#095. The Weeping Woman (5)
—
“What did you do to Lady Lenia?!”
Dranine charged at Ray like an enraged bull.
He swung his fists relentlessly.
Swish—! Swish—! Swoosh—!
His attacks were fierce and brutal, far beyond what Ray had seen in the open field before.
The red mana coursing through Dranine’s entire body signaled that he was currently under the effects of enhancement magic.
Likely a spell bestowed by the power of Lenia’s necklace.
Swish—! Swoosh—!
But despite being fast and strong, his attacks lacked any special technique.
He wasn’t a difficult opponent.
Ray dodged every incoming strike with minimal movement and attempted to speak.
“Wait—”
“How dare you threaten Lady Lenia?!”
Bang—!
“Listen to—”
“You made her sad! If you don’t leave this mansion right now, I’ll kill you!”
Boom—!
…..
Aren’t *you* the one making her sad?
You’re the one wrecking the mansion.
And I can’t leave unless you let me go.
Though the exact reason was unclear, Dranine showed a blind devotion to Lady Lenia.
He had completely identified Ray as an enemy and was attacking without restraint.
‘Talking won’t work.’
Dragging this out wouldn’t yield much information.
There was no doubt that he felt strong curiosity toward the empty vessel.
But before dealing with that, there was something else Ray had to take care of first.
Even at this very moment—
「Aaaaaaah—!」
Lady Lenia’s scream echoed.
Crash! Crack!
The mansion was collapsing.
‘Ensuring Philip and Veronica’s safety comes first.’
Tap!
Having made his decision, Ray sprang into action.
In an instant, he wrapped himself around Dranine’s body, using his limbs to choke his neck.
“Grrk… Urgh…!”
Thud! Boom!
Ray released him and stepped back.
After confirming Dranine had lost consciousness, he immediately opened the door and rushed out.
“There he is! Over there!”
“Throw him out of the mansion!”
A dimly lit hallway.
Children came running toward him.
Red mana flickered across their bodies like blaring sirens.
“How dare you hurt Lady Lenia?!”
They paid no attention to the crumbling ceiling and shaking walls.
No, to be precise, they didn’t even seem to recognize the mansion’s collapse.
They weren’t in their right minds.
Lady Lenia, the children—none of them.
Tap!
Ray turned and sprinted in the opposite direction.
He didn’t have time to subdue all the children one by one.
“There he is!”
“Block him! Corner him!”
Evading the children that appeared at every turn, he swiftly closed the distance toward where he could sense Philip’s presence.
Before long—
“Get away! You brats! Keep your filthy hands off me!”
Philip stood atop a tall cabinet at one end of the hallway.
“Grab him! Just a little closer and we can pull him down!”
“Drag him out and kill him!”
Philip was fiercely fending off the children below with a mop handle.
Then, spotting Ray, his face lit up.
“Ray! You’re all dead now!”
Ray didn’t slow down, charging straight into the group of children.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
With swift strikes to the backs of their necks, the children collapsed like sacks of flour.
With Ray’s help, Philip climbed down from the cabinet.
“What the hell is going on? The mansion started shaking, so I came outside, and suddenly the kids attacked me.”
“Let’s find Veronica first. I’ll explain everything at once.”
The two ran down the hallway.
And soon—
“Veronica, are you…! Oh, right. She’s a mage, too.”
Philip glanced awkwardly at the mop handle in his hands.
A few children were floating midair in front of Veronica, bound by gusts of wind.
They flailed their fists and kicked at her.
“Get out of this mansion!”
“There’s no place for those who make Lady Lenia cry!”
Thud! Thud! Thud!
With Ray’s quick movements, the children went limp.
As the wind holding them in place dispersed, their unconscious bodies hit the floor with a heavy thud.
“Whew… The mansion’s collapsing, the kids are chasing us… What the hell is—”
「Aaaah! Get out—! You murderers! Get out of my mansion—! Aaaaaah!」
“…going on? This is beyond just trouble.”
A sharp scream pierced the air.
Veronica, who had been catching her breath, tensed up again.
“When I woke up, Lady Lenia came into the room.”
Ray quickly recounted what had happened.
“So, she tried to use the necklace to put you under the same spell as the kids, but when the lights turned on, she screamed and ran to the fourth floor?”
“Yeah. She’s definitely connected to Murcred.”
“But why did she react to the light like that?”
Philip frowned.
Ray pulled out a journal and a photograph from his coat and handed them over.
“What’s this?”
“I found it in the room.”
As they read the journal and examined the photo, their expressions hardened.
Especially Philip’s.
“The boy in the picture… He must be Lady Lenia’s son.”
“……”
“She wrote, ‘I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you.’ Don’t tell me… He’s dead?”
“……”
While Philip remained silent, Veronica continued her speculation.
“My grandfather taught me about trauma. Maybe the light triggered a bad memory. If her emotions were already unstable, the light could have made her lose control…”
A bad memory.
Most likely related to her son, Joshua’s, death.
“Ray, what do we do now?”
“……”
The safest option was to leave the mansion immediately.
With his shielding magic, Ray could survive the collapse, but escaping the rubble afterward was a different matter.
There was a high risk of serious injury.
‘And I have to take Dranine and the children with me. Staying here isn’t an option.’
He had already promised to find the missing children.
Even without that promise, they were valuable informants who would gather intelligence in his stead.
He couldn’t just abandon them.
Rumble—!
Crash!
A massive ceiling fragment crashed beside Ray.
The collapse was progressing faster than expected.
‘There’s no time to hesitate. The best plan is to lure everyone outside.’
But if they did that, they would lose the chance to hear the truth directly from Lady Lenia.
And the necklace might be destroyed.
More importantly—
“Philip.”
“Huh?”
“Do you still think Lady Lenia might be your mother?”
“……”
Rumble—
A heavy silence fell.
Even an idiot could see that if they didn’t leave soon, they would die.
So why was Ray asking this now?
‘…He’s giving me a choice out of consideration.’
Philip bit his lip.
Judging by Murcred’s involvement and the journal’s contents, the likelihood of Lady Lenia being his real mother was near zero.
But he *had* thought about it.
How wonderful it would be if such a kind, loving woman were his mother.
How much her heart must have shattered when she lost her son.
‘…I want to save Lady Lenia. If I’m being honest.’
Her background didn’t matter right now.
But Philip wasn’t the type to let his selfish desires burden others.
He was more perceptive than most kids his age and deeply valued not being a liability to his companions.
“No. I don’t think that anymore.”
Philip finally spoke after some hesitation.
But Ray’s response was unexpected.
“You’re lying.”
“What?”
“Don’t lie to me, Philip.”
A sinking feeling.
Ray’s gaze was fixed on Philip’s chest—the vessel that contained his emotions.
‘Ah.’
A stark reminder.
He couldn’t hide his feelings from Ray.
“Veronica, lure Dranine and the children outside. Count them carefully so none are left behind. The unconscious ones will wake up soon.”
“Got it. I’ll do my best.”
“Philip and I are heading to the fourth floor to stop the collapse.”
Philip hurriedly objected.
“Wait! Shouldn’t we all just leave—”
“Philip.”
Hearing his name, Philip clamped his mouth shut.
Ray was always serious, but right now, his intensity was overwhelming.
“This is my decision. There are things I need to hear from Lady Lenia myself.”
“……”
“So I need you to trust me and follow my lead.”
Not ‘because of you, we’re going to the fourth floor.’
Ray took full responsibility for the choice.
Whether intentional or not, it made Philip feel a little better.
“…Okay. You’re the leader.”
A deep sense of gratitude blossomed in Philip’s vessel.
After swiftly reviewing their plan, the group prepared to split up in two directions.
“How many more chances will I get to lead this many boys around?”
Veronica cracked an ill-timed joke, perhaps out of nervousness.
“Not that any of them are my type, though.”
She glanced at Ray as she spoke.
With a look that held a hint of anticipation.
Of course, the person receiving that gaze remained completely oblivious.
‘Oh-ho.’
Philip, observing the exchange, smirked to himself.
“Cover your ears for a moment. Both of you.”
At Ray’s instruction, Philip and Veronica quickly plugged their ears.
Once he confirmed they were ready, Ray took a deep breath.
And when his lungs were full—
「I’m here! First floor! Central hall!」
He unleashed a booming shout.
It was an adapted form of the voice amplification magic Lady Lenia had used, stripped of its destructive elements.
His voice would have easily echoed throughout the entire first floor.
—There he is!
—Everyone, over here!
Sure enough, it wasn’t long before children appeared at the end of the hallway.
“See you later, kids!”
Veronica cast enhancement magic on herself and a light protective barrier around her body before charging toward them.
Ray and Philip watched her for a brief moment before turning to sprint in the opposite direction.
Rumble—!
The staircases leading upward were scattered throughout the hallways.
The boys ran.
Dodging falling debris.
Climbing shaking stairs.
Leaping over collapsed sections of the floor.
All the while, Lady Lenia’s screams continued to echo.
“Philip, how much longer do you think the mansion will hold?”
“Huff… I’m not an architect… Huff… How would I know… Huff, huff…? But at this rate… I’d say it’ll completely collapse within ten minutes.”
Ray agreed with that assessment.
The mansion’s collapse was accelerating, leaving no room for doubt—it was beyond saving.
And Lady Lenia’s vessel was likely on the verge of exploding as well.
‘I need to get there faster.’
The only silver lining was that her screams hadn’t changed direction, making it easy to pinpoint her location.
Pushing their limits, the two boys sprinted to the grand, ornate door on the fourth floor.
They exchanged a nod and each grabbed a handle, pulling the doors open.
Creeeeaaaaak—
The instant the doors swung wide—
Aaaaahhh—!
Whoooosh—!
A piercing scream erupted, followed by a violent gust of wind.
If they hadn’t instinctively braced themselves by stepping forward, they would have been knocked off their feet.
“What is this wind…?!”
“……!”
The relentless gales whipped at their hair and clothes, making them billow wildly.
Struggling to keep their balance, they narrowed their eyes and peered into the room.
Aaaaaah—! Aaaaaaaah—!
Lady Lenia stood at its center.
Whoooooosh—!
A raging storm spiraled around her.
Books, clothes, furniture, splintered wood.
All kinds of debris and concrete fragments.
Countless objects and materials were caught in the whirlwind, hurtling through the air.
She stood at the very eye of the storm.
And at the storm’s very core—
Her vessel, overflowing with wild emotions.
One emotion shone the brightest, taking up the most space within her.
Grief.
A soft pink mana.
The very color that made up the largest portion of the Ray’s Circles.
