Chapter 5. That’s the Whole Crime... Saving a Wolf and Getting Held by the Collar

Chapter 5: 5. That’s the Whole Crime... Saving a Wolf and Getting Held by the Collar

There are a few moments in a man’s life when he gets a very clear look at his own mortality...

Mine happened while a six-foot-tall wolfwoman held me off the ground by my shirt collar, and she was looking at me like she was deciding which part of my body would taste the best...

This ain’t my fetish... it’s supposed to be the other way round because I like it to be the rough one towards my partner.

"Human," the wolfwoman said again, and I swear the temperature in that little rock shelter dropped another ten degrees, which low-key helps me. "I asked you... a question!"

"I know you did, heard you clear enough for the first time..." I croaked. "I was just trying to think of a good answer so that you didn’t bite my face off right away."

"Well... Honestly, it’s a really great question, and I want to make sure I do it justice..."

Her eyes narrowed. I tried to smile, but my face was so cold and my body felt so weak that I’m pretty sure it came out looking like a man having a stroke.

"Okay, okay... here’s the short version for it," I said quickly. "I found you bleeding to death in the snow, I dragged you here, and I tied a piece of my shirt around your ribs so you wouldn’t leak all over the place."

"That’s it... That’s the whole crime."

"If you’re going to kill me for it, I’d like to point out that it’s a really shitty way to say thank you to your savior’s face."

She didn’t loosen her grip, but her gaze dropped to her own side. The strip of cloth I had tied around her wound was still there, dark with blood but still holding back the bleeding.

Then her eyes moved to the rough coat draped over her shoulders, and I watched her recognize it as the only real piece of outerwear I’d been wearing.

She looked back at my shaking arms, my blue lips, and the thin shirt that was now missing a good foot of fabric at the bottom.

Something flickered in her expression, though I couldn’t tell what. And maybe... there’s still hope here, and I do hope she can at least trust me just by a little.

"You... gave me your coat," she said slowly.

"I know it was a really bad coat, my bad."

"And while I was unconscious... you did not take my weapon, my pack, or anything else of value."

"Well... lowkey... I thought about it," I admitted. "For about a second... Then I tried lifting your sword."

She blinked. "And what happened?"

"Worse fucking decision in my entire life... almost broke my back because of that." I sighed. "And honestly, your equipment is a bigger threat to me than you are right now..."

"You are aware that I could kill you with one hand...?"

"Yes, and I’m starting to think I should have stolen your sword after all..."

"At least then I’d have something to defend myself with."

For a moment nothing happened. Then her fingers opened, and I dropped onto the frozen ground like a sack of potatoes.

Still... I got damaged from that fall, and I feel like this body just keeps on getting worse for me. I HATE IT!

And... I hadn’t realized how much she had been holding me up. The second I lost her support, my knees gave out completely, and the world started tilting sideways like a ship in a storm.

I saw the rock wall coming toward my face and had just enough time to think, ’well, that’s going to be embarrassing... to die with a fucking wall.’

But that’s when a strong hand caught my arm and hauled me back upright.

"Whoa...!"

"Do not fall again," the wolfwoman said, sounding more irritated than angry. "I would rather not have to carry you... and consider this as payback for what you did to me."

There it is...! Hope! I can feel it, and so I say. "You say that like you haven’t been dreaming about it."

She ignored me, but she didn’t let go of my arm until I was sitting against the wall again. I could feel her studying me, and I realized she was seeing me properly for the first time.

I wasn’t a threat or a thief or some bounty hunter who had followed her trail. I was just a normal human, half-frozen idiot who couldn’t protect himself from a draft.

Ding!

[WARNING]

[Lust Energy: 18/100]

[The host has entered the critical zone.]

"Hahhhhhh..." I closed my eyes. "Wonderful... Absolutely fantastic..."

"Thanks for the update... and here I thought I almost forgot about that itchy feeling..."

"Explain," the wolfwoman said.

She had settled against the opposite wall of our little shelter, one hand pressed against her ribs and the other resting on the hilt of her sword, which I had apparently dragged in here at some point without remembering.

Her ears were still pointed in my direction, and her tail was curled tightly around her legs like a very fluffy warning sign. I can still see that she’s still on high alert, which would be bad for me if I try something funny.

"Explain what to be exact...?" I asked.

"Whatever is wrong with you! You are not merely cold... but I have watched a lowly human freeze before, and they do not look like... this."

I rubbed my face with both hands, which didn’t help. "It’s a long story, and you’re probably going to think that I’m insane."

"I already think that... when you helped me."

"Eh... Fair enough."

I considered how much to tell her. Every instinct I had from my old life told me to lie, because the truth sounded insane, and in my experience... women didn’t like hearing that a man needed sex to stay alive.

It sounded like the world’s worst pickup line. On top of that, I was talking to a woman who could break me in half, and I had no idea how she’d react if she thought I had some kind of secret power.

Many characters in stories face murder for far less.

But I was also exhausted, and she had a way of looking at me that made lying feel like a lot of effort.

"You see... I think... I’m cursed," I said finally. "Or maybe blessed...? Eh, it can be something even worse."

’I’ll just have to tell her... and this is probably going to be a rare thing for a main character to confess his secrets.’

"There’s a thing inside my head that keeps track of my health... and it says my body is falling apart, and it’s going to keep falling apart until I do something about it."

The wolfwoman’s expression didn’t change, but one of her ears twitched. "A curse... that speaks to you...?"

"Yes, yes... but more like a very passive-aggressive roommate."

"Weird..." She stared at me for another long moment, then held out her good hand. "Give me your wrist."

"What for...?"

"Just give it. To me!"

I did, because it seemed like a terrible time to argue. Her fingers wrapped around it, warm and strong, and she closed her eyes.

A faint pressure spread up my arm, like someone pressing a cool hand against the inside of my skin. It only lasted a few seconds, but I felt something tug at the center of my chest before she let go.

And to make it worse... my cock twitched there.

But then I focused back into her eyes that were opened, and for the first time, I saw something other than suspicion in them.

"Your energy... it feels wrong," she said quietly. "It is running out of you... like water from a cracked jar."

"I have never seen anything like it from a human before..."

"So you believe me now?"

"I believe that you are dying... and I do not know why." She frowned. "Describe what you see right now..."

I hesitated, then sighed and called up the window. It floated in the air in front of me, bright blue against the gloom, and I turned it so she could see.

[LUST SYSTEM: EMERGENCY STATUS]

[Host: Leon Levarion]

[Lust Energy: 18/100]

[Physical Condition: Critical]

[Available Recovery Method: Fulfill the system’s intimate requirement with a consenting adult partner.]

[Warning: Continued energy depletion will cause progressive physical deterioration.]

I watched her read it. Her eyes moved over the lines slowly, and then I saw them stop at the bottom of the screen where the radar was blinking.

Her own name had appeared there in cold blue letters, with a rank next to it that made her go very still.

"I am... listed as a target," she said.

"Technically, yes... and no offense, I mean, by the way. But still... I know it looked wrong and fucked up."

"An SSS-Rank target...?"

"Also yes." I winced. "Look... I know how that sounds."

"I swear I didn’t plan it... The thing just pointed me at you, and I was freezing... what’s even worse is that I didn’t have any better ideas about it!"

She was quiet for a long time. Outside, the wind continued to howl, and I could hear the faint creak of ice shifting on the pine branches.

"So your survival depends on women," she said at last.

"Unfortunately... yea..."

"And you expect me to believe that you can become powerful through such a ridiculous method...?"

"No! I expect you to believe that I’m currently freezing to death while explaining the worst situation of my fucking life...!"

The corner of her mouth twitched. It wasn’t quite a smile, and she smothered it almost immediately, but I just fucking saw it.

She looked adorable with it, but that’s not the point because... I’d spent most of my old life learning to read little signs like that, and it was probably the only skill I’d brought over from my previous world that was actually useful.

"Why would such a curse... or these words choose you?" she asked.

"I have absolutely no idea... If I did, I’d have a few complaints to file." I leaned my head back against the stone. "But I’ll tell you one thing."

"I’m not going to force anyone... Not you, and not anybody." I shook my head. "I’ve done a lot of shitty things in my life, and I know exactly how bad I am, but I’m not going to do that..."