Strolling along the field to their destination, it was apparent that Lass's curiosity had peaked for what fate had in store for them both.

"It's been such a long time since I was able to freely use things like this...", Ikarisa tinkered with Lass' phone.

"So uh...goddess? I don't mean to start complaining or anything but, what exactly is our goal in Reingard?"

"Well...not just Reingard. We're after the sentinels that Makaro and Kikaro have placed from region to region. Once they are all down we might have a chance of locating them. Even if we don't, the more we stop this onslaught of terror, the more inclined they'll be in showing up by themselves."

"W-wait a minute we're going to fight things with godlike powers right away? You're kidding, right? I thought you just need an escort to Reingard. What I have in my entire smithy will probably not be nearly enough for this task!"

"No need to worry so much. While Makaro and Kikaro made sentinels, they made them in Riza and although my power was sealed away, my curse still remains, and that should be enough.

For once, a small hint of surprise was seen in Lass's eyes as he was struggling to understand why the creator of the entire world as it was, would place a curse on it.

"Wait...curse? On the entirety of Riza? But I thought you made this land that you loved so much free."

"Well it's not that much of a curse as it is a shield to protect this world. No matter what creature walks into or is created in Riza gets affected by my curse...Hikari's Balance. The curse takes effect and no matter how strong or invincible one might seem, it will always, no matter what, have a weak point. That 'curse' affects even me."

"But goddess,", Lass objected, "Even so, we have to face something that is, supposedly, near invincible. Will we be able to locate that weak point before we're actually capable of damaging them?"

She reassured him, "Not to worry. Most Sentinels are overblown in folklore and fairy tails anyway. I have seen them fight in the past, and even then they were still plenty strong. However, they are still walking among this world so...they should still be weakened enough. And even if we don't manage to do it the first time, the Sentinels are bound into their area if sovereignty, meaning we can run away and they won't be able to follow us. However, that doesn't mean we should risk an all-out assault at the beginning. It's better to get to analyze them and their weak points first."

"But goddess-", Lass got interrupted by Ikarisa.

"And could you please stop calling me goddess all the time? My name is Ikarisa, not Goddess. But if you don't want to call me Ikarisa either, then just say Risa!", she said as playfully. "I just don't really like being treated like a goddess...not like I have been treated like that much, but I simply dislike it when others think of me so highly."

And not before long, another deep breath could be drawn before Lass had asked the next question, "Ok then god-I mean Risa. Where should we begin first? I suppose the first of the sentinels is at Reingard where you were blindly headed at?"

"I-I uh...yes. Kako, the sentinel of despair. If my feeling is correct, he should be directly at the center of Riza's capital, Reingard. That should be the first one."

"And exactly how many sentinels are there that we need to work on?", he inquired.

"If I'm not wrong there should be five. Kako the sentinel of despair, Magi the Sentinel of Hate, Drima the Sentinel of Treason, Decanee the Sentinel of War and Izuko the Sentinel of Death. They didn't always use to be like that you know. Once, these Sentinels were our guards, the ones who protected the gods of Kaima but they seem to have completely changed after I gave life to Riza. Also, Sentinels will not always assume human forms. They were placed in different regions and thus taking different forms that matched the species that inhabited the region. Then they hide till they find the chance to complete their task, killing me. That's why this is all my fault."

"But why is it in any way your fault? It seems like way too far of a stretch to put the blame on someone for the sole reason of them, well, existing, don’t you think?”

"Because they created so much destruction and chaos everywhere. People cried and suffered all because of me not showing up to them. I was scared, I made a mistake by hiding. And others paid dearly for it."

"Hey, don't go hard on yourself. Besides, you were all on your own before. Say, I really am not the kinda guy to meet new faces and all but...since I'm already committed I might as well. I know that customer service is supposed to be my job, but honestly I didn't much like that job as a whole, so dad always took over. But I'll still help you throughout this whole ordeal! Isn't there a saying as well? The more the merrier? Or if you prefer it solo even after this I can head back home once I get you to Reingard."

Not long after Lass had spoken those words, the little goddess had once again put a wide, shining smile on her face as she then proceeded to say some of the most painful words Lass had ever heard, "Alrighty then, let's get going! According to your phone's map, Reingard should be about 10 miles away!"

"What? But I'd have sworn it was closer! So much boring walking...god.", Lass muttered.

As Lass was looking in the horizon trying to hide his despair for the long walk, the tiny goddess let out a small giggle as she pulled his hand along with her, dashing through the open fields.

"Come on, don't start whining now! We have a world to save!"

To her it was but an innocent stroll after a small talk. But to him, it was almost aspiring how well that tiny goddess was able to endure through all of her memories. And yet through her naïve and innocent personality, she had still been able to be happy. To have the power to lift a smile in the densest of darkness, was an ability he could not help to admire. And as they were dashing through the peaceful field, it was natural for the little goddess to notice her partners state.

"Hey what's wrong? Why are you so red? Don't tell me you got tired already or is it that you -"

Before she could say another word she was stopped by the harshness of Lass's words, "Oh shut it! Let's just keep going!"

Finishing his words it was then Lass that grabbed her hand, taking the lead as they made their way through the peaceful fields. When they had finished travelling around 9 miles after a long time, they sat down under a small tree as they were both taking in the almost magical scene. A meadow filled with the glossing flowers coming out to take a sip of the morning dew. A gentle breeze stroking the grassy fields as they slowly lifted the flimsy flower pedals to the air. And nothing but the bright blue of the azure sky was all that reflected on them by the early morning sun. He was unsure why, be it love or simply despair but something inside that petite girl spoke to him not as a goddess, but as a friend. He just could not put his finger on the reason why it just seemed to fall into place. Her arrival. His believing of her claim and words. His decision to follow. He would once strike it off as a series of coincidences…but not this time. Something was off to him and he knew it. However, he chose not to object it as what did not make sense was indeed giving him bliss among the pain he had endured.

Not before he had finished losing himself in the beauty of the goddess's brunette hair, their moment ended abruptly as screams were heard from the main road leading to the great capital. Naturally, their response was to immediately go and check on what had happened. They reached the road to discover a giant troll assaulting a poor capped merchant and her child as she was screaming for help.

"A troll?! No way! Their habitat is so far away from here! Reingard only has small conditional raids from monsters and Enmities! Hey, where are you going?!" Before he could say another word, the tiny goddess had already placed herself between the rampaging troll and the scared merchant with her child in an attempt to fend it off and protect them. And as the troll lifted his strong arm her eyes closed preparing for the impact.

"Growh!"

The troll yelled as Lass slid nimbly through its legs, slashing its calves. "Over he- gyah!" The trolls fist slammed into his stomach with an incredible amount of force, sending him flying into the air.

As the troll resumed to its original target, Ikarisa once again closed her eyes and tightened her entire body. Not a word or scream echoed before it. But once again Lass had gotten up, the life drained from his eyes. Clenching on the sword that dripped with blood and then without the least bit of remorse, he spoke some terrifying, cold sounding words the monster would ever hear were spoken through Lass's mouth, "Insignificant and worthless."

At the blink of an eye, Lass soared through the air, piercing a huge hole directly in the troll's chest without getting a single drop of blood on himself.

"W-Woah..." Ikarisa gasped in awe. "That was awesome!"

Approaching the merchant, Lass and Risa saw her back dripping red from blood...but it wasn't hers. The child she had tried to protect had been mortally wounded in the assault. Ikarisa once again wasted no time immediately tapping on the young girl's chest and healing her once life-threatening wounds.

"Oh my god!", the merchant cried, hugging the child, "Thank you! Thank you both so much!"

"Uh, Risa? I think we should get going. We don't know if she's a supporter or-", Lass was interrupted by the merchants praise.

"Thank you, goddess."

Lass's eyes widened, "What? You don't hate the goddess?"

"Why would I ever hate the ones that saved us both?"

Gazing at Lass's hand, the merchant couldn't help but notice the completely shattered kitchen knife. She then jolted as she reminded herself of her goods and promptly tried to gift her saviors...

"Your sword...it's completely broken. Did you really travel the fields so unarmed in times like these? Pretty suicidal if I do say so myself."

"Oh this thing? Yeah, I figured myself it wouldn't last. Especially against something so big...just why would a troll be so so far away from its habitat? I was never prepared to face something so big, It was only natural that my gear wouldn't last. Though, now that I think about it, It would've probably served me better if I did bring a better sword with me. This is just a base, but all others are already pre-ordered online."

"I would love it if you accepted this. It's not something that impressive, but I believe that a sturdy powerful sword like this should serve you way better. It wasn't bought or forged by anyone. It was found deep within Kaci, The Forest Of Spirits. I'm a seasoned merchant so things like these are my specialty!"

"A merchant who raided the forest of spirits for loot...", Lass took a good look at the merchant.

Trying to deny the offer at first, Lass soon accepted the sword as Ikarisa gave him a look telling him to accept the gift that was laid before him. The sword, though somewhat rusted, gave off a powerful aura. One so strong yet so unbelievably familiar.

"Shapes looking good, and weight wise, I think it's just perfect for my category. Thanks."

"No, thank you guys. Seriously, were it not for you, my little sister and I would've been in deep trouble. I'd have fended that thing off myself, but it took hold of the kid first, and I simply didn't know what to do. Once you came running, he just suddenly dropped her back down and I tried to guard him..."

"It's fine, really!", Ikarisa smiled at the scared child.

"Auntie! Isn't she cute?", the little girl touched Ikarisa's hair.

"Yeah, yeah, now relax, Misha. Your curiosity only keeps getting you into more trouble, I swear. You even jumped at the trunk of the car before I went to Kaci today!"

"I'm sorry...but I promise not to do it again!", Misha hugged the merchant.

She picked Misha back up in her arms. "It's fine, I suppose I'm to blame for crashing the car...a little.", she turned to face Lass and Ikarisa. "Oh, name's Anya by the way. I hope you'll pay me a visit in Reingard soon. My shop has a...high brand so to speak anyway, so you'll definitely find it. Now excuse me for the rush, but I have to run. We will properly introduce each other another day!", Anya ran towards Reingard.

Finally calming down, the two of them collected themselves from the stressful situation.

"Are you ok after all that? We could sit for awhile and take a rest if you're feeling down."

"What? Heh, that hit wouldn't be enough to make a slime shiver let alone me!", Lass replied with an air of triumph. "Anyhow, I think I can see the walls of the capital from here so, better get back to it, shall we?"

Giving an ambitious nod and a small smile, the goddess's faith in her companion as well as herself was revitalized as they once again began to head towards the capital of Aleria. Lass took another glance to that dead troll again to investigate the situation further. It had been clad with a full set of armor and was equipped with a club. And even though Lass was definitely a way bigger threat than Risa, it had only focused on her.

"Come on! Don't get left behind!"

"Yes, I'm coming right over Risa!"

"We should be more careful starting now. This could be...much more serious than I joked about it being. And even then…something just keeps being so off about that girl.", he thought to himself.

And so, the two made haste, for the grand gates of Reingard...