Epona the hero overwhelmed the orcs.
With a wave of her arm, she made mincemeat out of them, and occasionally, she would shoot fire bullets that penetrated from the front to the back of the mob before flying out of sight.
This wasn't a fight, this was a one-sided slaughter.
Orcs were incapable of feeling fear, therefore, they continued to challenge such an overpowered creature.
Neusch, who was standing next to me, forced out a few words while shaking like a leaf.
[Ahahaha… What the hell… is that thing…? She's handling those orcs like we could never have. We should've just let her deal with them from the very beginning. Epona alone is more than enough. There is no point for us to be here at all.] (Neusch)
Neusch had seen her fight me many times during mock battles, but this was the first time he'd ever seen her rampaging with such madness.
The abnormality of that scene threw him into disarray.
[You don't say. If we hadn't divided up our roles and just let Epona charge into them, we could've eradicated them a long time ago now.] (Lugh)
[You sound like you were already aware of it. Then why didn't you suggest tha-] (Neusch)
Neusch was interrupted mid-sentence.
Because of an orc's head that came flying with the speed of a bullet.
I had been pouring mana into Tuatha Dé's eyes for the past while, which is why I was able to react in the nick of time.
I struck the side of the flying orc's head with the hilt of my knife to shift its trajectory, leading to it being buried very deeply in the wall behind me.
If I had taken that kind of projectile head-on, it would've cost me my arm, so I swept it away instead.
If you had taken a direct hit, even if you had mana, you probably wouldn't have gotten out of it safely.
That was a mere stray bullet, something only Epona could make possible when she put her mind to flailing her arms around.
[You just got your answer. Getting mixed up in Epona's fight is a lot more terrifying than fighting orcs. That's why I didn't want to create a situation where she would go all out. Neusch, don't let your guard down from here on.] (Lugh)
[You mean so I can run away with all I've got?] (Neusch)
[Even in this situation, what's hard to swallow is that it's still no different from deserting in the face of the enemy. If fleeing was an option, even I would've done that a long time ago now.] (Lugh)
I looked behind me. Dia, who had run out of mana, and Talt, who had exhausted her energy, were gradually backing away.
We had to defend this place to the death, at least until they could both reach the safe zone.
Even if this was Epona we were talking about, she couldn't handle that many orcs at the same time. Some of them had gone past her.
And they came here right away.
Two of them came through Epona's flanks.
I signaled to Neusch with my eyes that he and I would take down those two.
[You shitty pigs! Don't think you can run away from me!!] (Epona)
Epona gathered her mana into her right hand, and without chanting, she unleashed it as it was toward the orcs.
The reason I bothered using magic that required chanting was that neutral magic had little to no offensive power.
If merely striking with a bundle of mana was a useful way of attacking, then no one would use verbal magic.
But even so, Epona's blows were enhanced by her enormous amount of mana and the multiple S-rank skills unique to the hero, turning them into killing blows.
I leapt with all my might.
That mass of mana was on a direct course to the orcs. But the problem was that Talt and Dia were just beyond them.
That thing was about to perforate the orcs and hit the girls behind them, and it was impossible for them to dodge or withstand the projectile.
…Should I go all out here? I had full control of my[Hyper Regeneration]and I could release ten times more mana than the average people. However, that was a fact I hid by keeping my mana at a level that was considered within common sense.
If I went all out here, I could protect them without getting a scratch.
…Or could I actually deal with it without playing that card?
I had made my decision.
By infusing my mana into it, I could strengthen my inner wear made from monster skin. Originally, the owner of this pelt had that sort of natural disposition, and even now that it was made into an armor, it was still the case.
Not only was it even tougher, it had a double structure divided into two layers, a hardening one, and a shock-absorbing one. If you poured enough mana into it, it would become the best protection.
This was also a feature I wanted to hide, but it was still better than exposing my extraordinary amount of mana.
I blocked the mass of mana that smashed through the orcs with my back.
It shattered my scapula. I braced my legs with all I had, but I was still blown away.
…I managed to withstand it. Getting away with only that much after stopping one of the hero's attacks was a most satisfactory result. With my[Hyper Regeneration], I could recover in a few minutes.
However, at this rate, I was going to crash into Talt and Dia.
I shot a ball of mana toward the ground.
Even if it didn't have the same deadly power as Epona's, I could at least use the recoil to alter my direction. I was now out of the direct course to the girls.
Considering my momentum, even if I managed to land safely, I had to be prepared for one or two broken bones, but I was fine with that much damage.
[Lugh-sama!] (Talt)
Or so I said, but Talt jumped and caught me after I had altered my trajectory so I wouldn't crash into her.
Even though she was worn out and couldn't use her mana to strengthen her physical abilities.
I rolled over several meters with Talt caught up in the fall.
Finally, we eventually stopped, but Talt, who had stopped me in my momentum, had fainted. Maybe it was because of a cut in her mouth, but blood was spilling from its edge.
[Talt!] (Lugh)
Why did she protect me!?
She should've known that she would end up like that if she tried to catch me while I was flying with such force despite being unable to strengthen herself.
…No, she did know.
It was precisely because she wanted to protect me that she acted recklessly.
That's the kind of girl she is.
I looked ahead.
My eyes met with Epona's, she was looking at me with a frightened expression.
You wouldn't think that she was the same person who was drunk on fighting earlier.
Her movements had noticeably gotten worse.
She was starting to move hesitatingly.
Even so, that was no problem for her. After all, even a blow from an orc at full power couldn't hurt Epona.
With a faint voice, she spoke to me like she was pleading.
[I-I didn't mean to… It was an accident…] (Epona)
I knew that fully well.
The one I couldn't forgive was myself.
I knew this would happen if Epona ever went all out, so I put up a plan.
Not only that, I also conceitedly thought that I could actually manage while hiding the fact that my mana reserve was abnormally large, then I failed and made Talt pay the price for it.
Knowing Talt, I could easily imagine how she would catch and protect me, and yet…
This was all my fault.
[I'll do something about those who get past you! Just look ahead and fight!] (Lugh)
I forced those words out of me.
'Don't worry, 'It was just an accident', 'It wasn't your fault, Epona'.
The logic was there, but my emotions were otherwise. So if I were to say those things now, they would sound like nothing but lies.
_______________________________________________________________
Then, after fifteen minutes or so, the orcs were entirely wiped out, and we returned to the academy.
Epona's movements remained dull since Talt collapsed, but she was still incredibly powerful.
She had let more enemies go past her, but the instructor and the knight lady, who remained behind us all this time, finally came to the front lines, and thanks to them, we managed somehow.
…But what caught my attention was that at the exact moment Epona started fighting seriously, the orcs stopped getting reinforcements.
Even though so many of them kept popping up from who knows where.
That was suspicious.
Judging from the situation, could that have actually been a reconnaissance team?
One to assess Epona's full power and weaknesses.
If that many orcs were sacrificed for that purpose, just how large must their main force be?
As far as I could tell from the orcs' marching route, the enemy intended to trample this state-of-the-art commercial city and damage the economy and distribution of goods, but if even that was a distraction, then what was their real aim?
I shook my head.
For now, this was no time to ponder that question. I had to focus on treating Talt.
[Lugh, Talt seems to be recuperating.] (Dia)
[She'll be fine. Whether it's bruises, fractures, or abrasions, I can heal them all.] (Lugh)
On our way back, we rode in a carriage that was larger than the one we used to come.
This one was equipped with a bed, I used it to treat Talt.
There was also a military doctor on board, but I had the better skills, so I was the one taking care of her. Tuatha Dé was a prestigious family well-versed in the medical arts, so nobody objected.
I had finished giving her general medical treatment, and now I was using my mana to enhance her self-healing powers.
[Thank god. I was really getting worried. Talt wasn't moving at all.] (Dia)
[Me too. But I'm glad she's safe.] (Lugh)
I stroke Talt's head.
While I was doing so, the curtain that separated the seats from the bed was opened.
[Um… I… I've come to… apologize.] (Epona)
Epona was looking down, perhaps because she was afraid of making eye contact.
[…That's just how intense the battle was. It couldn't be helped if we got wrapped up in it.] (Lugh)
I was able to organize my feelings.
I probably managed to naturally say that she shouldn't mind it.
[But… Well… I've done something terrible to Talt.] (Epona)
[If you apologize to her, Talt will forgive you as well.] (Lugh)
[Th-That would be great. You know, I'm sorry for hurting you too, Lugh. It's just that… I did it again. Every time I enter a battlefield, once I take action, everything turns bright red, then I go crazy, and when I come back to my senses, I realize I've harmed everybody, so… I…] (Epona)
Epona's fist was trembling.
[I… I wanted to change. I wanted to become strong enough to mind my surroundings, even as everything turns red. Since I've had mock battles with you where I didn't harm anyone despite coming at you for real and getting myself so fired up I ended up in that particular state, I was a bit confident that it would work out fine today, but in the end, it didn't.] (Epona)
…So that's what she meant when she said she wanted to become stronger by having mock battles with me. It wasn't so she could win against her enemies, but because she wanted the strength to control herself.
[And I sort of thought that if you were around, you could always stop me… Ahaha, that was pretty selfish of me. Once again, I'm sorry. I guess I'm really not fit to be a hero…] (Epona)
Once she was done speaking, she returned to her seat.
Dia smiled bitterly.
[She doesn't seem to be a bad girl. Besides, she thinks very highly of you.] (Dia)
[You're right.] (Lugh)
…If I'm around, I can stop her, huh…
She was overselling me here.
Also, I'd finally found Epona's weakness.
Even though she was mindful of not getting others involved, her control over her power was far too low.
In that regard, she was different from Setanta, whom I suspected of being the hero. Setanta didn't care one bit about the damage he could do to his surroundings so long as he could fight as he wanted, but Epona did, and that made her movements grow dull.
If I had to kill Epona, putting her in a situation where she might harm her friends nearby would increase my chances of victory.
But the problem was that those friends in question were us.
[Dia, do you think I should apologize to Epona? I didn't say anything harsh to her, but I let my frustration at not being able to protect Talt show in my attitude. When Talt fainted, I scowled at her really hard.] (Lugh)
[I think the Lugh I love would apologize to her.] (Dia)
[You're right, once she's calmed down, I'll go apologize to her.] (Lugh)
Epona thought she would be fine as long as I was around, yet I couldn't stop her. If anything, I just vented my hatred and frustration on her.
That probably left a deep wound. If it didn't handle it right, she might end up being too scared to enter the battlefield.
Either way, I just felt sorry for her.
The Goddess told me that I would have to kill the hero in the future, but there was the possibility that I wouldn't have to.
Until then, since I decided I would be her friend, I would follow through with that.
[After that, I'll also have to apologize to Talt. The truth is I could've saved you better than that.] (Lugh)
I deeply resented my own immaturity.
[If that's what you think, then you could give her a kiss. That would cheer her up in one shot.] (Dia)
[Yeah, I'll do that.] (Lugh)
[Huh? I only meant that as a joke, and that's your reaction!? You didn't hesitate at all just now, did you!? Does this mean that… you've already kissed her!?] (Dia)
[…Nope, not at all.] (Lugh)
Oh right, the fact that I kissed Talt to share my mana with her was a secret.
[No fair, you gotta kiss me too. Lugh, you didn't do anything more, right?] (Dia)
After that, Dia probed me for various details until we made it back, and by the time we returned to the academy, Talt woke up, and when I apologized to her, she was the one who wanted to wholeheartedly apologize instead. Even though I said I would make it up to her, she declined the offer. So I secretly decided I would make it a surprise for her.
Next, I would have to immediately apologize to Epona the following day.
For this kind of thing, the sooner it was done, the better.