HDBMTD 98

~Chapter 98~

While Dr. Karno was still glowing with pride from the compliments, I seized the chance.

“Actually, I’ve always wanted to meet you, Doctor. Dr. Medic spoke about you often.”

At my words, Dr. Karno’s eyes widened.

“…You know Medic?”

“Yes. I’m from the Free People’s Republic.”

I had seen Dr. Medic’s name yesterday on the list of Karno’s collaborators the aide brought. He was also someone in my Cambiata memories. Recorded as Karno’s close friend in his younger days—perfect to use as a card.

I smiled naturally and leaned my head on Nocturne’s shoulder. His body stiffened slightly.

“Until I met my husband and came here, I worked in the Republic. Isn’t that right, dear?”

Since Nocturne had never mentioned anything about his wife at Club meetings, I could invent any backstory I wanted.

Nocturne slowly looked down at me, meeting my gaze directly.

“Right. When the war broke out and everything was crumbling, I thought—this one person, I could never lose. So I proposed. And we came here together.”

I froze. The memory hit me—the day Nocturne had proposed to Aria right before heading into battle.

“Ah, romance blossoming in wartime!”

The voice from the next table snapped me out of it. People whistled and laughed, and I quickly forced a smile.

But Dr. Karno studied me with suspicion.

“Strange. I’ve visited the Republic’s research institutes many times, yet I never saw you there.”

“That makes sense. I belonged to the Special Research Division.”

His expression shifted instantly. The Special Research Division was a top-secret unit, disbanded just before the war. Even the Imperial Army hadn’t known about it. Only high-ranking Cambiata like me had access to such classified information.

Looking him in the eye, I spoke:

“Dr. Medic always told us: The rarer something is…”

“…the less you should reveal it.”

Dr. Karno finished the phrase without hesitation. His eyes glimmered with recognition, and I let out a small laugh.

“He was such a possessive man. Because of that, we hardly ever got the chance to meet other doctors.”

“He hid his pupils so tightly… and only after he passed away do I meet one like this.”

Dr. Karno’s face softened with nostalgia. I lifted my glass.

“Shall we make a toast? It would be wonderful if you led it—honoring the colleagues who left before us.”

“Very well.”

Encouraged, Dr. Karno rose with his glass high.

“Many of our colleagues went before us, but their sacrifice laid the foundation for us. To the coming new world!”

“To the new world!”

The room echoed with raised voices and clinking glasses. The mood warmed further.

I looked down at my hand with a hidden smile.

‘From a handshake to trust—now I’ve secured two of the three conditions to break mental defenses: trust and touch. Only time is left. And he’s drunk…’

‘If I use my resonance now, I could uncover the cloning research status and his connection with Padva…’

I glanced at Nocturne. His firm words from this morning came back to me:

“Don’t even think of using resonance on Dr. Karno.”

He had insisted. Perhaps he feared that by probing a Cambiata mind, I would be tainted by their twisted ideology—or dragged back into my old self.

So I chose conversation instead.

With the atmosphere loose from alcohol and joy at meeting a colleague’s student, Dr. Karno spoke freely. He shared not only his research but also private anecdotes. I used my Cambiata knowledge to respond smoothly.

“These days, aside from cloning, I’m also exploring the concept of Eshafe pairs. They’re said to be born with matching markings. Isn’t it fascinating? Could the markings appear because their purification effect is stronger?”

“Wow, maybe there’s a deeper secret behind those pair marks. It really is exciting research. After all, the very existence of pairs is mysterious.”

As I said it, my eyes met Nocturne’s briefly.

‘Why look at me when pair bonds are mentioned?’

The odd feeling made me quickly turn back to Karno with a smile.

“You’ve even created an S-class Eshafe, and still you’re not satisfied—you keep pushing forward. Truly amazing.”

Just then, Nocturne cut in smoothly.

“Isn’t my wife a little too naïve?”

Pulling me closer into his arms, almost holding me entirely, he muttered above my head, his voice sharp:

“I heard it was mostly your assistant who did the real work.”

Karno’s face froze instantly. He turned to Nocturne.

“Who told you that?”

“Saint.”

Nocturne dropped the name of an absent member.

I worried—what if Saint met Karno before the performance and denied it? But Karno’s sharp reaction told me Nocturne hadn’t made it up.

Karno scowled.

“But that rumor is entirely baseless.”

Yet the emotions flickering over his face told me the truth.

‘He’s lying.’

I didn’t need deep resonance—just a light sense confirmed it. He was desperate to cover himself.

I tried more questions about cloning, but when it came to Eshafe clones, he had no real answers.

It seemed he had only succeeded in ordinary human cloning. He had secured revenant cores and other key materials, but the Eshafe project hadn’t progressed.

In the end, I was his only successful creation.

I remembered the Eshafe cloning research records I had found at Cambiata’s lab. They bore Dr. Andrian Karno’s name as lead researcher. But if he had truly failed…

‘Then maybe those records were wrong from the start.’

Perhaps his assistant, unwilling to give up credit, had deliberately fed Karno false data.

Most of the collaborators in those experiments were dead. Even the assistant who led the actual work hadn’t survived.

Whether Karno killed them, or Padva did, or both—I didn’t know.

Nocturne’s goal was revenge against those involved in Aria’s cloning. The assistant’s death was unfortunate, but once Karno and the Cambiata remnants were destroyed, perhaps Nocturne’s thirst for vengeance would ease.

With that, I decided it was time to end the conversation and leave at the right moment.

But then, from Karno’s table, voices rose.

“When will you introduce your wife, Doctor?”

I thought it was just polite chatter—until the next words shocked me.

“We’ve met her before, haven’t we?”

“No, that was the fourth one. We haven’t met this wife yet.”

…What?

Records said Dr. Karno married once about five years ago—and never remarried. It was said to be a love marriage.

But then came the words that froze me.

“Ah, this wife is the fifth clone.”