Sometimes there is more than one way to solve parallel stories in octopathic traveler 2, but the “Sword in the Stone” side quest has a fairly simple solution. Especially if you have Throne around and you’re going through his story. The key is to go through Oresrush to “borrow” a critical miner tool before heading to Winterbloom.
It’s a great side story for Throne, due to the fact that its chapter two missions involving Mother and Father take place in both locations. Chasing Mother in Oresrush is a level 7 recommended quest. After entering the town for the first time, head to the building in the northeast corner of town. There you will find a retired miner with a sturdy pickaxe in his inventory. When I quit with a level 20 throne, it had a 15% chance of being pulled successfully. This means I’ve failed multiple times, but going to the Inn side restores your reputation so you can try again.
Once you have the sturdy pickaxe, head to Winterbloom to complete the octopathic traveler 2 Mission “The sword in the stone”. Go as far east as possible and you will come across a citizen facing a sword stuck in a stone. Offer him the pickaxe. He will then use it to free the sword. Since it is “useless”, you will get 7000 leaves, a revitalizing jam and a rusty sword.
octopathic traveler 2 is available for Switch, PS4, PS5 and PC. A demo is available.