The Gatekeeper Chapter 23- Handing out wine.

"I don't wanna go~"

I expressed my honest feelings to my best friend and sister, Celice, as she entered my room through the gate, looking rather ragged.

"I come back from school all tired, and that's the first thing you say?"

"Ah, yeah. Welcome back Celice... I don't wanna go~"

"Why though? It's a high-class party you know? There will be a lot of strong men there."

"Meh! I am not the least bit interested. I'd rather stay here and fantasize about Toru."

"You are heading into a weird direction with this crush of yours, you know that?"

"...Leave me alone."

"But why do you refuse to go?"

"It'll be the same as always. Stupid and arrogant guys will keep hitting on me all throughout the party."

"Isn't that fine? You haven't found this 'Toru' yet, you should enjoy the attention."

"I don't want attention~ I want Toru~"

"Ugh, fine. But you know who else is coming?"

"Who?"

"Alissa."

"I'll go!"

I immediately made a guts pose, I'll have a lot of fun today.

"Kukukukuku."

"Sylvia, go easy on her."

"Hehe, not happening, she's my rival you know?"

"And your good friend."

"And my rival."

"So... tell me, will you be going as the first princess of the Athena kingdom, Sylvia Silbinas Athena? Or will you be going as the mysterious adamantite rank adventure who always has a mask on her face, Frost Enigma?"  

"Are you trying to pick a fight with me? You are, aren't you?"

"N-No, I'm kidding... please stop freezing the room..."

"Fine~. Now then, let's pick clothes to wear~"

"Toru won't be coming you know?"

"I know~ But it will be fun thrashing Alissa in front of all those important people. Kukuku."

"I feel like I should really put you on a leash."

"Kukukuku."

"She's not listening, is she?"

"Here, my lady."

I said so while extending my hand towards the extremely beautiful lady still seated in the magic powered carriage.

"Don't mind if I do~"

She was in a really good mood after our little 'chat'. I stopped using polite language with her and she started calling me 'Toru'.

She dropped down from the carriage while still holding onto my hand, after we started walking towards the hall, she tried to lock arms with me, which I prevented by retracting my arm.

"Whyyy?"

"Did you forget that I am a waiter?

I think she just realised as she turned her neck in all directions and noticed that there were a lot of people going in the same direction as us.

"Fine~ But don't forget to come interact with me in the party, or I'll be lonely."

"Surely not Alissa, you're really pretty, you'll be a major target for single nobles, you know?

Her face turned red and she smiled from ear and ear and started humming by herself. I couldn't help but ask.

"What is it?"

"He he, you finally complimented me~"

Is she really an adamantite rank adventurer, noble and guildmaster?

"Yeah, yeah, let's go."

We walk for a few seconds and what comes into sight is a humongous dome which was about 200 metres in diameter and 40 metres in height, it was in a circular shape, and had a grand entrance in the front.

"Looks like we have to part here Alissa."

"W-Why? Aren't you at least coming in with me?"

"No, Shirley-san told me that there is a back entrance which I have to use. All the other guys are already there it seems."

"Ah, is that so? Fine then, make sure you come find me during the party okay? I'll make sure to eat and drink everything that you are carrying."

After saying so, she licked her lips in a bewitching manner.

How she phrased it ended up sending shudders down my body.

"Y-Yeah, let's not do that Alissa. Bye, for now."

She waved at me as I made my way to the back of the stadium, there I found an entrance, and after going through, I found the other guys and joined up with them.

After about half an hour, I found myself in the partially crowded party hall. It was really huge, so space was not an issue, the issue was the men who were trying to hit on beautiful nobles and adventurers.

I walked briskly through the crowd, with a tray of wine in my hand.

"Let's go help some people, shall we?"

Saying so, I move through a crowd concentrated at a point, and find a gorgeous looking girl of about seventeen. She was surrounded by many men, each of them complimenting her appearance, the girl seemed to be very troubled, but she still had a smile on her face, as expected of a noble, I guess.

I move through the crowd and approach the girl with the circular tray in my hand.

The men around her notice my presence, and so does she.

She had a stature of about one head lower than mine, so she lifted her head to look at me, and as soon as she did, her face turned into a deep shade of red.

"Silver-rank adventurer, Toru, at your service ma'am. Would you allow me to show you to a table? Standing in those spiky heels must be uncomfortable, right?"

The other men standing around her turn their gaze at her feet, she was wearing a dress which extended to the floor, so it was impossible to make out what she was wearing on her feet, but I could roughly estimate what it was she was wearing because I've seen many girls wearing them and then whining about the pain.

"How... did you?"

She was wide eyed at the fact that I knew that she was in pain.

"Not everybody can be fooled by a fake smile, you know?"

Ladies and Gentlemen, here is the clutcher.

I turned around, she silently gripped my white shirt, and we started walking towards the direction where the tables were arranged in great numbers, they were mostly empty because everybody was standing right now.

I could hear things like "Who does that commoner think he is?", "Silver rank, my ass, we nobles start from silver rank!" and many such vulgar comments. But they were all beautifully ignored. Even while walking in such painful shoes, her expression didn't falter a bit.

She had blonde hair, blue eyes, and a fair complexion. She was wearing a green dress that reached the floor, and given her facial features, she looked good in the dress.

We reached a table which had only two seats arranged near it, the noble girl sat on one chair.

I placed my tray on the table and crouched down in front of her.

She didn't say anything, only nodding her head. Seems like I am free to do as I please.

I removed the heel in her right foot first after pulling her dress up a little, which made the noble girl fidget abnormally.

And after I removed the heel in her left foot, she said to me.

"How is it?"

"Bleeding in right, and barely holding on in the left."

"Sorry for making you see something so unsightly."

"Ma'am, if you lower your head in front of a commoner, it wouldn't do well for your 'image'."

"Leaving that aside."

"Light Magic- Healing Radiance."

I said so in a really low voice, so the reverberation was in a really small area as well. I fueled the spell with enough mana to make the effect appear non-suspicious. Her feet healed in under thirty seconds, she twirled her toes and placed her feet in the heels again.

"I believe you should be fine now, ma'am. Just don't push yourself, here, you should drink some. I noticed that your throat was a little dry earlier while you were talking."

She received the glass I handed to her, she started moving the glass in circular motion by the stem.

"Silver-rank adventurer, Toru-san, was it? So you must be one of the adventurers sent by the guild as the security force."

"It is as you say ma'am."

"My name is Aneeka, Aneeka Lenach. I am the first daughter of the Noble House of Lenach."

"Is that so? Then, see you around, Lenach-sama."

I said so while taking the tray in my hands and leaving for the other side of the room.

"Do you have a fiance?"

"No, isn't that a bit sudden, Lenach-sama?"

She just lowered her head and smiled.

"Now, that's a real smile."

I said so after turning my back to her.

"Yes. It is."

After she said so, I relaxed my facial muscles and moved through the crowd.

While I did, I kept thinking of one thing.

I know I am raising flags with way too many women... Sylvia, Mirae-san, Alissa and this Aneeka girl. It's not like I am intentionally raising them, it's just that I know that I raised them. I think I'd be in a lot of trouble if I kept helping girls like this.

Just when I returned from refilling my tray, I found all the people standing in a line, parallel to the doors of the gate. It felt like they were standing there waiting for someone really important.

I went and stood in line together with the other sliver ranked adventurers who came with me.

"What's happening?"

"Ah! Toru? Yeah, it seems that the Crown Prince's group has arrived, and it seems he's bringing in his beast, so everyone is standing here to get a look at them.

Crown price...as in Sylvia's brother? And I believe that all the intelligent beasts the exist in the beast realm should know about me after the 'party' that Freya held. It appears that it became a very large occasion and every beast, whether it be owned or unowned, intelligent or sub-intelligent, all were invited.

I was even asked by Freya to convey some words to them. So what I said through telepathy to Freya, which she conveyed to all the of the beast world was.

"These four dragons are my servants, and so is every beast that is unowned. Be sure to make yourselves stronger, if you do, I will personally reward your diligence and loyalty."

Guess I'll play with this beast of his.

While I was thinking so... that people in the front froze up.

I can already guess the reason, it must be Sylvia.

When I peeked my head in front of the crowd, what I saw was two absolute goddesses walking side by side. One of them was of course, Sylvia. The other one had vaguely similar facial features, so it must be her sister or something.

Sylvia was wearing a beautiful, lustrous and exquisite looking white gown, she also had a flower made of ice attached to her beautiful pink hair. She is just as beautiful as I remember, no, her charm has been highly amplified. Last time we met, she didn't have any makeup on, nor was she wearing nice clothes. But now, I can really see that Sylvia is a princess.

On her side was a girl who was just as beautiful as Sylvia. Her short hair were red, and she was wearing a beautiful black gown. It was the same one is Sylvia's, but her was black. One could really say that they came as a pair.

Behind them, what came was a beast clad in a majestic aura. It was a beast of the rare breed of star-wolf race. It had silky purple haired fur and emitted a strange pressure.

And finally, who walked in the hall as the future ruler of the country, it was the extremely handsome man of about 22. He was covered in an air of superiority and power. He came in the hall as the most powerful person in the kingdom, and after looking at him, I had no doubts that he was. His mana, which he didn't even try to hide, was at the same level as Kuromi. He had the same amount of mana as the fourth strongest being in the beast realm.

I am honestly surprised... I mean, Sylvia had mana which was about 70% of that of Kuromi's when I first met her, so I had imagined her brother to have more mana than her, but still, this is just absurd.

While I was thinking of such things, the two goddesses, the beast, and the crown prince settled themselves on the seats specially prepared for them on the stage. The main throne was occupied by the crown price, while the two smaller thrones, which were on the left side of the larger throne, were occupied by Sylvia and from what I speculate, her sister.

Everybody was frozen, it was over fifteen seconds and no one went over there to greet them. No one dared to approach them give them wine or snacks. The men were stiff after looking at the two goddesses, while the women were stiff after looking at the crown prince.

While I was indifferently thinking of such matters, I was hit on my flank by one of the other adventurers who came with me for the job.

"Hey, Toru-kun, you should go!"

"Why me?"

"I mean, among all of us, you're the most resistant to women, aren't you?"

"And what makes you say that?"

"Well, everyday you just have a normal conversation with Mirae-san even when she is clad in that cheerful, bright and seductive aura."

Should I tell him that the aura she emits is thanks to me?

"Fine~ I'll go."

"I knew it! Good luck!"

I was pushed from the back by the other guys who were with me. I thought that this situation would be one of those "I wanna go!" or "I want to get closer to the princess!", but it seems that they were just too overwhelming.

I got on the path created for them with an indifferent air and approached their position.

While I did, I could see Sylvia with the corner of my eyes, fidgeting nervously and talking with her partner who just seemed to be nodding at Sylvia's words.

I closed the distance with the same indifferent air and swift and rhythmic footsteps. The only sounds in the whole hall wer my footsteps, and Sylvia's mumbling.

I reached the stairs that led to the prince's throne, and knelt down with my right knee on the ground, looking at which, Sylvia started trembling more violently.

Finally, the one who broke the silence, was me...

Chapter end