My Borderline Supervillain-Slash-Hero System-Chapter 48: The Bite of Trust

Zane had never experienced anything like it.

It was like watching a high-speed documentary play in his mind—memories, sensations, emotions—rushing past with overwhelming clarity. And somehow, his mind kept up.

Through Erlin’s memories, he saw the truth.

She had once lived in the heart of civilization, a daughter of power and status—perhaps even royalty—on this continent. But her life had been a gilded cage. Her family, strict and suffocating, demanded obedience above all. In the end, she fled—not from weakness, but from the desire to live.

Her retreat to this deep forest wasn’t exile. It was survival. A choice to reclaim freedom.

Zane began to understand this world in a way he hadn’t before—not through System prompts or quests, but through Erlin’s eyes. Her skill, this transfer of memory, wasn’t just a trick. It was her truth. Her last card. And she had given it all to him.

At first, he’d feared she was a vampire. But that fear had shifted.

He now knew the truth: drinking beast blood was a form of practiced ritual here—like alchemy or medicine. Ceremonial, necessary for their strength and survival. Feeding on human blood, however, was taboo. Forbidden. Reserved only for the monstrous outlaws of their society.

That revelation cleared the fog of suspicion in Zane’s mind.

Erlin wasn’t a monster.

She was just... a girl. A lonely, brave, beautiful girl.

And beautiful she was. That was undeniable.

As her life continued to unfold in his mind, something strange began to happen inside him. First, he thought it was pity. Then admiration. And slowly... something warmer.

It started as a crush. A quiet flutter. But by the time the memory stream ended—nearly two decades of her life played in a flash of hours—he understood.

He liked her.

Maybe it wasn’t love. Not yet. But it was enough to shake him.

Zane gasped, his eyes blinking rapidly as the last of the memory dissolved from his mind. He sat there in silence, the weight of her past still pressing on his chest.

Erlin was watching him carefully, a quiet hope glimmering in her red eyes.

"Well?" she asked softly. "Do you trust me now? I’ve shown you everything. My whole life. More than just answering your question. So... will you take me to Earth?"

Zane stared at her, struggling with the storm of emotions inside.

And then he answered, quietly.

"No."

Her face fell.

"Why?" Her voice trembled slightly. "Is it because I drink blood to survive?"

"No," he replied, shaking his head. "It’s not that. I just... I’m not the one who decides. I’m on a mission. And to return home, I need permission from my senior. Shelby."

A long silence passed between them.

Erlin’s expression shifted.

"Oh really?" she murmured, her voice dropping to a whisper. "Then I guess... I have no choice."

Before Zane could react, she moved.

Fast.

She was in front of him in a blink—and then she leaned in, gently brushing her lips against his neck. A prick of pain followed. And then...

She bit him.

Zane’s eyes widened as her fangs sank into his skin, warm blood flowing.

But instead of panic, instead of fear—he felt... euphoric.

What the hell...

No System warning came. No red alert. Nothing.

His mind, which should have been screaming, instead swam in a dizzying warmth. Her lips at his neck, the gentle suction—it was intoxicating. The bite didn’t hurt anymore. It soothed.

Zane tried to fight it. "Stop," he whispered hoarsely, hands pressing weakly against her shoulders.

But Erlin finally pulled back.

Her eyes glowed crimson. Blood painted her lips, like wine.

"That’s it," she said softly, smiling. "Now we’re bound."

"Bound?"

"I drank your blood," she said, as if it were the most natural thing. "That makes me yours. And I prefer the term wife."

Zane’s mouth opened to protest—but before he could utter a word—

She kissed him.

Fierce. Deep. Hungry.

Zane stumbled backward onto the couch as Erlin pressed him down, her lips sealing over his with a passion that left no room for protest.

His mind blanked.

Whether it was the aftereffect of her bite, or simply the surge of emotions awakened in him—he didn’t know. Maybe it was both. But his body moved before his mind could catch up.

Zane flipped her over, pressing her beneath him as his lips found hers again. This time, the kiss was his—intense, deliberate, and filled with longing. He no longer resisted. He let himself fall.

As their bodies intertwined, surrendering to the pull between them, something stirred far away in the forest.

Shelby.

Earlier that day, the moment Zane stepped into the mountain cottage, an unknown force had erupted from within the structure. It swept across the summit, shoving Shelby away in an instant. The mountain vanished without a trace.

Gone. Like it had never existed.

Frustration gnawed at Shelby’s gut. As Zane’s mentor, he saw the boy as his responsibility—and now, that very responsibility had vanished right before his eyes.

All day, he’d searched the vast forest, darting across ridges and valleys, senses stretched thin. Every lead had turned cold. In his frustration, he slaughtered every corrupted beast that crossed his path, venting fury with every strike.

As dusk settled into night, he returned to where the mountain had once stood—hoping against reason that it would appear again.

And then it did.

Just like that. Silent. Unexplained.

The mountain with the cottage on top now stood right where it had disappeared.

"So you’ve been here all along," Shelby muttered, exhaling in relief. "This place is cursed. I’m getting that boy out of here."

He dashed up the slope, determination burning in his stride.

Meanwhile, inside the cottage, Zane awoke.

Naked. His body tangled with Erlin’s, her bare form curled against him, her breath warm against his chest.

He blinked at the ceiling, recalling everything—the memories she had shown him, the blood, the kiss, and the night that followed.

And yet... he didn’t regret any of it.

He liked her.

More than that, he trusted her.

The only wrinkle was her blood-drinking habit—but even that, through her memories, made sense now. In this world, it was survival. Not sin.

He smiled faintly, brushing her silver hair away from her forehead. His fingers trailed down her soft cheek.

Erlin stirred, her crimson eyes fluttering open.

"Are you still not going to take me away from this world?" she asked sleepily.

"You belong to me now," Zane said gently. "You’re staying with me—from now on."

Erlin sat up, wrapping the blanket around herself. "Wait... someone’s outside the door."

She waved her hand, summoning a translucent screen of misty water into the air. It shimmered, displaying a scene outside the cottage.

A man was climbing up the path, fast and furious.

Zane’s eyes widened. "Shelby."

"You know him?" Erlin asked, rising to her feet and dressing quickly.

"My mentor. He came here with me on this mission."

She glanced back at him, curious. "Since I showed you everything of mine, why don’t you tell me the truth about yours?"

Zane hesitated, then nodded. "Our mission is to find and slay the Celestial Black Wolf King... and retrieve its mana core."

Erlin froze. Her expression turned grim. "No. That’s a terrible idea."

"You know about it?" Zane asked sharply.

"Not it—him." Erlin stepped closer, her voice low. "He’s not just a beast. He’s the king of the Wolf Tribe. Brutal. Ancient. Skilled in blood magic and the art of killing. He’s not just dangerous—he is death. Why would you go after something like that?"

"Because I have to," Zane said firmly. "Mission or not, I can’t run. Not from this. If I don’t kill him, we can’t go back."

Erlin clenched her fists. "Then take me with you. I’ll fight beside you."

Zane looked at her. A runaway princess. A blood-evolved being. And the only person in this world he felt a strange, growing bond with.

He nodded. "We’ll discuss that. But first—" he gestured at the door, "—let’s let Shelby in before he blasts it off its hinges."

Erlin waved her hand again, and the door unlocked with a soft click.

A second later, Shelby stormed in.

His coat was singed. His aura flared. But his eyes locked instantly onto Zane.

And then widened as he took in the half-dressed Erlin behind him.

He sighed, rubbing his forehead. "You better have a damn good explanation for this."

The source of this c𝐨ntent is freewe(b)nov𝒆l