Transmigrated as the Villainess Princess - Chapter 92

Chapter 92: S-rank Mission

Richard Mors stood before the academy’s mission board, his dark eyes scanning the list of available tasks.

The professors had made it clear. If he wanted to graduate within the year, he would need to prove himself through an independent mission. No team. No backup. Just him, alone.

It was meant to be a challenge, a final assessment to determine if he was truly capable of standing among Agartha’s greatest.

Yet, when given the choice, Richard did not hesitate. He reached for the highest-ranking mission available, S-Rank: Investigation of the Night Owls Squad’s Last Mission.

A cold silence filled the hall as the professors exchanged uneasy glances. This was not just any mission.

It was a black mark in the academy’s history, an unresolved case that had left many unanswered questions.

Seven elite members had embarked on the task, including Riezekiel Mors, Richard’s eldest brother, and Ahcehera Bloodstone, the princess of the empire.

They were supposed to return victorious, carrying the relic they had retrieved from the ruins. Instead, tragedy struck on the final night.

An accident, no, an incident, claimed lives and shattered trust. Even now, no one could fully explain what had happened.

The head instructor adjusted his glasses before speaking. “Richard, are you certain about this? There are other missions…”

“I’ll take it,” Richard interrupted, his tone unwavering.

“Even if you’re alone?”

His fingers curled into fists. “Yes.”

A heavy pause followed. Then, with a sigh, the instructor handed him the mission file. “Very well.”

The investigation site has remained untouched since the event. The only survivor’s report is classified, and all records have been sealed by the royal family.

“You’ll be given limited access to certain files, but beyond that… you’re on your own.”

Richard nodded. That much was expected. If the truth wouldn’t come to him, he would find it himself.

Later that night, he stood in the academy’s archives, his hands resting on an old mission ledger.

Page after page contained detailed accounts of the Night Owls Squad’s assignments, each one meticulously recorded, except for their last mission.

The details were vague, almost deliberately so. No mention of the relic they retrieved. No mention of what went wrong.

The only concrete information was the location, The Forgotten Ravine.

The name sent a chill down his spine. It was a place shrouded in legend, a land where time twisted and reality blurred.

Many had entered before, but few had returned. Those who did speak of illusions, whispers in the dark, and an unseen force that gnawed at the mind.

Richard exhaled slowly. What exactly had happened to them that night?

The only living person who could answer was Ahcehera. He found her in the training hall, striking at a combat dummy with focused precision.

Each movement was sharp, and controlled, but Richard noticed the tension in her shoulders. She was restless. Perhaps she sensed what was coming.

When she finally noticed him, she lowered her weapon, her purple eyes narrowing. “You’ve been avoiding me,” she said, wiping the sweat from her brow.

Richard hesitated. “I needed time.”

Her gaze searched his, as if trying to piece together what he wasn’t saying. Then, her eyes flickered to the file in his hands.

The emblem of the Night Owls Squad was stamped across the cover. Ahcehera’s expression hardened.

“You chose that mission.” It wasn’t a question.

He nodded.

A tense silence fell between them.

Then, in a voice quieter than before, she asked, “Why?”

Richard didn’t answer right away. How could he tell her? That he felt something wasn’t right? That he had been seeing fragments of memories that didn’t belong to him?

That when he closed his eyes at night, he saw flashes of blood-stained ruins and shadows stretching towards him like hungry beasts?

He didn’t understand it himself, but something deep inside him whispered that this mission was more than just a graduation test. It was something he needed to do.

Finally, he said, “I want the truth.”

Ahcehera’s fingers tightened around her sword hilt. “Some truths are better left buried, Richard.”

“That’s not for you to decide.”

She exhaled sharply, shaking her head. “And what if you find something you’re not ready for? What then?”

He held her gaze, unwavering. “Then I’ll face it.”

For a long moment, Ahcehera said nothing. Then, with a slow, reluctant nod, she turned away.

“The last night of the mission… we weren’t supposed to be in danger. We had already completed our task. The relic was in our possession. Riezekiel suggested we rest before making the return trip. But then…” She stopped, her jaw clenching.

Richard stepped closer. “Then what?”

A shadow passed over her face. “Then… I don’t remember.”

His breath caught. “You don’t remember?”

Ahcehera looked at him then, something unreadable in her expression. “None of us do.”

A chill ran down Richard’s spine.

“All I know is that when I woke up, the camp was in ruins, three of our members were dead, Riezekiel was missing, and the relic was gone.”

His heart pounded. “And the survivors?”

Ahcehera’s voice was quiet. “The two others who made it back… they died within a week. Their bodies showed no wounds, no signs of poison. They just… stopped breathing.”

A long silence followed. “I reinvestigated secretly, but it turns out… I’m the last living person on the team.”

Finally, Richard spoke. “Did Riezekiel send any messages before he disappeared?”

She hesitated. Then, slowly, she shook her head. “Not officially.”

His brow furrowed. “What does that mean?”

Ahcehera turned to him, meeting his gaze.

“I wasn’t supposed to tell anyone, but… three nights ago, I received a message from an unknown source. It contained no words. Just coordinates.”

Richard’s pulse quickened. “Where?”

She hesitated, then whispered, “The Forgotten Ravine.”

Everything inside him stilled.

It couldn’t be a coincidence.

Richard clenched his fists. “Then that’s where I’ll start.”

Ahcehera exhaled, stepping closer. “Richard… if you go there, you might not return.”

He met her gaze, determined. “Then I’ll just have to defy the odds.”

She stared at him for a long moment, then sighed in resignation.

“At least take this,” she said, removing a small obsidian pendant from her neck. “It’s enchanted. If something happens, it will send me a signal.”

Richard took it, feeling the warmth of her magic hum beneath his fingertips. He tucked it safely into his pocket, then turned towards the exit.

He had less than a week to prepare before his journey to The Forgotten Ravine.

And for the first time since taking this mission, Richard felt a sliver of something unfamiliar.

Not fear.

Not hesitation.

But fate.