Heroes of Bygone Days and the Engraved Oath

I wonder where Darunis and Nomar are. I heard they needed some help with the Baruoki Guard.

They said to come by if we were in the area. What's going on?

Huh?

What's wrong, Aldo?

It's just... I'm getting a weird feeling from that house.

You mean the abandoned house? I'm pretty sure it's been empty ever since we were little...

Yeah, you're right. I must've been imagining things.

This really takes me back. When we were young, didn't you go in there on a dare?

Yeah, the four of us did. Darunis, Nomar, May, and me.

It all started when May saw a weird blue light inside the house. She was sure it was a ghost. She was absolutely set on catching it.

I'd have brought you along, but you were so young. And you were sound asleep, so I didn't want to wake you.

Honestly... You shouldn't have worried about that. I wish you'd taken me with you. When everyone woke up and you weren't there, all the adults in the village went into panic mode. It was such a mess.

Yeah, my bad. You and Gramps really gave me a hard time over that.

And when we finally found you guys, you were all covered in mud. And you were shaking so much that none of you could tell us what had been going on.

What exactly happened inside this house?

You're not gonna believe me, but...

I remember being chased by this enormous monster, and us all running as fast as our legs could carry us.

A monster?! B-But you were in a house, right? Surely there was nowhere to run?

Yeah, that was pretty weird. The adults checked out the house afterward, and no one found anything out of the ordinary...

Then how'd you get all muddy? This whole thing is so strange.

And that's not all. May was bawling her eyes out, Darunis had twigs tangled in his hair, and Nomar had scraped his knee. All I know is we were running away from something absolutely terrifying...

Huh?

Long time no see, Aldo!

It's good to have you back.

Nomar! Darunis! There you are. I heard you wanted to ask me a favor, so I stopped by. Has something happened in Baruoki?

Well... The monsters have been acting pretty strange lately.

Strange?

They're straying beyond their territory, they're attacking, and going berserk without any warning. But it's not like normal aggression. They're acting weird, like they're frightened of something.

It's like they've sensed someone we haven't, and they've put their defenses up.

That does sound concerning...

We've inspected pretty much the whole village and the local area. All that's left is that house there.

You mean the abandoned house?

That's right! Some of the villagers have been complaining that the house has been giving off a weird vibe lately.

I know what they mean. It's hard to explain, but I got this really ominous feeling about the house just now.

If even you're saying that, then perhaps the villagers' fears weren't ungrounded. We'd better check the place out.

But how do we get in?

The key's at May's place. Way back when, whoever owned the house gave May's grandmother the key.

Really? Then we can bring May with us...

It's not as simple as that.

It's not?

Well, now that Aldo's here, maybe we should talk to her again.

I suppose. Why don't you come with us, Aldo?

As I said the last time you came to see me...

Don't go snooping around that place! Just let it go. I've got a really bad feeling about it.

M-Me too.

Have you guys already forgotten? That place caused us nothing but misery when we snuck in there!

I know that, but... C'mon May, you must have heard about all the strange things going on in Baruoki lately? And I got the weirdest feeling from that house...

B-But that doesn't mean the house is the cause of all this!

Maybe not, but if there's any chance of us finding a clue there, we can't just ignore it.

You haven't changed a bit. You can never let things be, can you? Always saving cats stuck up trees, always out looking for kids lost in Moonlight Forest...

When we were little, we'd always follow you around, doing all kinds of silly things.

But this time, I'm not following you. I'm completely against this!

Oh...

Wow, you really let him have it, May!

But it's not like you to be so against something. You always used to go along with Aldo's ideas, dragging Nomar, Feinne, and me on all your adventures...

That dare really got to you, huh?

Well, I don't exactly have any good memories of it...

You sure were crying the most out of all of us.

C'mon, Nomar! Don't drag that up again!

S-Sorry!

There's no need to push yourself, May. If you're scared, we can just go without you.

Wait, you've got it wrong! I wasn't crying because I was scared.

You weren't?

L-Let's just drop it. If you don't remember...

Oh! I think I know... Is it because I lost that sword you made for me?

Huh?

You made me a small sword before we went there. It was the first time you ever made one for me.

Ahh, that takes me back.

Well remembered, Aldo.

I dropped it at some point while that monster was chasing us. I was so upset. I asked the adults about it when they checked the house out afterward, but they said they hadn't seen it.

Oh... I thought you'd forgotten about that long ago.

No, it's always bothered me. It was the first thing you'd ever forged, after all.

You gave me something so precious. How could I go and lose it?

I-It really wasn't that important!

I only made it 'cause Granny said a sword would be an easy thing to start off with.

But I already had a sword, so I gave the new one away.

Oh, really? Because I seem to remember you telling me beforehand how excited you were to see the look on Aldo's face...

D-Darunis! Why'd you have to remember that?!

Is that true?

How would I know! I-I don't remember!

You're not hiding something, are you?

But however you felt about it, I want to find that sword. Ever since that day, you've never gone near that place. It's always weighed heavy on my mind.

Aldo...

Anyway, aren't you curious about what happened back then? What was that huge monster we couldn't place? Or that blue light you saw? Or that path too long to fit inside a house...

Well...

Come on, May. Now that we're older, we might recognize whatever gave us such a fright back then.

He's right! And with the old gang back together, now's the perfect time to give it another go!

Wh-Why are you all so gung ho about this?

We're the Baruoki Guard. It's our job to find out what's causing these strange events.

But at the same time, I'm more than a little excited at the prospect of solving this mystery from our past. And to be able to do so with all of you, who shared this adventure with me when we were young.

I get that you don't have any good memories of that place, May. I'm not going to tell you to come with us... But personally, I'd really like it if we all checked the place out together. While we're all here.

I-I'm super curious, too! I'd love to check out the house with you guys!

Can I...?

Not you, too, Feinne?

Fine, I'll come. But I'm not staying long, okay?

Yaaay!

Great! Let's head to the abandoned house, then.

Now then...here's the key.

It's so dark. I can't see a thing. Is this a curtain?

Whoa! What is all this stuff?

There's so many weapons! I've never seen anything like them!

There's a lot of artwork, too. How unexpected! What's a place like this doing here in Baruoki?

Who actually used to live here, May?

I don't really know. Granny just said it was an old acquaintance.

Well, other than all these rare items, I don't see anything particularly unusual.

Huh, I wonder if that monster was ever really here...

I-It was as big as a mountain, right?

At least, it seemed that way when we were small. But I feel like this isn't where we saw it.

No, this doesn't look like the kind of place you could get covered in mud, either.

Then what was that huge monster we saw?

Hmm...

The shadow from this cloth would have looked so much bigger in the moonlight. Perhaps you mistook it for a ghost?

I mean, we can't rule that out.

Maybe we thought that mask was a ghost, too!

But how could it all just be a misunderstanding? I was sure I remembered being chased by something...

Yeah, it's starting to come back to me. I could hear the clanging of armor while we were running.

Now that you mention it, I think I remember that...

I said I'd been chased by armor, but the adults just wrote it off as a strange dream. I guess I really wasn't dreaming, then.

No, no way. We all saw the same thing.

I saw it, too. Something enormous and utterly horrifying, chasing after us.

Huh...?

What's wrong, May?

Wh-What's going on? My hammer's rattling...

What?!

D-Do you think it's the ghost?!

I-I-It's here?!

I don't know... But it's like it's being pulled by something.

Whaa?!

Th-That's a tear in spacetime! Oh! Then that blue light May saw when we were younger...

Was a wormhole!

S-So the monster we saw...was through here?

It looks like we'll have to find out.

I-I'm ready! We're not kids anymore!

I'm older now! Old enough to go with you on your adventures!

I'm kinda scared... But let's go, Aldo! It can't be a coincidence that a path opened up for us here. I feel like this is something we have to do.

That's settled, then. Jump in, everyone!

Where are we?

It's so gloomy here. It's giving me the creeps.

The ground's all muddy...

This is where we came when we were young! I'm sure of it!

Shh! Wait.

I hear something. Sounds like something huge moving.

You don't think it's...

Yeah, it could be whatever chased us all that time ago. We don't know what's out there. So be careful, everyone.

By the way... Where do you think we are?

And if we've gone through a tear in spacetime, maybe we're in a different era as well?

Maybe, I haven't the faintest idea. But it doesn't look like the future.

Is this...a graveyard?

Looks that way. And the tombstones all seem to be engraved with a sword crest. They're often found on the graves of knights. Putting two and two together... Perhaps we're in some country's royal graveyard?

They're from different periods, but the dates of death are all from long ago. This place must be pretty old.

So it's an ancient graveyard for knights.

If we look at the dates on the gravestones, we might be able to work out roughly what era we're in.

Good idea.

Huh?

What's that? It's all shiny...

What's wrong, Feinne?

There was a strange stone on the ground. It's black, but it was glittering in the moonlight.

Huh? I swear I've seen this stone before...

Hey, isn't that a moon fragment?

Yeah, you're right! I remember now.

A moon fragment?

That's not its official name. It's just what we used to call it.

We found it the last time we got lost in here. May, you're the one who discovered it, right?

Yeah, that's right! It was just so pretty...

I'd seen all kinds of ore from going with my father to work, but even I'd never seen anything like it.

We were all convinced it was a moon fragment.

Really?

Yeah, and we wanted to find more. That's why we kept going.

Right, it was like a treasure hunt! Even Nomar's eyes were wide with excitement, and he's a wuss!

Hey! I'm pretty sure it was you who was hiding behind Aldo the whole time!

That was just because Aldo was feeling all confident and insisted on taking the lead!

Haha, yeah that's right.

The sword that May made for me looked so cool, I felt like I could take on anything.

Aldo...

Ah, yes. I trusted you more than ever as you as you led the way, wielding that sword, cutting it through the air.

You were even acting protective over me. It was quite heart-warming to watch you.

Th-That's how you remember it?!

Teehee sounds like you were super confident when you had May's sword. That's so cute!

I know I was a kid at the time, but it's still pretty embarrassing...

Look! These gravestones seem newer than the other ones!

AD 227... That's about 70 years ago.

From the looks of it, I don't think we're gonna find any newer than these.

But they don't look like they've been made too recently. They must be at least ten to twenty years old...

Actually, taking into account some heavy weathering, they're likely a little newer than that.

You can really tell all that? I guess that's what happens when you come from a family of miners.

Heheh... I just have an eye for this kind of thing.

If you're right, then does that mean we've gone back at least fifty years?

Which would mean Granny's generation is still young.

Huh?

I hear metal on metal... There must be a fight up ahead.

What?!

Y-You think it's the monster you saw before?

Yeah, could be. Let's check it out.

Hey, look at that!

It's enormous! That's the monster that chased us. I'm absolutely sure of it.

B-But it's a huge suit of armor with no head! How can this even exist?!

Hey, look! Further on!

You're not gonna stop chasing me, are you? Just give it a rest already!

Oh no! Someone's under attack!

Let's go help her out, Aldo!

Our blades can't get through its armor!

Oh no... What's going on?!

It's known as the Spearbreaker, and it's a real nasty piece of work!

What...?

I'm sorry about this, but it's only gonna get worse from here. I'll distract it, and you all can...

If we escape, we escape together!

Let's get going!

Okay!

I can hear its footsteps. It must still be looking for us.

We should find a safe place to hide, just in case.

There's a hut nearby, how about that? It's just a bit further down this road.

Okay then. Let's go there and regroup.

Great, sounds like its footsteps are getting further away...

Are you hurt?

No, I'm fine. Oh, and thanks for your help before. It was me who started that fight after all. I'm sorry for getting you involved.

No need to thank us.

When we saw you there, we couldn't just leave you.

As a certain someone likes to say.

Hey, are you making fun of me?

Anyway, you said you started that fight. What do you mean? The Spearbreaker...that's what you called it, right? Have you got some beef with it?

No, not at all. I just wanted to give it a go. As a blacksmith.

Wait, you're a blacksmith?

Is it so strange for a girl to be a blacksmith?

Not at all! I'm a blacksmith, too. That's why I was so surprised. I didn't think I'd run into someone from my line of work here.

No way! What a coincidence! This is amazing! I can't believe we've never met before.

I'm Maisie. Nice to meet ya!

Mai...Maisie?

Yeah, that's right? I'm an adventurer for the most part, and I'm honing my skills as a blacksmith as I go.

Hey, May. If her name's Maisie, then...

A-Aldo, wait. Perhaps I've got the wrong end of the stick...

Say, where're you from, Maisie?

Oh, I'm from Baruoki.

What's your favorite saying?

Strike while the iron is hot!

What's your favorite food?

Plum mushroom rice soup!

It's my Granny!

WHAAAT?!

What are the chances of meeting her here? That's such a huge coincidence!

But I suppose, when you consider what era we're in, it's not exactly strange...

Hey! What're you all whispering about?

N-Nothing at all, Maisie!

By the way, why would fighting the Spearbreaker improve your skill as a blacksmith?

Teehee, good question.

As the name Spearbreaker suggests, nothing can pierce this monster of armor. No one knows what its armor's made of, why it has no head, or why it wanders the graveyard. Just that it seems to harbor deep resentment, and will attack anyone it sees.

Right...

It seems to be bothering the locals, so they asked the adventurers to defeat it. But I don't really care about that.

You don't?

Of course I want to help those in need. But as a blacksmith, I have an even bigger reason for coming here!

Oh, I see where you're coming from. No blacksmith could just sit back and do nothing after what you've said.

What do you mean, May?

Armor exists that no blade can pierce... If we just leave it be, it'll do real damage to our profession.

Teehee, so we're on the same page!

And if they say no blade can pierce it, that just makes me want to create a weapon that actually can defeat it. It's one creature a blacksmith cannot bear to lose to.

So you made a weapon to defeat the Spearbreaker, and you came here to challenge it?

Yeah, but I came on my own. My usual traveling companions said there was no point getting involved. But I just had to give it a shot.

So you have companions?

Yeah, I do. Including myself, we're a party of five!

The needlessly nice one, the one who's always scowling, the calm and reliable leader...

And the finest female friend! Together, we're second to none!

(Wait. If Maisie is May's grandma... Then that means her companions are...)

They're my friends, and my rivals. I wanted to bring down the Spearbreaker so I could go home proud.

But that hasn't gone so well, has it?

Why are you laughing!

I've failed so far, but what's done is done. It would feel so good if I could destroy that thing!

But what should I do? The first time I hit it, I made a huge crack in its armor, but at such a cost. My beloved hammer smashed into pieces. I've got to make another weapon, but what could defeat it?

Our only hope is to find a material even harder than its armor.

And we found out for ourselves just how hard that is during our fight. A material that could beat it...

Just a thought, but does it really have to beat it?

What do you mean?

Granny once said to me, that if you get too fixated on trying to win, you'll lose sight of all other paths open to you. It wasn't really like her to say something like that, so it always stayed with me.

So we need to approach this in a different way?

That's just insulting! Are you saying we should lose?!

Not at all! You're a blacksmith too, so you should understand. It takes more than just hard material to make strong steel.

True. The best stuff has to flatten out well and be able to take the full force of a hammer.

Exactly! And if you keep on pounding away at it, the steel might actually end up worse.

Hmm... Then I guess we should do what this spineless granny of yours said.

S-Spineless?

But if we don't use a weapon harder than its armor, how else do we win?

That's what we've got to work out!

But you know, we don't have to win. We could always draw...

Draw?! You see, that's spineless!

No, wait. A draw? You mean, use the same material as the Spearbreaker's armor... Then perhaps...

Have you thought of something, Darunis?

This is just an idea, so feel free to disregard it... But couldn't you make a weapon out of the armor itself?

The armor itself?!

Maisie, you said you'd managed to put a crack in its armor. If it can crack, perhaps it can break off.

So break off its armor and make a weapon out of it?

Exactly. Using the exact same material, it should be possible to at least come to a draw.

Hmph! Not gonna happen! I'm a first-class blacksmith, you know. I can't draw with armor made by some nobody. Out of the question! If I'm using the same material, I've gotta win!

I guess you got your competitiveness from your grandma, then...

What was that?!

Anyway, how much will we need to get in order to make a weapon?

Hmm... Ideally, I'd want to make a solid weapon out of the stuff, but there'll likely only be enough for a plating. It depends on the material, but I'd guess three handfuls or so should do the trick!

Would that really be enough?

Yeah, I'm just that good!

Then we might be able to do this! I saw loads of fragments fly from the crack in its armor when we were fighting.

Okay then. If we search the area, we might be able to find some. But where are you going to make the weapon?

Look, this is a graveyard for knights, right? There's a furnace that would've been used to make the ceremonial swords buried with the knights. It's pretty simple, but it's all I need. If you're skilled enough, it doesn't matter what tools you use.

I'll help, too! Many hands make light work, after all.

You will? Thanks so much! Since you're here, you may as well show me what you've got.

Then let's go gather the materials.

But how do we go about finding these armor fragments?

About that... It looks like there's something stuck in my scarf.

Maybe it's a piece of its armor.

Huh? But that's...

A moon fragment!

What? You mean you recognize it?

Well, sorta! We've seen them before.

This sure makes things easier.

Yeah, we went looking for them when we were young, so we should know what we're doing.

Who'd have thought the treasure we looked for back then was actually pieces of the Spearbreaker?

Hmm in that case, it might be faster if I leave the gathering to you. I'll get the furnace ready in the meantime. Come back once you've found enough, okay?

Got it. Just leave it to us!

Right, let's go look for these moon fragments. But be on the look out for the Spearbreaker!

Look! Isn't that a moon fragment over there?

It is! Nice find!

You've always been so good at finding things, Nomar.

Back when we went treasure hunting for moon fragments, it was you who found the most.

Heheh... I was smaller than you, so they were just easier for me to see.

Oh, you were SOOO cute when you were little! I miss those days. When you first moved to Baruoki from some far away town, you used to cry all the time!

I was just sad about being away from all the friends I'd grown up with...

And we couldn't just leave you like that, could we?

This is making me so nostalgic! You used to take me along with you, wherever you went. We'd go to Moonlight Forest to look for glowing mushrooms and wild rabbit burrows.

You even let me climb up the biggest tree in the forest so I could look for my old town.

Haha, yeah, though you were never going to see that far away from that old tree.

But that didn't matter. I felt better just looking over at the village, and seeing you all smiling up at me.

And that's when you started scurrying behind us wherever we went. And you used to give us pet names... Aldo was Aldie, Darunis was Dary, Feinne was Fei-Fei, and I was May-May.

I always sorta liked those names...

B-But I can't use them anymore! I'm part of the Baruoki Guard, you can't fawn over me like that!

Haha, that's such a strange thing to care about!

Anyway, I don't really think letting you give us nicknames counts as fawning over you.

Teehee, she's right.

You know, you sometimes still call me and Darunis by our nicknames.

What?! No, I don't believe...

Yeah, you do it a lot during morning training.

Understood, Dary!

You'll say still half asleep. You make me laugh even during our important training sessions.

N-No way!

Oh! Isn't that a moon fragment over there?

May, wait.

It's not?

I thought I sensed something hiding there.

Th-Thank you, Darunis!

Well spotted...

I've always found this strange about you. How come you can sense a monster's presence?

I don't do anything special. I just listen out for the sound of them breathing, and note any slight changes in the wind.

That sounds pretty special to me...

You're amazing, Darunis. You even know pretty much all the territories of the monsters near Baruoki. It's like you can see a boundary line that's totally invisible to me.

I come from a family of hunters. I've been taught from a young age not to go trampling in on their territory. If I took one step over a boundary, I'd be in for it once my father found my footprints. I had no choice but to memorize them.

Haha! You used to say your father was even scarier than the actual monsters.

But you did go against those teachings once.

I didn't think you'd remember that.

How could I forget?

What happened?

Well... Once, the ribbon my mother left me went flying off into the forest, and Darunis went to find it for me. But as soon as he found it, his father appeared.

Talk about bad timing.

That was the first time I'd ever seen his father so angry. He was soooo scary...

So I tried to tell him it wasn't Darunis's fault...

But I gave my father an angry look, and told you to keep quiet.

What? Why?

I was just being stubborn. No matter the circumstances, as the oldest of our group, I didn't want to give May up like that...

But Darunis! It all started because I...

I told you at the time. I didn't enter the monsters' territory because you asked me to. I weighed up my hunter's teachings against your ribbon, and chose which was most important. It was my decision.

Darunis...

Thank you, Darunis. I don't think I'll ever forget the sight of you hiding that ribbon behind your straightened back as he shouted at you. Or how you laughed when you handed it back to me, saying that I'd better not lose it again...

You're incredible, Darunis. Even when you were young, you were still "you"...

What do you mean?

You've always been the most dependable of all of us. You are now, and you were when we were kids.

Huh? Is that...

Nope, my mistake.

Your mistake?

It's a stick. It doesn't even look remotely like a moon fragment.

Yeah, I know that. I'm still looking for those moon fragments, but it must've been around here that I dropped that sword.

Y-You're still looking for that? Honestly, it doesn't matter! It's so old, it'll be too small for you now. It'd be useless even if you did find it.

That's not the point. You poured your heart and soul into it. I want to keep it.

You're devoted to a fault, honestly...

Anyway, I was thinking... When you were making it, how come you kept it hidden from me? Why didn't you tell me about it?

I wanted to surprise you. Back then, Darunis had only just started to use a sword, remember? And Aldo, you were super jealous. I thought if I gave you a sword, you'd be so happy it'd knock you sideways.

Wait, you mean...

I-I wanted to mess with you, that's all!

Is that so? It looked to me like you simply wanted to make Aldo happy.

No way! I just wanted to give him a shock!

Teehee. You're so sweet, May.

Not you too, Feinne!

Anyway, it was SO hard keeping it a secret from Aldo.

It was?

Yeah. Every morning, I'd have to sneak into the workshop before everyone else woke up. I'd have to make up excuses whenever you wanted to hang out... Darunis found out before I'd finished and we had to get our stories straight.

Hahaha, so we did. That sure takes me back.

But you can be strangely perceptive when you want to be, Aldo. I was so worried you'd work it all out. This one time, you just appeared at the workshop window. I nearly jumped out of my skin. You asked me what I was doing. I was about to ask you the same thing!

Haha, sorry about that.

In my childish mind, I felt sure you were hiding something from me. And that made me incredibly curious.

So you were curious about the things I wouldn't show you?

Urgh! You're such a lech, Aldo!

What?! That's quite the jump!

That's not even remotely related to what we were talking about!

Still, it's pretty safe to say that Aldo is indeed a lech.

Right?

Hey, why're you siding with May?!

Wait. This place...

I remember this place! This is where we found that huge moon fragment.

It was in the shadows over there. When we went to get it, we got stuck in the mud and fell over.

Yeah, that's right. It was around here that you...

Huh? The fragment's gone.

But look, there's the impression we left in the mud. In fact, it's still fresh...

You don't mean...

The past us are still nearby?!

The ground's shaking... You think it's the Spearbreaker?!

It was coming from over there. Come on, let's go!

What the?!

It's the past you guys! What do we do? They're gonna get caught by the Spearbreaker!

Let's get in there!

May, wait!

Wait? At a time like this?!

Think about it... Think what would happen if we barged in right now. Do you remember being saved by us, the way we are now, back then?

Well...

We have no memory of that. If we go to save our younger selves, we might end up changing the past.

Right, Aldo?

Right. I want to help them out, but for all we know, it'll just make things worse.

But if we leave things be, the Spearbreaker's gonna, !

D-Don't underestimate us!

Is that...Darunis?

W-We're not scared of you! Mess with us and you'll regret it!

D-Dary!

It's okay, Nomar. I'll distract him so you guys can escape.

But!

Don't be a fool!

We're not gonna leave you here!

Yeah! If we escape, we escape together!

And if we fight, we fight together!

You guys...

Watch out!

Ngh!

Dary!

No...! NO...!

Don't you lay a finger on Dary!

Nomar, no!

Eeek!

May! Nomar!

Uh oh! You wanna fight? Come and get me!

Aldo!

Don't worry, May! I'm gonna beat it!

I've got the sword you made for me...

I'm not scared of you! I'm not gonna lose to you!

Ngh!

Wha?! My sword...

Oh no...

ALDO!

Uh-oh! Here goes!

What're we gonna do? Aldo's gonna get caught by the monster!

We'll see about that! C'mon, after them!

Oh no! Where'd Aldo go?

Waaah! Aldie!

Phew! That was close...

Aldo!

I was hiding in the shadows. Okay, before it's too late, let's...

Wargh! The monster saw us!

Run away! Quick!

Oh no! The Spearbreaker!

There's no need to worry now. So long as we all remember getting away from it afterward.

Yeah, we did. And then I'm pretty sure I fell over...

Oh yeah, I remember! And I helped you up.

Then the Spearbreaker got closer and we jumped in the bushes.

We made our way through the trees and ended up back where we started.

Whew, I really thought the past me was gonna die!

Even though I knew we couldn't be here if we'd died back then, that still made my blood run cold.

Same. That scared me half to death.

......

So this is where I dropped that sword.

Yep.

I'm sorry, Aldo.

Huh?

You wouldn't have been in danger if it hadn't been for this sword.

There's nothing to apologize for, May. Even now that we're all grown up, we're still no match for that monster. This sword gave us the chance to escape. It saved us, if anything.

But if you'd gotten caught...

That wouldn't have been anyone's fault. There's no need to worry.

...... Thanks. You're so kind, Aldo.

You know what, I've remembered something.

What?

When we were young, and we fled from the Spearbreaker back to Baruoki, I was crying the most of all of us.

Yeah, I remember.

I thought that was because I was sad you'd lost the sword.

But I was wrong. I was sad because the sword I made wasn't able to protect you.

May...

I put my blood, sweat, and tears into that sword. I was so confident it would be able to protect someone as important to me as you.

But in reality, it wasn't enough. It didn't protect you. Far from it. It put your life in danger.

I was so upset, so mortified... I couldn't even speak. All I could do was cry.

I never realized that was how you felt...

I'm sure the reason I didn't want to come here now that I'm grown up, is because I didn't want to remember that feeling. But...

Now that I've faced it, I won't run away. Now that I'm older, I have the strength and wisdom to defeat that thing. And this time, with the help of my Granny, I'm gonna forge a sword that can't lose to it!

That's right!

Aldo! Look at this! It's the moon fragment we lost.

It's huge! We should have more than enough for Maisie now.

Great! Let's go back to Maisie then!

Welcome back! Everything's prepared here. You got the materials?

Yeah, that should be plenty for a plating! The problem is, what should we use for the core?

Yeah. While I was waiting for you, I tried forging the armor fragment with different types of ore. Looks like it has a selective nature. We'll need a mineral that'll work well with this material. One that won't break.

Hmm, Migradrite would be perfect, really. It's found around my home town.

Migradrite?

Aldo, I'm pretty sure that's what I used to forge that sword for you!

What a cute sword. Let's see now...

Yeah. This will do nicely. If we use this sword as our core, we should be able to reforge a weapon out of that monster's armor!

Never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd end up reforging this sword.

Aldo...

Leave it to me! This time, I know we won't lose!

Hmm...

You said your hammer was broken, right? Do you want to borrow mine?

No, it's okay. Instead...

How would you like to finish the sword off?

Wha?!

We're still a team of two. I'll lend a hand as your partner. But you wield the hammer.

I-I'd be happy to... But why? You came here to test your strength against the Spearbreaker, right, Gra, I mean, Maisie? Checking the sword quality is such an important job. Why leave that to me?

My test is already over. I've come to realize there's still so much more for me to learn. Right now, I'd much rather see your skill. Or rather, your strength of feelings.

My strength of feelings...?

You're in love with him, aren't you?

WHAAAT?! Why would you say that? Aldo's just an old friend, that's all!

Aldo, eh? I don't remember mentioning him by name. Teeheehee...

W-Wait, you've got the wrong end of the stick! We're just old childhood friends! I don't feel anything for him! Nothing at all!

But he's a bit of a cutie, no?

Well, I guess...

Hey, where's this going?!

Honestly, Granny, you sure like talking about my love life! Whenever I get home, it's always...

Huh? What are you saying?

Oh, umm... It's nothing...

I was just thinking about my granny. She loves to gossip, just like you.

How rude! I'm still in the prime of my youth! Don't go comparing me to some old granny!

Okay, why don't we leave whether you love him or not for now. You want to help him out, don't you?

Well, yeah.

You know, I've remembered something. You're not the only one who felt that they had to defeat Spearbreaker. I'm the same. My dearest friend believes I can do this. I've been given another chance to fight. I can't let that go to waste.

......

Listen, Maisie...

What is it?

I absolutely cannot lose this fight. But I don't think that's gonna be so easily done with my current ability.

So train me! You said you were a first-class blacksmith. I want to catch up to you. I'll do anything.

You do seem like you'll be worth training. I have a feeling you're a diamond in the rough.

Okay then, just leave it to me! I'll teach you everything there is to know! We're gonna cut that armored monster right in half with this here sword!

We sure are!

I gave it all I've got. I hope it feels okay to hold.

That makes sense. Feelings can be retained in weapons. May vowed not to lose to that monster. She vowed that she wouldn't make you lose again. Those feelings became the fire that hardened the sword. It won't be so easily broken.

In any case...

Wh-What is it, Maisie?

On top of those feelings you poured into it, you did good work using that hammer, too.

Huh?

And it sure is an incredible hammer. Whoever made it must've known all there is to know about smithing! Next time I partner up, I want to make a hammer like this!

Well, that's probably because you're the one who made it...

Yeah. It's a pretty interesting story, actually. A long time ago, Granny defeated an old foe, and used its armor to form the core of this hammer.

Oh, you mean...?

Aldo! May! The Spearbreaker's here!

I shot it with arrows, and lured it into a dead end just a little further on. Are you ready, you two?

Yeah! I can't wait to get this fight started!

That roar was loud enough to make the air itself shake.

It must be pretty mad at us. I chipped its armor, you kept running away from it...

Whatever, I'm raring to go!

It'd be boring if it didn't give us all it's got.

Right.

We're not the same as we were back then. This time, we're bringing it down.

Are we all in our positions?

Yes! Let's do this as we planned!

Here it comes! Brace yourselves!

Back then, I was so driven by fear that all I could do was frantically stab at you. But it's different now. I'm not scared of you anymore.

Here I go!

Darunis!

I'm on it!

We don't know what's inside that armor. So I can't even be certain these arrows will work. But if I can get them to slip between its joints, I'll be able to stop it from moving temporarily.

Back then, I thought the only way I could protect my friends was to take the lead. But it's different now. It's my role to clear a path forward while protecting us from behind.

You're up, Aldo!

Got it!

Now that I have the sword that May forged for me... I won't lose to you again!

The Spearbreaker's overwhelmed!

May's sword is still holding strong! You're nearly there, Aldo!

Looks like I'm out of time! There's a crack in its armor... Just one more strike should do it!

Great! It's in there!

Your turn, May!

Here I go!

That sword may have been made from the same material as your armor... But the feelings put into them couldn't be more different! My, no, our sword...

Will never lose to you!

This! Ends! Here!

It worked!

Aldo!

Thanks, May!

Okay, let's give it one last push!

It's over! Take this!

The Spearbreaker, it's...

That final strike smashed it to pieces.

It doesn't look like it's going to be able to revive.

Which means...

We won!

WE DID IT! We finally defeated it.

We may have cried and ran away when we were young, but look at us now!

Right. The bond between us gave us the power to defeat the Spearbreaker from the past. And I have to thank you too, Maisie, for helping us out.

Right back at you. On another note, all these Spearbreaker bits sure look pretty...

Huh?

Oh, I see... This was its heart.

That's armor, right? But it's a totally normal size. How'd it turn into something that big?

It looks like it gathered a huge amount of metal by solidifying it to the outside of the armor.

Look at this piece. There are signs of it being compacted with strong magic.

Oh, I get it. More and more metal from the vicinity started to stick to it, and that made it bigger and bigger.

That would explain the strange hardness of the armor, if it was able to compact all the weapons of the knights it defeated.

I see. Then this material is unbeatable.

And I've got my hands on something pretty special here. It may have an unusual history, but it's the perfect material for top quality weapons and armor.

Why don't you take whatever you like back with you?

Huh?

As much as I'd love to reap the spoils equally, you've helped me out so much with this. While we're all here, why don't I forge you a new weapon?

Oh, don't worry about that, Maisie. We don't need anything.

Yeah, we've got more than enough with the sword you and May forged.

More importantly...

Your hammer broke, right? Why don't you make yourself a new one out of this material?

Are you sure you don't want anything?

Of course! Instead of that...

Make your new hammer as strong as possible. Strong enough to be used by your children, and your children's children.

What are you talking about?

It'll be proof of our friendship. So it should really be indestructible, right? And I'm sure the hammer will have the power to take its owner out on exciting adventures. Like when we met you.

What a strange thing to say... But I have this feeling that you might be onto something there...

Right, perhaps I should reward myself with the finest hammer I can forge!

But I want to thank you all properly for this...

I know! Let's go to the workshop!

Tah-dah! What do you think?

Wow, it's...

The tip of your hammer got damaged during that fight. So I reinforced it with some of the material I picked up. It shouldn't chip so easily now.

You'll be matching with that cutie now.

Maisie! Cut it out!

Wh-What're you talking about?

This doesn't concern you, Aldo!

Hahaha, I was only joking. Now we'll have matching hammers. As proof of our friendship.

Anyway, I should be getting back to my friends. Where will you be heading?

Wha?! Oh right... It's kinda difficult to explain, but it's really far away.

Oh, you're from somewhere far away? Then I guess it won't be so easy to see you again.

Nah, I'm sure we'll meet again. Someday...far into the future.

Okay then, we should get going back to our village. See you around, Maisie.

Wow! It feels like an age since we've been here!

I never imagined the abandoned house would've led to a place like that.

What an unexpected adventure.

It's like it was all a dream. The wormhole even closed up once we got back.

I'm no expert on wormhole theory, but perhaps its purpose was served once we defeated the Spearbreaker with Maisie.

It feels so weird that we had such a huge fight, but we're the only ones who remember it.

Still, I'm never going to forget this! It was so fun finding out what you got up to back then.

And I even got to go on one of your adventures now that I'm all grown up!

Heheh, true. I'm glad I got to go on an adventure with you, too, Feinne.

But it sure was a strange twist of fate.

What do you mean?

I mean, the hammer Granny made afterward got passed down to me, her granddaughter. That must've been what called us from her future, back to the Spearbreaker, right?

It's like, what came first, the chicken or the egg? Just thinking about it makes my head hurt.

Yeah, if I think about it too hard, it just gets confusing...

I wonder what would have happened if you hadn't told Maisie to make that hammer. You chose this future without hesitation, but you could've chosen one where you were never scared of the Spearbreaker.

I'd always pick this future, no matter how many times I'm made to choose. I may have been scared at times...

But mostly, I had fun. I'm glad I got to have adventures with you, both when I was young, and now that I'm grown up.

Haha, I feel the same way.

M-Me too!

And me!

We're all on the same page, then.

Anyway, I wonder whose house this was originally... Your grandma said it was an old acquaintance, right?

Phew! I'm back...

Teehee! I can't wait to see their faces.

Right, here I go!

Hey! I thought you'd be here!