magic first, she emitted the green light first, and then she lost, that's all.

Even Voldemort didn't argue with him, said a few other things, and then took the man away.

Even if Druella, as a mother, was unhappy, what could she say?

That being said, Druella was, after all, his aunt, and Segnas, his uncle, was Volbuga's older brother; they were all relatives.

But then again, the two families don't interact very often to begin with, and Bella's actions have probably added another thorn in their side.

Since we see each other so rarely anyway, if we don't see each other, then we don't see each other.

On the day of the funeral, Arcturus III also arrived, but did not say a word to him from beginning to end.

Regulus felt it was a bit of a pity and planned to find an opportunity to sit down and have a chat with his grandfather.

It wasn't about family ties; he treated his grandfather and maternal grandfather the same—not very close, not even very familiar.

What he actually wanted to talk about was Arcturus I.

Orion's great-grandfather, one of the longest-lived members of the Black family, lived to be 137 years old. In his later years, he went mad, pushing his physical body to its limits, which in turn imprisoned his soul within it.

His last words were: "The container is too sturdy, the things inside can't get out, I've trapped myself."

The notebook was sealed deep within the forbidden book section. Orion only flipped through three pages before his head began to ache so badly that he dared not look any further.

Regulus still remembers this to this day.

A person who pushes their body to the extreme, but ends up imprisoning their soul.

His later contemplation on the soul, and whether a living person could allow their soul to leave their body, began here.

Unfortunately, he died young, so I couldn't ask him the questions in person.

But his grandfather, Arcturus III, was still alive. This old man was the closest to Arcturus I at present and should be the one who knew the most about that past.

I should really have a good chat with him if I get the chance.

Regulus snapped out of his reverie, stood up and walked around a bit to eat, then sat down on a chair by the window, closed his eyes, and let his consciousness sink.

In the realm of the mind, each of the six stars finds its place.

Betelgeuse was burning fiercely in the upper left, its dark red light pushing outwards in layers.

In the center of Orion, a steady, warm blue-white light guards that place.

The three belt buckles are arranged in a line in the middle, maintaining the order of the entire system.

He reads the Star Trail Meditation every day; he knows it by heart.

My consciousness swept to the bottom right corner, to the constellation Serpentis.

Usually, it's just a faint light, bright but barely noticeable, still with that "if you can't handle it, don't bother me" attitude.

Looking at it again this time, it's a little different.

The darkness in that spot was deeper than usual. As soon as his consciousness sank into the vicinity, he sensed something was wrong. There was something in that area, heavy and weighty, with a substantial feel.

From the outside, it is still the most inconspicuous of the six stars, but the deeper you explore, the more you realize that it has changed.

All these changes are hidden inside; you can't see them on the surface at all. You can't even see the changes themselves.

Regulus stared at it for a while, and then he roughly understood where the change came from.

I did two things today, one of which was done quietly and without fanfare.

The three kinds of murderous intent shocked Greyback. He used Legilimency to search the empty house and planted an anchor point for Hufflepuff. No one understood what he did from beginning to end, not even Lucius.

One was the final, fierce fire, which rose and then went out, causing all the werewolves to tremble in fear, a sight Lucius also witnessed clearly.

Since Betelgeuse has reacted, it must be due to the invisible sharpness of the flames; what could possibly provoke it is not the raging fire.

Everyone saw that fire; it was so blatant that it was impossible to see anything at all.

The only things that can make it heavy are those unseen parts in front of it.

This wasn't the first time he'd exerted force outwards.

Earlier at school, during the competition for the top spot among the new students, he taught Rosalie Selwyn to cast a complete Ironclad Charm in front of all the Slytherins, an influence that spread throughout Hogwarts.

Later, at Christmas, they beat Bella and burned down Lestrange Manor. It was quite a sensation; any wizard with any ability in the British magical world should have heard about it.

When he did these things, he was aiming to illuminate Betelgeuse, exert influence outwards, and show his prowess; he wasn't going down the wrong path.

However, the light of Betelgeuse was always faint; the direction was right, but the timing was always off.

It wasn't until after defeating Bellatrix and facing Voldemort that it showed signs of weakness for the first time, but it only held back its strength and didn't truly change.

Today was the first time we truly faced off. I fought him in front of everyone, letting him experience his power firsthand, and the result was laid bare before everyone's eyes.

No one could tell what methods he used, let alone whether it was him who made the move.

The results are visible, but the brilliance is invisible; this is what Rigel (参宿六) is all about.

He had already considered several ways to light up Betelgeuse.

For the first time, I truly exert a decisive influence on the outside world, see through what others cannot see, and achieve my goals by doing so. I accept that sharpness can bring destruction, but I do not give up using it because of this.

These are things that should be done, and he has been doing them all along.

But doing these things is not enough. Even if you do them, the six stars of the constellation will loosen up and gather strength, but they will not be able to shine through.

The real challenge lies in the core imagery of that star, in making the things you do inherently possess an unseen sharpness.

It follows the same pattern as Betelgeuse.

It took nearly half a year for Betelgeuse to go from being dimly lit to being fully illuminated, all thanks to truly grasping the core imagery of protection.

This time, he stumbled upon the right place by accident, which is why Betelgeuse reacted.

But that's just a reaction.

Dozens of werewolves and one Lucius are too light and small to be a significant threat, but they are enough to illustrate the point, not enough to provide any real illumination.

He was still far from truly illuminating the path, unsure of how far he was from it or what he needed to accomplish.

He finally got things sorted out.

The so-called unseen sharpness is neither hidden nor concealed; it strikes in front of everyone, letting the results come crashing down and letting everyone know how powerful it is.

But no one could see where this power came from or how it was achieved.

With this step settled, the path ahead becomes clear, and the Luo family can now be put on the agenda.

Regulus opened his eyes. It was getting dark outside the window; most of the afternoon had passed.

The dinner was held in a small dining room, not as grand as the Malfoys’s ballroom, but still quite impressive.

The silverware on the long table gleamed, and several magic candles hung in mid-air, their flames steady, not a single drop of wax falling.

One dish after another was served.

The suckling pig was roasted until it was glistening with oil, and the skin was so crispy that it cracked at the slightest touch of a fork. The foie gras was pan-fried until the edges were charred, sliced, and placed on top of figs, then drizzled with an amber-colored sauce.

A whole salmon lay on a silver plate, baked to a golden brown, the flesh still translucent pink. Creamy asparagus soup was served in a porcelain bowl with gold rims. When the lid was lifted, steam carrying the aroma of truffles rose up.

There was also stewed lamb shank until tender, roasted quail wrapped in truffles, and a glossy cold jelly platter.

Narcissa was already seated, dressed in a light purple fitted long dress, which was both comfortable and dignified. Her hair was loosely tied up, with a few strands hanging down beside her ears.

Seeing Regulus enter, she looked up and smiled: "Regulus."

"Cousin."

Regulus sat down opposite her, his expression relaxed, a smile on his face.

Lucius sat down, poured himself a drink, and also poured one for Narcissa.

Narcissa took the wine glass, lightly touched the back of his hand with her fingers, and the two exchanged a glance, their affection palpable.

Regulus picked up the sparkling water; the glass was icy cold. The bubbles that rose to the surface burst open, flashing pale blue specks of light that flickered and then went out.

Lucius raised his glass to Regulus, turned his head to look at Narcissa, and said in a relaxed, slightly teasing tone, "Finally got her here. She's been talking about it for days."

"I'm nagging?" Narcissa glanced at him sideways, then turned to Regulus to complain.

"June is still several months away," she said, tilting her head toward Lucius with a smile. "The design of the invitations has been decided three times and is still not finalized. Some people are nitpicking endlessly about the gold lettering."

"That's an invitation." Lucius put down his wine glass, his face serious, without a hint of joking.

"Who are these people coming to witness the ceremony? How many years will they be dealing with our family? If the handwriting is wrong, they'll pick it up and immediately think it's not solemn enough."

He looked at Narcissa: "A wedding is a huge event, what's wrong with being a little particular?"

Narcissa tilted her head towards Regulus, giving him a knowing look, her smile impossible to hide.

Regulus picked up his sparkling water, took a sip, and looked at the two of them.

Narcissa is very happy.

The conversation continued about the wedding, with Regulus listening from the side, occasionally chiming in with a word or two, but mostly watching the two of them while sipping his sparkling water.

Narcissa mentioned flowers, wanting white roses mixed with lavender, but the lavender didn't bloom well in June, so she had to use magic to force it, but the forced blooms didn't look natural.

Lucius suggested a different kind, but Narcissa said no, she had loved lavender since she was a child.

Lucius thought about it carefully and came up with a plan: he could have the greenhouse cultivate a special batch and start preparing it tomorrow.

Narcissa looked at him and smiled with satisfaction.

Regulus was a little distracted.

He had attended weddings, in Andromeda, but it was his cousin's wedding, and he was responsible for escorting the bride.

As for wedding preparations, he had never been married and couldn't offer any useful advice, such as how the lavender was blooming in June.

So when Lucius mentioned the font of the invitation, he nodded; when Narcissa mentioned lavender, he nodded; and when Lucius said, "What's wrong with being particular?", he nodded again.

Narcissa suddenly turned her head, looked at him for a moment, and concluded: "You weren't listening at all."

Regulus shook his head, his tone sincere: "I listened to every single word."

Narcissa leaned closer, looking into his eyes: "Then tell me, what did you just say?"

Lucius raised an eyebrow and leaned back, holding his wine glass.

"Lavender," Regulus said, taking a sip of his sparkling water. "It didn't bloom well in June."

Narcissa stared at him a few more times, then turned to Lucius and said, "He's not listening at all."

Lucius raised his cup to Regulus, looking relaxed with a slight, complex smile.

The tolerance that only a man about to get married would show towards a child who hasn't yet come to his senses.

You don't understand now, but you will in the future.

At the same time, there's a touch of schadenfreude, which you'll understand in the future.

Regulus smiled, raised his glass, and the pale blue sparkles of the sparkling water danced on the rim.