The same territory where nobles who've announced their candidacy to become its governing lords die one by one, becoming the lord of the [Cursed Territory]?
However, this is a royal order. I do not have the right to refuse.
The majesty has talked about the City Core earlier probably because he has maximum faith in me.
Right now, the thing I can do is to solemnly lower my head and answer, [Your will].
◇
"Are you nervous?"
An old lady with miko outfit looks at me worryingly.
"No, head miko-sama. I, I am okay."
"You don't have to force yourself. Even for me who has long life of confronting monsters, standing in front of this door is making me trembling."
She probably said that to reassure me.
Latenion head miko lets out a young smile belying her age.
I take a deep breath, and together with the head miko, go toward the underground sanctuary on the Muno city where the City Core is.
The people who descend the spiral stairs to the underground sanctuary are only the head miko and me.
Originally, this passage is only to be used by the lord, but for the sake of exorcising the curse that the [Undead King] has left, I'm accompanied by the head miko this time.
I feel more sick each time I step down the stair.
It seems that many nobles die the moment they step on this stair.
It's probably safe this time because I'm with a head miko who holds the title [Saintess].
I continue following head miko while feeling nauseous.
In front of the sanctuary, the head miko touch the walls as if falling.
"Leon, looks like it's the limit soon."
"I understand. I'm going to go alone from here..."
I step into the sanctuary while holding my consciousness.
--My vision is shaking.
Bam, I hear the sound of my own body that has collapsed as if it's coming from other's, I look up.
A semi-transparent black shadow is floating in front of my eyes.
『O intruder. I am [Undead King] Zen--Its shadow. O pure person, show me that you deserve to become the lord.』
"Lord is--"
I faint in the middle of my words, and I get rescued by the golems controlled by royal court magicians that his majesty has deployed.
I tried challenging it for three times after this, but it was over right whenever I had just arrived to the sanctuary.
I wasn't able to grasp the City Core, but for my accomplishment of getting to the sanctuary, I was appointed to be the lord of this land.
Since I'm just a temporary lord, I am not able to tap the magic power of The Source to manipulate weather, resulting in famines often happening in the territory, and I'm not able to stop people from leaving this territory.
I was only able to become the true lord after 16 years.
I had to wait until a merchant who had just become an adult uncovered the plot of the demon by himself, and even saved the territory from the swarms of undead monsters.
◇
I want to grant honorary knight to Satou-kun for his achievements, but since I don't have the City Core, I don't have any way to confer peerage to him.
I could ask Nina-dono to write a letter of recommendation for duke Oyugock, but I'd like to reward him with my own hands.
I proceed to the sanctuary where the City Core sleeps after 16 years, and over there I notice that the curse that has always been there is gone.
I don't know if the caster has died, or if the silver masked hero who defeats the demon has dissolved it.
I walk to the front of the City Core, and a voice that's neither man or woman greets me.
『Welcome, qualified person. Do you hope to become the lord of this land?』
This is probably words from the will of the City Core itself.
I answer clearly.
「I do.」
『The registration is complete. I serve lord Leon Muno from now on』
Lights separate from the City Core, one becomes a ring on my finger, the other flies beneath me.
When I concentrate on the ring that I've received, things that could be done with City Core come into my mind. Apparently, the demon wanted to do something by stealing the magic power from The Source. For the time being, I do ritual magic for controlling weather, I should be able to grant him rank too.
"■■■■ Weather Control. Warming."
『Executing Command. The average temperature of the territory will raise by 15°C for the next few days.』
I don't know how much 15°C is, but if I could decrease the freezing cold, the people who die from it would probably decrease too.
Either way, there's not enough magic power for anything more than this.
On the next morning, I do the ritual of conferring peerage using the City Core without any problem.
I go to the balcony in the early morning, and is surprised at the warmth.
Usually, my breath would becomes white. The cold of midwinter has changed into the warmth of autumn in just one night.
I'm trembling under the sunlight warm.
--It's excessively powerful.
The City Core brings power beyond human to a person.
I vow to use this power for the sake of people without drowning on it.