This BL Novel Is Ruined Now - Chapter 245

BLR has been completely translated on Patreon

Chapter 245

Translator: Yonnee

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Back to the present, inside the abandoned building Ethan had arrived at.

Ethan entered the abandoned building with the Red Thorn Knights, but what they encountered was neither Reina nor her kidnappers.

“They’ve escaped.”

No traces of people passing through could be found in the abandoned building. But what did Ethan have?

“Why are there no knights standing guard? Are they all underground…?”

Fortunately, Paul’s intuitive guidance showed the way.

Following it, they came across an underground space still warm.

“There’s a path leading to a deeper basement, sir.”

A Red Thorn Knight reported, and Ethan turned on his heel.

However, he wasn’t very hopeful. No additional echoes from strangers were detected.

‘Had they known we were coming and fled?’

But how?

Under Ethan’s strict orders, the Red Thorn Knights and House Gerard’s knights had thoroughly monitored Paul and the Bohr knights. Was that all? Ethan had also been more attentive to echoes than usual.

‘There was no chance for them to communicate.’

That meant they must have left voluntarily, but… why?

Following the rising questions, they went deeper into the basement. It was so deep that the air felt thin at the lowest floor they reached.

“A bomb could go off here, and the sound wouldn’t reach the surface,” a knight muttered softly, his voice echoing in the cave-like space.

“Your Excellency, you should see this.”

The youngest of the Red Thorn Knights, Noven, pointed out a room that was quite eerie.

The room, large enough to be covered entirely by a huge mirror and unusually bright for an underground space, contained a single stark white chair and another chair tied with ropes.

Ethan instinctively knew.

“…This room.”

This was where Reina had been confined.

As he entered the room, he immediately noticed food and dishes scattered near the entrance.

Bending down slowly, Ethan examined the bread and fork.

“They’re intact.”

It looked as if the food had been carefully brought in but dropped in shock.

Ethan stood up and then examined the chair tied with ropes.

“There are no signs of the knots being cut or untied.”

As Noven said, the ropes were loosely spread as if they had sagged on their own, with no signs of anyone having untied them.

“It looks like the hostage evaporated in an instant.”

Moreover, there were bits of burned cloth on the chair, and the ropes also showed slight signs of being singed.

What could all this mean?

Understanding the implications, Ethan covered his eyes with his hand, then let out a quiet laugh.

“Reina, you…”

You really are always beyond expectations

When and how she escaped was unclear, but his lover who had been confined here had vanished. She had completely blindsided everyone guarding this place and evaporated in an instant.

“How exactly.”

How could she escape from this secure space on her own?

And what were those ashes and burn marks?

Meanwhile, as quickly as Ethan grasped the entire scene, Paul, who had entered the room later, was shocked.

“Could it be… she escaped? How? How did she manage to overcome the Goddess’s Compassion…?”

Paul’s question made Ethan pause.

“The Goddess’s Compassion?”

Only then did Ethan understand why Reina had been utterly vulnerable.

The Goddess’s Compassion, split into three pieces and scattered around the world. One piece had been in the possession of Grace Bohr.

This was indeed a startling fact, but compared to the fact that Reina had overcome the ‘Goddess’s Compassion’ and escaped, it was secondary.

“Exactly how…”

How did she overcome that vile ancient artifact and escape?

As the full picture became clearer, a different kind of hollow laugh escaped him.

Could it be that Reina had an ally within the Bohr household, and that person secretly unlocked the Goddess’s Compassion?

‘…No.’

That couldn’t be. According to Paul’s vibes, that definitely wasn’t the case.

Furthermore, the way Reina was tied up didn’t look like she had escaped with someone’s help. Even if she had received help, escaping this deep underground with only one entrance would have been too much.

‘That means Reina overcame the Goddess’s Compassion by herself…’

Once again, his head spun.

“Your Excellency, it seems there is no information to be gained here. We should search upstairs.”

Right. The priority was to get out of here and search the surroundings. Although various assumptions raced through his mind, he tried to make the most rational decision.

“From here on, we split up.”

There was no more information to be gained from Paul. Thus, it would be more efficient for Ethan to search for Reina alone.

“Understood. Shall we search the Bohr estate then?”

The knights, quick on the uptake, knew their duties without being told. Ethan nodded briefly at them and then immediately went above ground.

“Your Excellency.”

The knight captain of House Gerard’s chivalric order had been guarding the area around the abandoned building until now, but he hurried over as soon as he saw Ethan.

“A call has come from the Imperial Palace.”

“The palace?”

“His Grace, Grand Duke Benedict, wishes to have a private discussion with you.”

The fact that Benedict himself had contacted him surely meant there was urgent news.

Ethan quickly pulled out the communication device with a direct line to the imperial family and blocked the surrounding sounds. A knight of the Red Thorn Order nearby promptly created a secondary sound barrier for thorough protection.

With a slight nod of gratitude, Ethan contacted Benedict.

After a few signals, the voice of the grand duke came through.

—Reina has reached out. For now, pretend to return to the capital alone, and head to the Pecorna Mountain Range.

“The Pecorna Range, you say…”

—Yes. I know it sounds unbelievable, but Reina is currently…