Guardian Heart — Part 2

 is the twelfth chapter of Natsumi Mukai's +Anima manga.

Synopsis
Cooro punches Husky in his sleep, waking him. Husky notices that Nana Alba is not in bed, but assumes that she had only gone to the bathroom, he falls back asleep. Senri wakes up too and notices the same thing, but also goes straight back to sleep.

Some Astarian soldiers are on night watch, discussing their earlier encounter with Senri when they are knocked unconscious by Nana's Ultrasonic Screech. Igneous Giesrieg is dreaming about his grandfather when a flapping sound wakes him. Nana is outside his tent, trying to hypnotize him into giving up on having Harden forge swords. Feeling her voice inside his head, Igneous picks up his sword and slashes, causing the tent to fall onto Nana. She tries to flee carrying an axe but Igneous captures her.

In the morning, Cooro, Husky and Senri are preparing for the day when Margaret and Harden come outside to announce their breakfast is ready. At that moment, Igneous approaches with some soldiers, and Nana in a sack. Igneous accuses Nana of attempting to steal an axe and uses this as leverage to convince Harden to forge swords for him, offering Nana's pardon in exchange; Harden agrees. Cooro asks Igneous to hold the axe and finds that it would be too heavy for him to fly with. The soldiers then let Nana go.

Later Husky and Cooro scold Nana for trying to steal the axe and frighten the military. Cooro then goes to see Harden at his forge. Harden is worried about the task at hand, since he has not forged swords in a long time. He explains to Cooro why he stopped; how he had first met Margaret when she was a +Anima and being attacked by the swords he had made. Harden had defended her and started to live with her, soon he found joy in making household tools and eventually stopped making swords altogether. Cooro thinks it is a waste that so much iron will be used for swords when there are many people who would want something more civilian; this gives Harden an idea and he has the children help him late into the night. After Cooro and Husky fall asleep, Margaret talks to Harden about how her Anima vanished after she started living with him because she no longer needed it to protect her, she had him.

In the morning, Igneous comes to collect his swords, but is shocked to find instead Harden had made sickles, cleavers and other tools. Igneous is angry, but his soldiers are admiring the tools. They manage to convince him that even the military needs household tools, so Igneous orders them to withdraw.

Later that day, Cooro and friends decide to continue on their travels. As a parting gift, Harden gives Cooro a hatchet.