I Put all my Stats into Charm - Chapter 89
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
I Put All My Stats Into Charm Episode 089
Hakin spoke with a trembling voice.
“Karin… It’s Karin, right?”
‘Karin…?’
Wasn’t Karin the name of the woman Northern Duke Jerome had been searching for decades?
Why was that name coming from Hakin’s mouth?
“…I wasn’t seeing things wrong.”
Suddenly, Hakin kicked off the ground and rushed toward me.
However, Hakin couldn’t get far from his position.
Thud!
Calliton quickly grabbed Hakin’s head.
Then he slammed him down to the floor.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
Hakin struggled violently with his face pressed against the research lab floor.
“Let go! Let me go!”
He looked like a captured wild animal baring its teeth and thrashing about.
At Hakin’s violent behavior, I hesitated and stepped back behind Lowell.
Lowell blocked the space between me and Hakin with his body and asked.
“Lady, have you ever met this person?”
I had met him.
Only in the game.
Since this was my first time seeing Hakin in person, I shook my head.
“No. This is my first time seeing him.”
Hakin’s eyes widened as if he’d received a shock.
“I’ve been waiting only for the day you’d come, I’ve been waiting for you so long…”
Hakin and Northern Duke Jerome were both from the same experimental lab as test subjects. So the Karin they were both looking for was likely the same person.
The problem was.
‘Why does he keep calling me Karin?’
Thinking about it, Karin and I had quite a few things in common.
Our ages were similar, and though I hadn’t mentioned it, I also had the same mark on the back of my neck as the people from the laboratory.
Most importantly, given that two main characters were searching for her simultaneously, Karin wasn’t just a supporting character.
A thought suddenly crossed my mind.
Could there be another female protagonist who resembled me? Like a hidden twin or something.
If not that.
If by any chance, I really was Karin.
‘No, that can’t be.’
It didn’t make sense that only Hakin recognized me while Northern Duke Jerome didn’t notice. Northern Duke Jerome had never once confused me with Karin.
Moreover, even when I played Hakin’s route in the game, Hakin had never called me Karin.
Then there was only one conclusion.
I am not Karin.
But it was clear that at some point I didn’t know about, a woman named Karin and I were closely connected.
“Excuse me, I’m sorry, but I’ve never met you before.”
“…”
Hakin stared at me blankly.
His parted lips moved slightly.
“…can’t do that.”
“What did you say?”
Suddenly, Hakin lifted his head.
His golden eyes fixed on me glinted strangely.
“You can’t forget me.”
A chill spread across my skin.
His single sentence and his gaze fixed on me seemed to bind me.
Feeling creeped out, I took another step back.
“How can you forget me…? How can you… How can you forget us!”
Hakin began to wail as if screaming in despair.
“Karin, remember! Remember me!”
“Not only ill-mannered but noisy as well.”
Calliton pressed Hakin’s head down to the floor.
Even with his face crushed against the floor, Hakin kept his gaze fixed on me and shouted.
“Karin…! Karin, Karin! Karin!”
Now I was genuinely getting scared.
Without realizing it, I grabbed onto Lowell’s sleeve.
Lowell spoke to Hakin.
“Friend, shall we try to calm down?”
He continued in a gentle voice as if coaxing.
“It seems like you’ve mistaken someone else for her. First of all, the Lady’s name isn’t Karin…”
“Get away from Karin. Before I kill you.”
“…”
A chilling silence descended upon the research lab.
Hakin glared at Lowell menacingly.
Lowell, who had been quietly looking down at those eyes, opened his mouth.
“Your eyes aren’t very polite.”
Lowell spoke to Calliton in a calm voice.
“Your Highness, could you step back for a moment?”
At Calliton’s questioning look asking if he’d be alright, Lowell nodded.
As soon as Calliton removed his hands from Hakin, Hakin immediately rushed toward Lowell.
Before Hakin could reach Lowell.
“Vinculum Imperii, Clausum.”
Semi-transparent chains shimmering with blue light bound Hakin.
As if heavy shackles had been attached, Hakin’s body crashed to the floor with a thud.
Lowell slowly approached Hakin.
Then he spoke in a gentle voice.
“Want to say that again? What did you say you’d do to me?”
“Mmph, mmph…!”
Hakin tried to say something, but his lips wouldn’t open as if glued shut.
Lowell bent his upper body toward Hakin.
“What was that? I can’t hear you very well.”
Hakin breathed roughly and glared at Lowell with bloodshot eyes.
Lowell smiled with satisfaction.
“You’re quite angry. How cute.”
Does it matter if only the tone is gentle?
I thought that Lowell might actually be the scariest one here.
Lowell shifted his gaze to Calliton.
“Your Highness, may I take charge of this friend?”
“I was just about to suggest that.”
Calliton clicked his tongue.
“Go easy on him. He doesn’t seem to be in his right mind, but this guy might be a victim too.”
“Don’t worry.”
Lowell looked at Hakin while wearing a smile.
“Perhaps this fellow might become a valuable clue in uncovering this incident. He’s worth studying.”
I got goosebumps.
Lowell’s smile didn’t look like someone happy to find a clue, but rather like a child delighted to discover a new toy.
‘…Everyone here seems to be out of their minds.’
It says something when Calliton appears to be the normal one.
Well, if I had to rank the insane ones among the conquest targets, Lowell and Hakin would be neck and neck.
The only difference was that one was openly crazy while the other was subtly unhinged.
Lowell continued speaking.
“This fellow’s physical abilities have exceeded human limits. Both his strength and reaction speed.”
Lowell pointed to the pattern on the back of Hakin’s neck.
“I suspect his abilities might be related to this pattern. The problem is…”
He shifted his gaze to me.
“According to Lady’s testimony, people like this fellow are wandering around the Empire’s capital. There might not be just one or two.”
That person is me.
Not that I could say that.
As expected, the pattern on my neck was definitely related to black magic experiments.
‘Come to think of it, what kind of life did Aisha live before she came to find Lowell?’
I realized I knew almost nothing about her except that she was a mage named Brion’s disciple.
So I had no way of knowing when or how she got caught up in the experiments.
There was woefully little information that could be called clues, so I couldn’t dig any deeper for now.
‘I need to find out about this person called Aisha.’
When my thoughts reached that point, Lowell spoke up as if cutting through my tangled thoughts.
“I’ll need to study this fellow for a while. It would be good if the Duke could cooperate too.”
“I’ve already told Duke Winston to stay at the Imperial Palace for the time being.”
Calliton straightened his disheveled collar and surveyed the surroundings.
“Then let me know if you need anything.”
Was he leaving? I found myself staring intently at Calliton without realizing it, and our eyes met.
“…”
“…”
An awkward silence fell.
Normally Calliton would have said something to me, but he offered neither his usual leisurely teasing nor his irritating remarks.
“Do you have something to say?”
Somehow Calliton’s expression felt colder than usual.
“No, nothing right now…”
While I hesitated, Calliton left the research lab.
I stared blankly at Calliton’s retreating golden head.
He’s really going to leave like this?
Just what do I need to do to make him stop being angry?
While I was feeling frustrated, Lowell spoke to me.
“Lady. Are you wearing the necklace I gave you?”
“Ah, right.”
I had been so busy with the northern investigation that I’d forgotten about the necklace’s existence.
Lowell said with a voice tinged with disappointment.
“Did you not like the necklace?”
“No, of course not! I’ve just been so busy lately that I forgot about it.”
“I’d like to feel the satisfaction of having given a gift. I hope Lady will wear the necklace well.”
Did he really like that necklace that much?
He seems to keep checking whether I’m wearing the necklace.
He even went so far as to send the necklace I left at the Mage Tower all the way to the North by package.
He acted like someone desperate for me to wear the necklace.
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————