How to Tame That Gentle Male Lead - Chapter 4.5
***
Resena sat on the sofa, crossing her legs, and fixed him with a sharp gaze as he wore his hood.
He quite liked how she didn’t cower for even a moment despite entering a dark mage’s hideout, and instead glared at him, the guild master.
“So, you’re saying assassinating Lorona Weiz is impossible?”
Her shrill voice made Resena’s neck look so thin that he thought if he were to grasp and squeeze it, it might wither like a rain-soaked flower.
“Yes. I’m afraid so. The holy knights around the saint are not to be underestimated.”
In truth, if he were to step in, he could sweep away mid to high-level holy knights.
Zergard deliberately pretended to be weak, teasing Resena. But unaware of being teased, Resena became angry.
“You’re truly useless. I thought a dark mage would be different, but you can’t even kill a simple woman like Lorona Weiz.”
“We can’t call the saint a simple woman. Besides, there are top-tier holy knights around her, so considering that, the chances of successfully killing her even if you commissioned it are quite low.”
Speaking playfully, Zergard lifted the corners of his mouth. At those words, Resena bit her lip tightly and clenched her fists. He waited to see when this tiny lady would explode, but Resena managed to control her anger quite well.
‘This is unexpected. I heard she doesn’t hesitate to verbally and physically abuse her servants.’
As he was thinking this, Zergard watched Resena abruptly stand up.
“Then keep my visit here a secret. I’ll pay you for that.”
“You’re not going to commission the task?”
“It was something only a dark mage could do, but since you say you can’t do it, I have no choice but to not commission it.”
At her slightly sarcastic tone, Zergard smiled pleasantly. It was amusing how she acted so confidently when her life was in his hands.
“What if I say I can’t let you leave?”
At this, Resena’s expression turned fierce. The look in her eyes, as if she was seeing a pervert or molester, stimulated his sadistic tendencies. Zergard, rather excited, rose from the guild master’s seat.
“I don’t know how you found out about this dark mage guild, but…”
Zergard slowly approached Resena. The fearless young lady looked ready to hiss at any moment, like a wary cat with raised eyes.
“While you may enter freely, leaving isn’t so simple.”
“How rude.”
Resena crossed her arms and threw a knife-like glare at him.
“So what are you going to do? Kill me?”
“Of course not. It’s been so long since we’ve had a guest, I can’t let you die so easily.”
“…Ha. Really, your hospitality is terrible.”
Resena threw a look of contempt at Zergard.
But strangely, that gaze made Zergard even more excited.
Zergard smiled seductively, his eyes curving. Even so, only the corners of his mouth were visible beneath the hood.
“Hehe. I’m joking.”
“It wasn’t a funny joke.”
“Hahaha. Even if we are dark mages, we don’t secretly dispose of visiting clients without a trace.”
“…”
“If you don’t have anything else to commission now, you can leave through that door. But if you have detailed plans that I might be able to accept later, I’d like to hear them.”
Resena responded coldly.
“If you can’t accept it now, I don’t want to talk about it. I’ll ask another guild to realize this plan, so I just hope you’ll keep quiet about my visit here.”
“You mean to entrust it to trash guilds like the nearby Tebas Guild, who’ll do anything for money?”
At this, the corners of Resena’s mouth twisted up sadistically.
“Yes. At least they don’t discriminate based on the content.”
***
As the recollection ended, Zergard burst into silent laughter.
Unable to control the laughter escaping from his throat, he held his stomach and chuckled.
According to the spy observing the Tebas Guild, Resena had hurriedly come to cancel all commissions and left.
‘Though the Tebas Guild held a grudge… it only went as far as not using their nearby direct branch.’
If he had heard that plan and found it interesting, and thus accepted the commission, it wouldn’t have been canceled so easily.
Offering the empire itself as a sacrifice to create chaos was the secret wish of dark mages like him. And ultimately, they aimed to summon the demon god Lokanad, gain power directly from him, and reign as the world’s strongest.
‘When that time comes, even the nobles who act arrogantly flaunting their status, and the royals who claim to have divine bloodlines, will be under my feet.’
Zergard looked down at Resena, deeply asleep. Every time she breathed softly, he couldn’t suppress the desire to touch her.
He gently caressed Resena’s ear. He couldn’t understand why she didn’t wear the earrings he had made for her.
“I heard you liked black pearls, so I prepared them… It seems you don’t like the gifts I give you.”
“Mmm…”
“But seeing you breathe so adorably, I can’t bear not giving you a gift. Resena. I hope you’ll wear this gift.”
If not, I don’t know what I might do.
Zergard took out a pair of pure white pearl earrings from his pocket. This time, he had bought the highest quality pearls without infusing them with dark mana and had them made by a craftsman.
After softening her pierced earlobes, he personally put the earrings on Resena’s ears. Adorning both ears, they matched perfectly with Resena’s snow-white skin.
“You’re truly beautiful, Resena. I want to engrave this image of you in my eyes. So that I’ll never forget it at any moment.”
Zergard gently stroked her cheek with the back of his hand. He wanted to kiss her in this state, but even he didn’t feel right about taking her first kiss while she was asleep.
He wanted to do it when she felt the desire for him. If not in this form, then as Theseus.
‘Of course, you wouldn’t rashly kiss a dark mage. But if I fulfill your wish of killing Lorona Weiz, perhaps I could receive a kiss from you.’
With a strange smile curling his lips, Zergard rose from his seat.
Feeling the breeze seeping through the open window, he looked down at Resena.
“Goodbye, Resena.”
***
Resena yawned and stretched fully. She felt like she had a strange dream, but couldn’t remember it.
After a slight stretch, she got up from the bed and saw her reflection in the mirror.
“Huh? Did I sleep with earrings on?”
It was a pair of earrings she hadn’t seen in her previous life. Resena tilted her head and removed the earrings. Upon closer inspection, the earrings were made of the highest quality pearls and matched her pale skin perfectly.
‘I usually take off my earrings before sleeping…’
Resena examined the earrings carefully before removing the other one and placing them in her jewelry box. She clearly knew what earrings she wore yesterday, so where did these come from?
“Hmm…?”
Then she noticed a note on the dressing table. Resena picked it up and read it.
“I hope you like this gift. I put a lot of effort into it. If you don’t wear it once or twice, I don’t know what I might do… Zergard?”
Resena instantly turned pale. What is this crazy dark mage up to? She immediately tore the note to shreds. After pushing it into the trash can, she took out the earrings from the jewelry box.
“Ah…”
The earrings sparkled in her hand.
They were too beautiful to throw away. Moreover, given Zergard’s threat about what he might do if she didn’t wear them, she felt a slight threat to her life.
