“I didn’t do anything beyond my means if that’s what you are worried about. Besides, this much is nothing to me. It barely took any effort on my part.” replied Zach as he sensed the dissatisfaction in her voice.

“You gave her your life blood and you are telling me that it was no effort. I sure hope you never put in effort in this lifetime or you might just anger me to death.” said Luna as she scrunched up her nose in annoyance at her master’s inability to care for himself.

“Why did you do it this time? Is it because of guilt again?”

“Hmm. Believe me or not, it really was no effort at all. I will recover the lost blood in a matter of a few days but the girl will be able to live thanks to that and there won’t be a need for me to feel guilty about not saving her.” Zach tried to explain himself so that Luna could get out of this primitive thinking that blood was equivalent to life.

Luna sat him down near the trunk of the tree so he could rest for a while as she sat down beside him to keep an eye on the hunters.

However the staring contest between Luna and the hunters didn’t last long as the comatose girl woke up after some time and stood up like nothing had happened to her at all.

Neither Zach nor Luna bothered about her much. Zach only looked at the girl once to make sure that she was alright but closed his eyes afterwards to rest as he leaned back on the tree trunk for support.

The girl on the other hand was surrounded by the hunters from all sides as they cried and wailed in happiness at the return of their master from the jaws of death. Her servants hugged each other as they cried with genuine tears at the safe return of the girl.

The girl was dumbfounded at the emotional display of touching sentiments. She quizzically looked at her group as if to seek answers.

The old man took the initiative to fill her in on what had happened after she had fallen unconscious. He told her everything from the moment that they had failed to hunt the Dark Wood Hedgehog to the moment when Zach saved her by sacrificing his own blood.

As the old man told her the story, the girl stole some looks in the direction of the young man from time to time. She held tremendous curiosity towards the man who had saved her life by risking his own.

Her savior surprisingly didn’t look much older than herself as he sat under the mighty tree with a hooded figure patiently waiting beside him.

“Why would he risk his life to save a stranger?” The girl thought to herself.

“Not that I am complaining but it really isn’t normal no matter how I look at it. Does he want something from me? Maybe he recognized me and decided to do it for some kind of reward.” The girl ran countless simulations in her head in order to figure out the possible reasons behind Zach’s actions.

“No matter the reason, that person did save me at the expense of shortening his own life. I should show my gratitude.” The girl was surprisingly well mannered.

She signaled the hunters to make way as she headed in the direction of Zach and Luna. The hunters followed after her obediently like ducklings walking in the footsteps of their mother.

Hearing her footsteps that were light as a feather, Zach opened his eyes. Luna too focused her attention on the girl who was heading towards them with her entourage trailing behind her. Their happiness was barely hidden from Zach as the blissful faces of the hunters told the story of their heightened sentiments.

“She must be a good master.” Zach thought as he evaluated the girl who was walking towards him with the grace of the nobility despite wearing clothing that was torn at one or two places.

“My name is Diana. I heard from my people that you risked your life to save me.” The girl stopped in front of Zach and introduced herself in a prim and proper manner.

“I wouldn’t call it risking my life. Don’t think about it too much.” Zach didn’t feel the need to exaggerate his part in saving her life because he wasn’t expecting anything from her.

“Please don’t be modest. They told me you couldn’t even stand up properly after you finished healing me and had to be supported by this lady here.” Diana pointed towards the hunters as she revealed the source of her knowledge.

The hunters all fell to their knees and bowed their heads in front of him.

Up until this moment, all of them had varying opinions regarding Zach. Some were afraid of him because he was a dark mage in their eyes while others thought he had some hidden agenda for approaching them.

The hunters finally set aside all their apprehensions after the awakening of their lady. They were no longer conscious of what Zach might have been hiding.

All of them thanked him from the bottom of their hearts since no matter what his initial intentions were; Zach had helped their master get well by sacrificing his life force. This kind of favor was too heavy for their meager shoulders and offering their sincere gratitude was the least they could do.

Even the servants who had been reserved around him previously began to sing his praises and that of Luna who had heroically killed off the Dark Wood Hedgehog. 𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗹．𝐨𝗿𝗴

“I told you guys already. You don’t need to be like this. I didn’t have to give up anything and there will be no damage to my health or my body as a consequence of saving her.” Zach emphasized this point so as to get rid of the uncomfortable feeling welling up within him. Receiving praise for something he hadn’t done, felt surprisingly shameful and he wanted to clear up the misunderstandings if possible otherwise he felt that it would become increasingly difficult to lift his head in front of these people.

Luna on the other hand felt that it was only natural that these people understood how great her master was.

Her chest puffed a bit after each eulogy the hunters sang about Zach. It was as if the hunters had been praising her instead of Zach.

“Don’t be modest. Humility beyond a certain limit feels precocious and I don’t think you are that kind of person. Please accept my sincere thanks for saving my life.” Diana said her part after the continuous ranting of her followers had died down.

At the same time she felt that Zach was a tad different from what she had heard about the dark magicians.

The breakers of taboo in her imagination were cruel, selfish and hungry for power and wealth. But Zach had broken all the stereotypes. He had not only sacrificed a portion of his life to save hers, he hadn’t even asked for anything in return.

She would have felt more normal if Zach had tried to manipulate or extort her followers after she had fallen into the comatose state. But such a powerful dark mage who could control, manipulate and transfer life force at his whim, turned out to be the complete opposite of what she could have expected from a dark mage. Far from trying to make a profit, Zach had even tried to downplay his own role in healing her.

“Trying to get my point across to these aborigines is so freaking hard. No matter how much I try to explain, they can’t seem to understand it. They are willing to believe bullsh*t dark magic but won’t listen to my simple logical reasoning.” Zach thought in his head as he listened to the ravings of the leader of these madmen.

“I can’t help but admire you. You pursue the path of a dark mage without straying from the path of humanity. You are a rarity that hasn’t been heard of; a true pioneer of your path. Your path will become the guiding light for those who are stuck in the darkness. Please accept my gratitude not only for saving me today but also for the countless souls who will be saved in the future because of you.”