#096. The Weeping Woman (6)
"Aaaaaaaah───!"
Lady Lenia's bloodcurdling scream pierced through the wind. The destructive elements carried by her voice shattered everything around them.
Crrrrrack──!
Walls collapsed. The ceiling tilted.
Snap! Crackle!
Even the translucent barrier protecting the two boys developed massive fissures. Ray quickly channeled white mana to reinforce it.
...This magic’s no joke.
When they’d been on another floor, they’d remained safely outside the scream’s radius. But facing its full force now exceeded all expectations—a maelstrom of wind and sound waves, both magic types operating far beyond Lady Lenia’s usual circle level.
And the reason?
Emotion.
Sorrow and rage.
Hatred and regret.
The mana circulating through her resonated with these rampaging feelings in her emotional vessel, achieving absurd efficiency.
"Aaaaaaaaaaah─!" Another scream.
"My son. Our boy."
"Mommy will protect you."
The whispers echoed like ghosts in their ears. Through the flying debris, they glimpsed Lady Lenia clutching a weathered wooden box.
"W-we need to stop her magic first! At this rate, the mansion’ll collapse on her!"
"It’s not just her body at risk."
"What do you mean?"
"Her mind’s in danger too. Her emotions are running wild. The vessel holding her feelings won’t last much longer before shattering."
Philip’s face hardened—he’d heard what happened when Walter’s vessel broke.
"Then how do we prevent—"
"We need to calm her emotions."
"......"
"And you’d know that better than me."
Former hotel manager. Negotiator who’d brokered countless deals with marketplace vendors. At sixteen, Philip already navigated more complex relationships than most adults.
That’s why Ray had brought him here—to find a way to soothe Lady Lenia without destroying the necklace.
"Any ideas for calming someone down?"
Philip pondered before answering: "Comfort... Share their feelings while comforting them." Anger. Grief. Despair—countless ways existed to diffuse negativity: apologies, gifts, practical advice, even shouting it away. But comfort remained universally effective.
Ray recalled patting crying kids’ backs in Sector 50—he’d thought it efficient, not realizing it was comfort. That did help them...
Philip elaborated: "Tell her it’s okay. That she’s been through hell. That you understand. Hold her while saying it." Adapting for emotionally dense Ray.
They peered through the howling gale (Whoooooosh──!) where debris made approach impossible. Lady Lenia’s voice echoed:
"Stay back! Don’t hurt my baby! You monsters!"
Philip gulped. "She thinks we’re enemies. What was Veronica’s word? Trau—"
"Trauma," Ray finished. "Intense emotional shock leaving mental scars."
Their theory crystallized: If Joshua was missing, and Lady Lenia mistook them for his killers...
Ray assessed the storm: "Narrowing the barrier’s area while boosting output for one person could get us through to her position."
"So we’re using the approach method?"
"We have to try something. Comfort her or whatever."
"Got it. Then what should I do here? Wait for orders in case something happens?"
Philip nodded resolutely... until Ray added:
"You’re not staying here."
"Huh?"
"You’re going alone."
"Me?!"
"You."
Philip froze like a honey-stunned bee before sputtering:
"I-I mean... objectively, wouldn’t you have higher success rates?"
Ray’s superior stamina and agility.
His resemblance to Joshua in photos, which might make Lenia mistake him for her son.
"And if she lashes out mid-approach, I can’t react like you! Even if we comfort her, will it actually work? This isn’t normal grief—"
Ray considered.
He’s babbling, but not from cowardice.
Philip feared the plan failing—feared Lenia breaking entirely.
Would my success rate really be higher?
Internally, Ray shook his head. By his metrics, Philip held the advantage. But explaining would waste time—so he acted.
Thwack!
"W-waitAAAAAH—!"
Philip flew butt-first into the storm, flailing as visions of his shredded corpse flashed before him (So this is how I die at sixteen? Without even a girlfriend?!).
Thud!
When he skidded to a stop, his skin bore no scratches beneath its transparent coating, his legs pulsing with enhanced strength. So barriers can work like second skin? Smart—reduces mana drain.
He turned to see Ray in a shrunken barrier, whose telepathic voice echoed:
Move out. Time’s short.
Philip exchanged glances and nodded before turning his gaze forward again.
Whoooooosh───!
Their current location was the storm's outer edge.
Having made his resolve, Philip stepped toward the storm's center.
'The wind...! This is insane...!'
With the protective barrier's reduced coverage, his hair and clothes whipped about wildly once more.
The intense wind pressure made every step forward a struggle.
Worse yet, debris carried by the gale flew at him like deadly projectiles.
─Left. Duck.
─Two steps back.
These weren't critical threats.
Lay's instructions were executed with astonishing speed and precision.
Thanks to this, even Philip—unaccustomed to physical exertion—evaded the objects with calculated movements.
─How is it? Manageable?
"Surprisingly. Not as hard as I expected."
Fading anxiety and tension.
Rising confidence in their place.
While monitoring his movements, Philip kept watch over Lady Renia.
「Aaaaah……!」
The room's considerable size meant significant distance still separated them.
Screams continued reverberating through the air, relentlessly battering the protective barrier.
「Aaaaah……!」
As he closed the gap with slow, deliberate steps, realization struck.
This wasn't mere screaming.
It was a primal shriek.
The raw howl of a mother torn apart by grief over her lost child.
『......』
Dizziness washed over him as emotion clogged his throat.
They say sorrow spreads like plague.
Their shared experience of familial loss
drew her anguish unknowingly into his heart.
Old memories surfaced.
A park. Crowds. Voices.
Wind. Dust. Footsteps.
A crinkling biscuit wrapper.
His mother's retreating back as she turned to leave.
Back view. Back view. Back view. Back view.
Sniff
「......」
Then it happened.
Philip's posture faltered.
His limbs turned leaden, movements slipping from conscious control.
Invisible hands seemed to claw upward from the floor, dragging at his body.
─It's magic. Stay calm.
Lay's pale pupils now glowed with rosy-hued mana.
「Aaaaah……!」
The pink mana's source was Lady Renia.
Mana within the magic circle resonated with its owner's rampaging emotions.
Ooooooh──!
The mana itself wept.
Mourned. Wailed. Screamed.
It draped every living being in the room with crushing weakness and lethargy.
Even Lay beyond the door fell under its influence.
'I can't... move properly...'
The rosy mana primarily consisted of enfeebling and exhausting elements—
rare components even Graham lacked knowledge about.
Though no proper explanation existed,
understanding came easily.
By observing the mana's behavior and resulting phenomena,
he instantly grasped this element's magical nature.
─Keep moving. No time to stop. It only restricts movement—nothing worse.
Lay diverted most mana from his personal barrier to amplify Philip's enhancement magic.
"Got... it!"
Snapping to attention at Lay's voice, Philip wiped his tears and tensed his legs.
Enhancement and weakening magics warred within his body.
Oooong──!
Enhancement held slight dominance.
Progress continued—slow but unwavering.
CRRRACK──!
「...!」
When mere steps separated him from Lady Renia,
the floor collapsed beneath Philip.
He desperately grabbed the crumbling edge.
Rustle──
Fragments rained downward.
Looking below revealed shattered support pillars.
─Status?
"St-stable. For now."
Of all times for this to happen...
Though he tried pulling himself up,
the persistent weakening magic resisted his efforts.
"Haa... Can't boost... enhancement further?"
─Max output. I've drained reserves since Floor 1.
Philip gritted his teeth.
Impatience flared.
His heart raced at the thought of failing Lady Renia.
"Redirect barrier mana to enhancements. Leave minimal protection."
─...You'll be vulnerable.
"Doesn't matter. Do it."
Power surged through his veins.
Simultaneously, agony lanced his grip—
barrier reduction exposing him to razor-edged flooring and storm winds.
"Grhh...!"
Enduring pain like grinding flesh,
he hauled himself onto solid ground.
There she knelt—
Lady Renia, clutching her head with both hands.
Thud. Thud.
On trembling legs, he approached,
knelt,
and embraced her.
"It's alright... You're safe..."
At the storm's eye,
no winds remained.
He didn't know why he spoke those words
or what exactly was 'alright'—
they flowed unbidden, spell-like.
The woman raised her head.
Tear-blurred eyes met his.
"Joshua...?"
The shrieking ceased.
The storm dwindled,
then vanished entirely.
Silence descended—
broken only by his battered hands patting her back.
Thud── thud──
On and on it continued...
Until both collapsed into exhausted stillness...
Then—
The rubble's shadow writhed.
A pitch-black figure erupted—
masked and cloth-swaddled—
leaping toward them in murderous arc.
THUD──!
It crashed down,
crushed by all-consuming weakness.
