After his guess, Lucius cautiously eyed Amostar Bren's expression.
The reason why the Dark Lord attacked Azkaban, unless you are an irretrievably foolish person, anyone can understand. Basically, his most loyal and elite Death Eaters were being held in that prison!
And if the Dark Lord succeeds in finding a way to Azkaban, to free the most evil Death Eaters, the impact is immeasurable.
Needless to say, the Ministry of Magic's reputation would be thoroughly tarnished, and the British magical community would immediately be thrown into turmoil. It could even be said that this would be equivalent to the Dark Lord declaring his return to the world and blowing the horn for an assault.
In the previous conjecture, Amostar Bren would definitely be enraged upon hearing this news. At least, he would feel nervous.
Amostar Bren might not care about the authority of the Ministry of Magic being trampled upon, but he certainly wouldn't want to see the order of the magical world turned into chaos.
But the reality was very different from what he had imagined. Amostar Bren didn't show the slightest hint of nervousness. He simply leaned back on the sofa, rhythmically twisting his two index fingers.
"Rational deduction——"
Amostar nodded slightly, affirming Lucius's statement.
"Are you not going to stop?"
Amostar's reaction caught Lucius off guard. He asked in astonishment, but soon after, Amostar Bren's deep and unfathomable gaze made Lucius shiver, causing him to subconsciously lower his head.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Bren, I shouldn't have overstepped."
"It's alright, Lucius. I am not the Dark Lord, who is quick to take lives."
Amostar spoke in a calm and untroubled tone.
"But you must understand that knowing too much is not good for your current position."
Lucius nodded with a pale face.
Three months ago, he was the respected patriarch of the Malfoy family and a renowned business tycoon in both the British and European magical communities. But after the Dark Lord's resurrection, he had to act as a spy just to barely survive.
The Dark Lord has never been a magnanimous wizard, and Lucius wouldn't be so naive as to think that the matter of him damaging the Dark Lord's treasure would be overlooked. The reason the Dark Lord allowed his life to be spared was because he still had value to offer, especially considering that he had not yet gathered his crew.
If all the Death Eaters imprisoned at Azkaban were released, the Dark Lord would have many more options to choose from. Whether he would directly take away the lives of the Malfoys, or torture them thoroughly before destroying their family, would be a matter of uncertainty.
After all, it's going to be ruined either way.
The basic intelligence has been conveyed, and Lucius anxiously watched Bren, not knowing if he was satisfied with the information provided. Moreover, he expected that Bren would also assign him some tasks. He hoped they wouldn't be those suicidal missions.
As he digested the information brought by Lucius, the most valuable among them was undoubtedly Voldemort's attitude towards entering the Salazar Slaten's Golden Treasury.
Voldemort showed appropriate concern, but beyond that, the tension he displayed was undoubtedly further proof of his and Dumbledore's guess.
"Voldemort at Gringotts."
Amostar suddenly asked, but midway through his sentence, he stopped and pondered for a moment before continuing to ask,
"Back then, I mean when Voldemort was last active, besides you, who among his Death Eaters did he trust the most, Lucius?"
Most trusted Death Eater?
If he were to say so a dozen years ago, Lucius would have been proud to say that he was the Dark Lord's most trusted one, of course, reluctantly mentioning a few colleagues who had received similar favor. But now, Lucius can only smile bitterly.
"Based on my observation, Mr. Bren, Voldemort doesn't trust anyone, Mr. Bren--"
Lucius's expression was tinged with bitterness, and his voice was slightly hoarse.
"Of course, he only trusts himself. If you really want an answer, I think--"
Taking a deep breath, Lucius continued to say
"He trusts Severus, the Lestrange couple, the Carrow siblings, and Evan Rosier. In short, it's about those who are imprisoned in Azkaban."
"Um-"
Amostar nodded and fell into silence again.
If Voldemort really entrusted another of his Horcruxes to a Death Eater other than Lucius, and that Death Eater placed Voldemort's Horcrux in the vaults of Gringotts, then unless he gets an accurate answer, he will have to inspect each of these vaults individually.
If he really did this, first of all, forget the huge problem it would cause for Borgin and Burkes. Second, if Voldemort wasn't a fool, he would certainly realize that his involvement in the creation of Horcruxes would be known to himself and Dumbledore. This would be very disadvantageous in identifying the next few Horcruxes.
But this must be done, but a reasonable excuse is needed.
Even if Voldemort knew that he had forcibly opened the vault, he wouldn't think it was aimed at his Horcrux.
"There is something that requires your assistance, Lucius--"
Here we go!
As the long silence made Lucius feel restless, Amostar finally spoke, and upon hearing these words, Lucius felt a jolt in his heart yet also a great relief.
Since Bren is willing to assign himself tasks, this at least means two things: first, at least in Bren's eyes, he has value; second, it at least proves that Bren has some level of trust in him.
The patriarch of the Malfoy family feels relieved because he has been of value, which sounds rather poignant. However, this is the harsh reality of the current magical world.
When the Dark Lord returns to the magical world and decides to reignite the war, thousands of wizards will become victims of war. Only a few will be able to become the hands that control the game.
Although Bren's attitude towards him wasn't very pleasant, Lucius could feel that Bren wasn't treating him like a slave.
"It is my honor to be of service to you, Mr. Bren--"
As Lucius was about to get up, Amostar's slight hand immediately exerted a powerful force, keeping Lucius down on the sofa.
"There is one thing--"
Amostar lowered his hand, speaking in a calm and undisturbed manner.
"Given that the position of the professor of Dark Magic Defense at Hogwarts has been vacant for several months, Fudge has recommended his trusted assistant, Dolores Umbridge, to become the professor of this subject."
Fudge has recommended Umbridge to take up the post of Dark Magic Defense professor?
Lucius first hesitated, then his eyelids twitched. He blurted out,
"Your meaning is that the Ministry of Magic is trying to interfere with Hogwarts?"
"It's obvious, isn't it?"
Amostar smiled.
"What do you want me to do?"
Lucius became cautious. He watched Amostar carefully.
"Should you wish for me to use the influence of the Malfoy family to interfere with Fudge's decision, it will be difficult, and if the Dark Lord were to learn of this, he would probably be pleased to see conflict between the Ministry and you."
"Yes, Voldemort would certainly enjoy seeing such a situation arise, so--"
Amostar smiled deeply with meaning,
"I want you to go and report this to Voldemort and persuade him. I want you to help Constance Fudge, to stir the pot on this issue; he will definitely agree."
As Amostar spoke, Lucius's confused face gradually became suspicious and doubtful.
Is Bren mad? Is he driving himself to his death?!
"Why do you want me to do this, Mr. Bren?"
Finally, Lucius couldn't help but ask,
"You know I understand if I do this, the Ministry of Magic will force Hogwarts, and Hogwarts will be destroyed! You can't hold on!"
(Chapter ends)
