Published: September 2, 2025
Satou here. A friend once said that moe can save the world, and it seems that the healing power of admiring cute things is the same in any world.
Surprisingly, maybe moe really can save the world.
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I knew from the map that the baron's castle was spacious, but entering it, it was even bigger than I'd imagined. The castle occupies about 30% of the city’s area, and within its grounds are forests and a large pond.
If only a few percent of the grounds are actually inhabited, wouldn't it just be a huge burden to maintain?
Due to some trouble, I got separated from Hayuna-san and the others.
Instead of going to the fortress, the carriage headed towards a large four-story mansion on higher ground within the same premises. The baron and Hayuna-san and her group were there, so no problem.
Of course, the false hero was beside the baron.
The demon race’s splitter was also in the mansion, but didn’t seem to be near the baron. The main body was still in the forest. Apparently, it wasn’t directly participating, only making goblins and soldiers fight. Maybe it just enjoyed watching them kill each other?
While pondering this, the carriage entered the rotary in front of the mansion.
Although there wasn’t a red carpet laid out, about twenty maids lined up on each side to welcome us.
These maids weren’t wearing aprons or white prims. They wore plain navy one-piece dresses. Since they all wore the same design, it must be a uniform.
I sensed Pochi sniffing around behind us, though I couldn’t see him. Arisa whispered a warning, so I'll leave it to her.
“Welcome. Magician Satou-sama and the young ladies,” greeted a young man in butler’s attire, the only one dressed differently.
I returned his greeting with thanks for the grand welcome.
It seemed they knew me as a magician, not a merchant.
“If you have any luggage, we will take care of it.”
The butler said this, so I handed over my bag and the knife and short staff at my waist. The knife was mostly decorative, matching my outfit.
The butler took only the bag and returned the short staff and dagger.
“Satou-sama, you may keep your self-defense staff and dagger.”
“Isn’t it rude to bring weapons before the baron?”
I asked just in case, but the butler shook his head calmly.
“No need to worry. It’s under the steward’s orders. Besides, the baron has a very reliable person beside him. Unless the Demon King attacks, no one can harm the baron.”
“Oh? That’s impressive. I’d definitely like to meet such a person.”
“You’ll surely be surprised. Please look forward to it.”
He must be talking about the false hero. But allowing guests to carry weapons — they must trust that false hero a lot.
Or maybe it’s a setup to cause harm?
Following the butler’s guidance, two maids followed behind us. At first, I suspected they might be female soldiers monitoring us, but given their levels and skills, they were genuine maids.
Still, I felt a faint unease I couldn’t quite place.
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When the butler led us to the baron’s room, Arisa gripped my hand tightly. Maybe she was worried about the dream she had?
As soon as Arisa entered and saw the baron, she visibly relaxed, as if confirming the dream wouldn’t come true.
Her small, relaxed hand helped me calm down a bit too. Earlier, after the hit-and-run incident, I’d been under the oppressive impression that I had to confront the baron.
First, I’d assess the person in front of me before deciding.
“Well, you finally came. Lord Hatoko, let me introduce you: magician Satou and merchant Arisa. And... is that Arisa’s younger sister?”
As the butler led us inside, Tolma-san (the old man) who caught my eye introduced us to the baron.
Now that I think about it, he hadn’t mentioned Arisa was a slave. She wasn’t wearing any collar, so maybe he didn’t notice. Also, to him, Arisa was just a merchant...
But I appreciate that he ignored Pochi.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Satou, a fledgling magician and merchant.”
I hesitated a bit but made sure to mention “merchant” as well.