Saved The Best For Himself

"It's not poisoned." Rein declared when he saw that the other person still had no intention of accepting the water bag.

His words suggested that he drank from the water bag earlier to prove that it was safe for consumption.

King Zander was amused with his way of doing things and his eyes once again fell on the water bag that Rein had extended towards him.

Until now, he had been observing Rein and hence had failed to pay attention to anything else.

However, now that he was staring at the water bag made out of thick leather, a familiar fragrance wafted into his nostrils.

Only King Zander and the chef were closest to Rein and hence had caught a whiff of a scent similar to the one they had sensed before.

The only difference was that this scent was much stronger and far more appetizing than the pills Rein had generously handed over to them.

The chef glanced at the pair of blood pills in his hands then at the water bag in Rein's.

The crimson powder that Rein had mixed into the bag had brought about this fragrant scent that caused the one emanating from the pills to pale in its comparison.

'He saved the best for himself.' The chef lamented as the liquid from the bag felt far more superior to the pills he now possessed.

This conclusion, King Zander and the rest had also reached by then.

However, it would be vile on their part to expect Rein to hand every precious item in his possession over to them.

They were receiving his help during a time of need and that was already enough for them to be grateful to him and expecting more would only make them appear greedy in his sights.

Therefore, everyone remained silent without making their thoughts known as they waited to see how their King would react.

King Zander had been prepared to starve himself in order to feed his men but the tempting offer Rein had made was enough for his resolve to waver.

While he was a stronger being and could hold onto his urges for longer, that would only make his thirst grow further and he would need a larger quantity of blood to placate his hunger later on.

The water bag Rein was willing to hand over could solve most of his problems.

Therefore, after giving it a moment's thought, King Zander reached out to accept the item from the generous youngster's hand.

Rein's eyes sparkled with joy upon seeing the water bag being taken away from him.

He watched in silence as the King brought the bag to his lips and took large gulps before lowering it.

Judging from how little the size of the bag had shrunk, it was easy for everyone to guess that their King was curbing his appetite.

No matter how hungry he was, he wouldn't finish a child's meal and let him starve for his sake.

Therefore, only completing half the contents of the bag, he was ready to hand it back to Rein.

However, this time it was Rein's turn to remain still.

He gazed at the other man but made no movement to take back the bag.

"I can make more for myself." Rein's soft voice echoed around them only accompanied by the rustling of the leaves due to the wind in the distance.

King Zander had seen the young vampire using only half of the powder in his jar so he knew that Rein wasn't lying.

He was being considerate towards Rein's circumstances but noticing that the other party seemed unaffected by it, he decided to take Rein up on his offer.

In the next second, he raised the bag back to his lips and this time, finished everything in it.

Rein smiled happily at this sight before glancing at the others around them.

This reminded them that they too had been holding onto the pills given to them without consuming them

Seeing their King filling his stomach, they finally had the heart to eat as well.

Thus Rein and King Zander watched as the rest swallowed their pills which was followed by satisfied smiles that formed on their faces.

"Can I know your aunt's name?" The chef inquired as he was more than interested in getting to know the talented lady that had created these pills.

Even King Zander was curious as the liquid he had consumed had brought a warmth to his body as soon as it reached his stomach.

He could sense life essence being created in his body after its consumption which was strange as the essence formed from blood alternates should be much lower than what was bubbling up in his body.

Blood alternates could never match the amount of life essence produced after consuming real blood but the liquid he had earlier was a close match.

High life essence without the taste or feel of blood in his mouth.

Though he did not mind the taste of blood, this was a whole new experience for him.

Thus he too wished to know who Rein's aunt was and if possible, desired to form a contract with her so that she might sell her products to him in the future.

However, they were bound to be disappointed as Rein had his lips sealed shut with no intention of revealing any information about him or his aunt to any of them.

Instead, he had an awkward, hesitant look on his face as he scratched his cheek.

"She doesn't like attention and stays secluded unless it is someone close to her who approaches her." He revealed the bare minimum without giving out any valuable information that they could use to track his aunt's whereabouts.

Witches were known for their eccentric behavior and did as they pleased so King Zander could only nod at Rein.

Though he was disappointed with this result, he did not force Rein to spill any further details.

Having reached an impasse on this matter, the King decided to move on to a much more important question that he had been meaning to ask for quite a while now.

"But how can we repay you for the kindness you have shown us, Runaway Rein?" He inquired, continuing to use the nickname he had attached to Rein.