Regulus of Hogwarts: Lord of the Stars

After listening, Orion quietly pondered for a moment.

Two things: one he knew the outcome of but not the cause of, and one he was completely unaware of. Both were committed by Dorfen Roll, with clear targets and heinous methods.

In the rules of purebloods, this is a deliberate offense against bloodlines. The fact that an heir of one family is targeted twice by an heir of another family is a perfectly valid argument when it comes to contract magic.

Orion picked up his teacup, took a sip, and looked at Regulus.

This certainly constitutes an offense, and the terms of the contract are met, but to initiate a family revenge contract that hasn't been used for hundreds of years based on these two incidents would be considered an overreaction by anyone else.

The Roll family, no matter what, is one of the Twenty-Eight Holy Clans. Although they are not ranked high, they have been operating in the British magical world for over a dozen generations. They own businesses, have vassals, and their reputation is enough to make those outside the Twenty-Eight Clans bow down.

But it was Regulus who wanted to do it. His son was always steady and never acted impulsively. Since he had brought it up, it meant he had thought it through and made a decision.

Then there's no question about it. If his son wants to do it, he'll support him, but we still need to confirm and finalize some details.

"A family revenge contract, are you sure you want to do this?"

Regulus said casually, "Because it's the cleanest and the most direct."

Both father and son knew how old the contract was; it was from the 12th century, existing even before the laws of secrecy.

Back then, pure-blood families were constantly feuding, and a single conflict could last for generations, with people killing each other without any restraint.

After defeating each other, they would retaliate, bringing in their respective relatives and allies. The hatred between the families would snowball, eventually engulfing the entire European magical world.

Driven to desperation, the various families sat down and established a set of rules: feuds could be fought, but it had to be done in a ritualistic way.

There are time and scope restrictions, third parties are not allowed to interfere, the game is over once it's over, and there are standards for winning and losing, as well as ways to deal with the outcome after winning or losing.

Over the centuries, fewer and fewer problems can be solved using this set of rules.

After the implementation of the Secrets Act, the Ministry of Magic attempted to monopolize judicial power, dragging all disputes between families to the courts of Wizengamor to be resolved. The number of pure-blood families was also decreasing, and they could not withstand this systematic drain.

However, this set of rules has never been formally abolished. Any pure-blood family that denies its validity is tantamount to denying the oldest order of pure-blood society.

Orion's voice was steady: "You know the conditions."

"If one party has a legitimate reason to offend the other, they can state it in the contract. The contract magic will determine whether it is valid and the contract will take effect unilaterally. The other party will be notified directly under the mechanism of the magic, without needing the other party's consent, presence, or any intermediaries."

Regulus's stance was exactly the same as Orion's: "Once the contract takes effect, all ties between the two families will be severed, social interactions will cease, business will be terminated, and the political alliance will be dissolved. From the date of the declaration, a state of war will be declared."

The agreement stipulates a 28-day time limit. Both sides may attack each other's family members at any time and place. Third parties are prohibited from intervening. Any non-member of either race who attacks either side will trigger a backlash from the contract.

He continued, "Everything belonging to the loser belongs to the winner: property, manor, magical items, all family accumulations, and the living surrender, hand over their wands, and accept their fate."

Orion nodded and said with certainty, "The Rohr family will not apologize."

"No," Regulus said casually. "They are a violent family that has established itself in the pureblood circle through bloodshed and brutality. For the Roll family to apologize would be like slapping themselves in the face in public. Old Roll would rather fight a war he loses than bow his head in public."

And even if he had a brain fart and apologized publicly, offered compensation, and handed over everything, the Luo family would still be finished.

Therefore, this is the cleanest and most direct approach.

The Rollers are not the Malfoys. The Malfoys have survived for generations through speculation and intrigue, knowing when to bow down and when to turn against their masters. The Rollers understand this too, but they won't do it that way. They've used violence their whole lives, and they won't change their tactics even in their old age.

The flames flickered in the fireplace, and the firewood crackled.

Orion placed the teacup back on the table, leaned back, and looked at Regulus with his gray eyes, raising the question that had to be discussed.

"You know who the Luo family is backed by."

"The most crucial clause in the contract is that no third party may intervene," Regulus shrugged. "This clause not only binds the Roll family's allies, but also Voldemort."

He had certainly considered what Voldemort would do if the Black family initiated the pact.

The Rolle family was one of the first pure-blood families to join Voldemort, doing dirty work for many years, interrogating, torturing, and executing traitors. They were Voldemort's most handy weapon.

But he won't interfere.

Voldemort is now the leader of the pureblood faction, and his power is based on the banner of protecting the interests of purebloods.

The family vengeance pact is one of the oldest rules in pure-blood society, dating back to the 12th century. It is older than the Ministry of Magic, hundreds of years older than Voldemort, and not far removed from the era of Slytherin himself.

If he denies this rule and forcibly intervenes, it would be tantamount to denying the pureblood tradition in front of all pureblood families.

What would the pure-blood families who follow him think if a leader who claims to uphold the pure-blood order were to trample on the oldest pure-blood order?

There are also political costs; the Black family will make the terms public when the contract is released, so everyone knows that no third party can intervene.

This was certainly not a threat to Voldemort; the Black family had no right to threaten him.

But Voldemort will weigh the options himself. The rules are out in the open, and the whole world is watching whether he chooses to obey or break them.

He was able to sit in the Dark Lord's position because of fear, but he knew very well the balance between fear and trust.

He doesn't care about loyalty, but he can't ignore the stability of the pureblood faction.

"Moreover," Regulus shifted his posture, leaning forward slightly and resting his elbows on his knees, "he won't lose out no matter who wins."

Orion's eyebrows lowered: "How so?"

"The Roll family won. Everything the Black family owns belongs to them. Roll is his man. The Black family's assets, political resources, and network of connections all flow into his hands through the Roll family. It's cleaner than if he had personally swallowed up the Black family. He doesn't have to do anything. Pure-blood tradition will do everything for him."

Regulus continued, "The Roll family lost, and they're short-handed, but the Roll family isn't the only Death Eater who can fight and is willing to do dirty work. Dolph, Nott, and Avery are all lined up waiting to move up. The Roll family is gone, but the vacant positions will be filled within three days."

He concluded by saying, "So as long as the cost is clear, his most rational choice is to sit on the sidelines and watch us fight and see the result. No matter who wins, he can get what he wants."

The father and son looked at each other; their gray eyes appeared very similar in color in the fireplace light.

The flames in the fireplace flickered again, and the study fell silent for a moment.

Orion picked up his teacup, took a sip, put it down, and his eyes gleamed slightly in the green firelight.

With the Voldemort issue set aside, the conversation turned to the Roll family itself.

"We need to investigate the strength of the Roll family," Orion said, his posture relaxed and his voice less serious. "Old Roll, Dag Roll, was quite capable when he was young. There are a few stories circulating in the pureblood circle about him. He was ruthless, and several elite Aurors under his command have fallen to him."

He hasn't made many public appearances in recent years, probably because he's working for Voldemort. As he gets older, his reactions might be a bit slower, but his mastery of dark magic will only deepen, making him difficult to deal with, though not quite at the top level.

They definitely have people under their command; after all, they belong to one of the Twenty-Eight Tribes, and they have no shortage of vassals. The exact number and distribution of their combat power need to be investigated.

The manor is located in the moors of northern Yorkshire. We also need to investigate its specific defensive magic, terrain, and entrances/exits.

Regulus listened quietly.

For a patriarch of one of the twenty-eight clans, magical prowess is only one component of his overall power.

The family's inherited defensive magic, along with hundreds of years of accumulated alchemical and magical artifacts, combined make a pure-blooded family patriarch a completely different level of opponent in his own manor compared to when he's outside.

As for Dorfin Roll, he's just a piece of trash, not worth paying attention to.

"I'll handle the initial preparations," Orion continued. "Intelligence gathering, vassal forces, manor defense, member whereabouts, and family connections can all be taken care of."

Before making the announcement, the Malfoy, Rozier, and Cuthbert families need to be informed. No details need to be provided; just let them know that the Black family will be making moves soon.

"After the announcement, the Ministry of Magic will react," he frowned. "It's hard to say whether Crouch will cause trouble. Although contracts are not under the Ministry of Magic's jurisdiction, someone might use this to make trouble in Wizengamor afterward."

He thought for a moment, then his brow relaxed: "I can guarantee that my position will not be investigated afterward. Contracts are an ancient and legal tradition, and the Ministry of Magic has no right to deny them. If Crouch really comes looking for trouble afterward, the Black family can make sure he can't even hold onto his current position."

After saying that, he raised his eyes and looked at Regulus: "We'll decide on the forces to be deployed once we get the intelligence. You will lead the vassal forces to attack, while your mother and I will guard the home. That's the general direction; we'll discuss the details later."

Regulus looked at his father and nodded slightly.

With intelligence, politics, and law advancing simultaneously, this is Orion's domain, and with his father involved, he naturally has complete peace of mind.

But he had another plan in mind.

The Rolle family is one of the Twenty-Eight Holy Clans, not some second-rate bunch. Destroying the Rolle family would have an impact that extends beyond Britain.

The Ministries of Magic in neighboring countries will take notice, the pure-blood community in Europe will be shaken, and every institution that has dealings with pure-blood society will pay attention.

The reactivation of an ancient contract that hadn't been used for centuries sends a signal that the rules of the game among pure-blood families are changing.

Once the contract takes effect, it's no longer a question of who wins and who loses between the two families; it's a matter of one side directly erasing the other from history.

The existing order will be disrupted. Some people will feel uneasy, some will panic, but standing at the very center of the upheaval, his soul will receive a true nourishment.

After he does this, the mark he leaves in the magical world will be so deep that it will be etched into everyone's memory.

He was certain that Betelgeuse would be bright.

"After completing this, my soul will advance further," Regulus said with a slight smile. "The plan I mentioned before, the ultimate form of the Disintegration Curse, can also move forward after this is done."

"The Manhattan Project," Orion said casually, with a hint of smug satisfaction, as if to say, "Your dad knows a thing or two." "I've looked into it."

He did check.

He is a pure-blood wizard, a member of the Wizengamot family, the head of the Black family, and his entire world revolves around magic.

But after his son told him about the self-sustaining chain of the Disintegration Curse, he went to look up the Muggle records himself.

The Manhattan Project, that tower in the desert, the ruins of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the chain reaction of nuclear fission.

The Muggles did it, in their way, and his son wanted to do the same with magic, so of course he wanted to know what that was.

He knew that Regulus had a method for nourishing the soul, derived from Nicolas Flamel, using experiences and external influence.

These reasons—justifiable offense, compliant contract, beneficial to the family, beneficial to the soul, beneficial to the ultimate form of the Disintegration Curse—each one is valid, each one is sufficient to support this decision.

But even without these reasons, if Regulus wanted to do it, and it was legitimate, he wouldn't stop him.

He didn't think the Black family would lose; of course, the Black family wouldn't lose.

It was completely dark outside the window, and the teacup was empty, with only a layer of cool, amber liquid remaining at the bottom.

Orion stood up, walked to the window, and pulled the curtains open a crack.

The London night lay quietly outside the window, the streetlights casting dim halos around the cobblestones.

Most of the windows in the houses across the street were lit up, and people were watching TV, with blue and white lights flashing.

"Go for it, your family supports you."

Regulus nodded, a relaxed smile flashing in his eyes. "Thank you, Father."

"Rest now, take a break. Lucius and Narcissa's wedding is the day after tomorrow."

Regulus blinked, almost forgetting about it.

Goodnight, Father.

Orion turned back from the window: "Goodnight."

Regulus left the study.