Chapter 96 – The Weeping Woman (Six)

“Ahhhhhhhhh───!”

Madam Renia’s piercing scream tore through the wind and echoed.

The Element of Destruction carried in her voice shattered everything around as it spread.

Crumble──!

Walls collapsed, the ceiling tilted.

Crack! Crackle!

Large fissures appeared even in the semi-transparent Ward enveloping the two boys.

Ray quickly drew upon White Mana to repair the Ward.

‘…The Magic’s power is no joke.’

When they were on a different floor, they were relatively outside the scream’s effective range and hadn’t realized.

But the power of the Magic faced head-on was beyond imagination.

Gale and sound waves.

The output of these two series of Magic far exceeded Madam Renia’s original Circle level.

And the reason it was possible was.

‘Emotion.’

Sorrow and anger.

Hatred and regret.

Resonating with the emotions raging within her Vessel, the Ring’s Mana was displaying an absurd efficiency.

“Ahhhhhhhhh─!”

A continuing scream.

“My son. Our son.”

“Mommy will protect you.”

And a whisper echoing like a reverberation in their ears.

Amidst objects and fragments scattering in the wind, the figure of Madam Renia, clutching an old wooden box, became visible.

“W-we have to stop the Magic first. If this continues, the mansion will collapse and Madam Renia will be seriously injured.”

“It’s not just her body.”

“What do you mean?”

“Her mind is in danger too. Her emotions are running wild. The Vessel holding her emotions won’t last much longer and will shatter.”

Philip’s face hardened stiffly.

Because he had heard the story and knew what had happened to Walter, whose Vessel had shattered.

“Then to prevent the Vessel from shattering, how….”

“We have to soothe her emotions.”

“…….”

“That method, you would know far better than I.”

A former hotel manager.

Also a negotiator who had closed all sorts of deals with shop owners.

Philip had lived maintaining a far more extensive network of connections than boys his age typically would.

He was quite savvy in matters of human relationships and the emotional issues associated with them.

That was also the reason Ray had brought Philip to the 4th floor.

Precisely, to find a way to calm Madam Renia without destroying the necklace.

“Do you have any ideas for a method to calm the other person’s emotions?”

“…….”

A sudden question.

But Philip, without panicking, reflected on his own experiences and considered which method might be suitable.

“Consolation….”

“Consolation?”

“Emotions can be shared. By offering consolation, you share and listen to the emotions.”

Anger. Sorrow. Depression. Despair, etc.

The methods to release negative kinds of emotions were endless.

You could release them by apologizing or giving a gift.

You could release them by offering practical advice.

Or you could even drive the emotions out by outright intimidation.

But regardless of the type of emotion, the most universally effective common method was consolation.

“You just have to tell her it’s okay. That it must have been really hard. That you understand too. While hugging and patting her.”

Philip explained once more in simpler terms.

So that Ray, who was emotionally dull, could understand easily.

“…….”

At those words, Ray recalled the moment he had patted the backs of the crying children in Sector 50.

It had been an act performed after finding his own efficient method, but it seemed that had been consolation.

‘Back then, I definitely saw the children’s emotions being resolved too.’

Ray, convinced that the method of consolation would surely be effective this time as well, spoke.

“To do that, we first need to get close to Madam Renia.”

“Right. That’s true first… but….”

Philip trailed off and looked ahead.

Whoooooosh──!

The violently raging wind made one hesitate to even think of taking a step forward.

Moreover, with all sorts of objects and fragments swirling in the wind, advancing while avoiding collisions seemed impossible.

“Don’t come closer…!”

“Don’t hurt my child…!”

“You demons…!”

Madam Renia’s voice continued to echo in their ears.

Philip gulped.

“She seems to completely perceive us as enemies. What did Veronica say earlier? Tr… tr….”

“Trauma.”

“Yeah, that.”

Trauma.

An intense emotional shock causing lasting effects on the mind.

“The child named Joshua isn’t visible in the mansion, right? If in the past Joshua was killed by other people, and that trauma is resurfacing, causing her to mistake us for those murderers….”

It was a reasonably persuasive inference that could explain Madam Renia’s current attitude.

Ray, observing the inner storm, continued.

“If we narrow the Ward’s area and concentrate the Magic’s output on one person, we can probably break through that storm and reach Madam Renia’s location.”

“So the approach is to get close first?”

“That way we can at least try something. Whether it’s consolation or something else.”

“Got it. Then what should I do here? Wait here for instructions in case of an unexpected situation?”

Philip nodded resolutely.

But that resolve soon changed into deep bewilderment.

“You’re not waiting here.”

“Huh?”

“You’re going yourself.”

“M-me?”

“Yeah. You.”

For a moment, Philip became like a mute who’d eaten honey, then regained his senses and poured out his bewilderment.

“Uh, um… It’s not that I can’t, but looking at the objective conditions, wouldn’t your chances of success be higher?”

The points that Ray was far superior in stamina and agility.

The possibility that the Madam might mistake him for her own son due to his resemblance to the child in the photo.

“And if Madam Renia takes unexpected action during the approach, it would be hard for me to handle it. Even if I approach and offer consolation, I’m not confident her emotions will actually calm down. This isn’t a normal situation anyway, is it?”

“…….”

Ray thought.

That Philip’s tongue had suddenly grown longer.

But he knew it wasn’t because Philip was afraid to step forward.

‘He may be timid, but he’s the type who definitely steps up when he needs to.’

He’s afraid the operation might fail.

That’s why he’s acting like this, fearing that Renia, this person, might break down mentally.

‘Would my chances of success be higher?’

He shook his head inwardly.

From Ray’s perspective, the one with higher chances of success was actually Philip.

Stamina and agility. Unexpected situations.

There were reasons that went beyond those.

But time was too tight to explain that, so Ray took an efficient action to convey his intent.

Thump──!

“Uh, ugh?”

Philip, whose butt was kicked by Ray, flailed his arms and charged valiantly toward the storm.

“W-w-w-wait a minute─! I’m not m-mentally prepared ye─!”

His mind went blank.

The image of his body being torn apart, caught in the storm, flashed before his eyes.

Ah, so this is how I die.

This is how I end my short 16-year life.

And I haven’t even had a girlfriend yet.

Thud.

But when he barely managed to regain his balance and stop inside the storm.

“……?”

Philip could only look down at his own body with a bewildered face.

A transparent film was overlaid on his skin, leaving him perfectly intact without a single scratch, and his legs felt much stronger than before.

Thanks to that, he was able to keep his balance and not get blown away.

‘So the Ward can be used like this too. Clinging tightly to the skin. This definitely reduces the area taking damage, lowering Mana consumption. The Enhancement Magic output seems to have been increased too.’

Philip, who quickly grasped the situation, exclaimed in admiration and looked back.

Ray, positioned inside the much smaller Ward.

─It seems better to depart right away. Time isn’t on our side.

Ray’s voice came clearly to his ear.

It was a message Magic.

To be precise, it felt less like to his ear and more like a voice delivered directly into his mind.

Exchanging glances and nodding, Philip turned his gaze forward again.

Whoooooosh───!

His current position was the outer edge of the storm.

Having made his decision, Philip took a step toward the storm’s center.

‘The wind…! It’s no joke…!’

Because the Ward’s area had shrunk, his hair and clothes flapped wildly again.

The powerful wind pressure made it difficult to advance.

Moreover, all sorts of objects carried by the wind were flying at him like weapons.

─Left, duck your head.

─Two steps back.

Of course, it wasn’t a major problem.

Because Ray’s instructions were surprisingly swift and accurate.

Thanks to that, even Philip, who wasn’t accustomed to physical exertion, could evade the objects with precise movements.

─How is it? Manageable?

“Quite. It’s not as hard as I thought.”

Decreasing anxiety and tension.

Increasing confidence in proportion.

Philip, while being mindful of his own movements, observed Madam Renia.

“Ahhhhh……!”

Because the room wasn’t small, there was still quite a distance left to reach her.

The screams still came, continuously impacting the Ward.

“Ahhhhhhh……!”

Philip, narrowing the distance at a slow but steady pace, suddenly realized.

That wasn’t a scream.

It was a shriek.

The shriek of a mother who lost her child, unable to bear the sorrow, tearing her own body apart to let it out.

‘…….’

For a moment, he felt dizzy and a lump rose in his throat.

They say emotions are contagious, don’t they?

The commonality of also having an empty space left by family.

He unknowingly pictured the other’s sorrow and pain in his own heart.

An old memory surfaced.

Park. People. Voices.

Wind. Dust. Footsteps.

Biscuit plastic wrapper. Rustling sound.

The retreating back of his mother turning to leave.

Her back, her back, her back, her back.

Sniffle.

“…….”

That was when.

Philip’s posture slumped down.

Suddenly, his steps wouldn’t come easily, and his hands and body also wouldn’t draw the movements he intended.

A feeling as if invisible hands were sprouting from the floor, pulling his entire body down.

─It’s Magic. Don’t panic.

At that moment, a pinkish Mana was reflected in Ray’s pure white pupils.

“Ahhhhhhh……!”

The owner of the pinkish Mana was Madam Renia.

The pinkish Mana within the Ring was resonating with its owner’s emotions and running wild.

Ooooooh──!

The Mana was crying.

Mourning, wailing, shrieking.

It draped a deep sense of helplessness and lethargy over every living being in the room.

Even Ray outside the door couldn’t escape its effective range.

‘I can’t put strength into my body well.’

The main components constituting the pinkish Mana were the elements of weakening and enervation.

A rare element that even Graham hadn’t possessed knowledge about.

The explanation he had heard back then was almost nonexistent, but it wasn’t a major problem for understanding the situation.

The movement of the Mana unfolding before his eyes and the resulting phenomenon.

By seeing it, he could instantly grasp the nature of that element and its Magic.

─Keep moving. It’s not the time to stop. It’s a Magic that has no special effect other than imposing restrictions on movement.

Ray diverted most of the Mana he had allocated to his own Ward toward increasing the output of Philip’s Enhancement Magic.

“Got… it!”

Snapping back to his senses at Ray’s voice, Philip wiped his tears and put strength into his legs.

The Enhancement Magic and Weakening Magic applied to one body engaged in a tense tug-of-war.

Oooong──!

The result was a slight advantage for the Enhancement Magic.

Thanks to that, he could continue his advance at a slow but steady pace.

Crumble──!

“……!”

The moment little distance remained to Madam Renia’s location, the floor Philip was on collapsed.

Philip hastily stretched out his hand and grabbed the exposed side of the split floor.

Crumbling──

Floor fragments fell away.

Looking down, he saw the pillar that had been supporting the floor had collapsed.

─Are you okay?

“F-for now.”

For this to happen right before the destination.

He tried to put strength into his arms to climb up, but it wasn’t easy due to the Weakening Magic that had been continuously active.

“Haa… haa… Can’t you increase the Enhancement Magic output more?”

─This is the limit. I’ve been exhausting Mana continuously since we were on the 1st floor.

Philip gritted his teeth.

He grew impatient.

The thought that he might fail to save Madam Renia made his heart start pounding like crazy.

“The Mana being used for the Ward on my body, leave the bare minimum and divert the rest to Enhancement Magic.”

─……You’ll get hurt.

“It’s fine. Doesn’t matter.”

Soon, he felt strength surging through his entire body.

Simultaneously, as the Ward’s output lowered, an intense pain was felt in the hand gripping the side of the floor.

Because of the sharp floor edge and the wind storm raging above.

“Ugh……!”

Enduring pain akin to putting his hand into a grinder, Philip climbed back onto the floor.

It came into view.

The figure of Madam Renia, crouched down, covering her head with both hands.

Thud. Thud.

With exhausted steps, he approached, knelt down, and embraced her.

“It’s okay… It’s okay….”

It was the eye of the storm.

The wind was no longer felt.

He didn’t know what he was saying.

Or what exactly was okay, but naturally, as if entranced, such words flowed out.

The woman raised her head.

Eyes with lost focus, filled with tears, looked at Philip.

“Josh… ua?”

The shrieking stopped.

The wind storm also gradually weakened in intensity and completely dissipated.

What arrived was silence.

Only the sound of a tattered hand patting the woman’s back could be heard.

Thump── thump──

Like that, for a long while, continuously.

Then, when Philip and Madam Renia seemed to have fallen asleep from exhaustion, their movements ceasing.

The shadow of the collapsed debris suddenly writhed.

From within it, one jet-black form leaped out.

A figure whose entire body was concealed by a mask and black cloth drew a parabola toward the boy and the woman.

While exuding blatant killing intent from its entire body.

And soon.

Thud──!

Along with a horrifying sense of helplessness constricting his entire body, he crashed to the floor.