Apocalypse Villainess? Nah, I'm Nice

The Shaman couldn’t be bothered with him anymore. ’Who cares about his family’s heir? If it wasn’t for the fact that the secret manual was taken from him... Ugh. If I had known it would come to this, I never would have gotten involved!’

He glanced at the Vortex, then said to the other three, ”My Condensation Technique won’t hold for long. There’s no time to waste. You two, go outside and make arrangements. We’re leaving right away.”

Seeing his expression, Paige Summers hesitantly pointed at the Vortex. ”Don’t tell me... we’re going through there...”

The Shaman gave her an approving look. ’This young lady is certainly sharp.’

”That’s right. We’re going through here.”

”A spatial tear?”

The Shaman tilted his head. ”You could call it that. Mmm, either way, it gets us where we need to go. The important thing is that with this Vortex, we don’t need to lock onto a destination. It’s much more convenient.”

Paige Summers more or less understood what he meant. She pointed at the five captives, including Sherman, and asked, ”What about them? Are we leaving them here?”

Rhonda Rhodes chimed in, ”Have your people watch over them. Keep them all outside. It’s best they don’t come in here.”

Paige Summers nodded and pulled Marcus Monroe over. She handled two of the captives while he dragged the other three, moving them all outside.

The four men with Sherman had been completely demoralized since their capture. Knowing they had little chance of survival, their eyes were glazed over, and they made no sound as they were dragged away. Sherman, on the other hand, was still agitated. He didn’t say anything more to the Shaman about saving his older brother, but it was clear he was convinced that anyone who could traverse the Vortex Technique could surely rescue him. Because of this, he was exceptionally obedient, terrified of doing anything to displease the Shaman.

Paige Summers quickly got things settled on her end.

Thanks to the Shaman’s Condensation Technique, both the Vortex in the ravine and the one in Southreach were temporarily frozen. He had explained that his Spell could likely only last for a day or two. They had to use that window of time to travel through the Vortex, find Finn Sherman, and deal with him.

Standing before the Vortex, Paige Summers stared into the murky gray within and couldn’t help but ask, ”Do you know where we’ll end up?”

The Shaman shot her a strange look. ”How would I know!”

Paige Summers was about to ask another question, but the Shaman cut her off. ”No more questions. Jump!”

It wasn’t until the Shaman yanked her down into the Vortex that Paige Summers finally understood. ’Don’t tell me this guy knows absolutely nothing and still dared to make us jump in!’

’This is ridiculous!’

’What if we land right in the middle of the Sherman Family’s main camp? We’ll be dead before we hit the ground!’

However, the thought was fleeting.

She was in no mood to think anymore.

Jumping into the Vortex was no simple feat. The Shaman had tied the four of them together with a long ribbon. There was some distance between them, putting them in a formation that resembled a skydiving team: a square, with each pair facing the other. Marcus Monroe was on her left, Rhonda Rhodes was on her right, and the Shaman was directly across from her.

The moment he entered the Vortex, the Shaman began forming a continuous series of hand seals. Paige Summers guessed it was some kind of protective Spell. Sure enough, as he did, the satin-like ribbon tied around their waists began to emit a soft blue glow that enveloped all four of them.

But even so, Paige Summers still felt awful.

Inside the Vortex, their descent was incredibly fast. Disordered Wind Blades buffeted them from all sides, feeling like steel scraping against their skin. Even with the ribbon’s protection, the sensation was still a sharp, stinging pain. The feeling of weightlessness was also overwhelming, making her stomach churn violently. ’I really want to throw up!’

’I just have to endure it...’

Fortunately, it didn’t last long. After about twenty minutes, their rate of descent gradually began to slow.

”Get ready. We’re about to land.” The Shaman’s voice sounded faint and distant within the Vortex.

Paige Summers felt both Marcus Monroe and Rhonda Rhodes instinctively tighten their grip on her hands.

She let out a silent sigh of relief.

’We’re finally here!’

The darkness before them abruptly gave way to light, and they found themselves falling from about ten meters above the ground.

The ribbon instantly went slack.

Rhonda Rhodes let go of her hand, but Marcus Monroe did not. Just as Paige Summers was about to hit the ground, he pulled her into an embrace, using their forward momentum to take two quick steps before coming to a steady halt. Only then did he let her stand on her own.

Paige Summers rubbed her stomach and looked up with a weak smile.

With an arm still around her, Marcus Monroe scanned their surroundings.

The ground beneath their feet was slightly soft. Before them, a vast, azure sea stretched out as far as the eye could see.

”Is this... an island?”

”Hmph! These Rovarians sure know how to pick a spot,” the Shaman snorted. He was standing shoulder to shoulder with Rhonda Rhodes a short distance away.

Paige Summers looked out at the sea and had to admit he was right.

The water here wasn’t like the Southern Coast of Astoria, which was so heavily polluted its blue was nearly black and teeming with Sea Beasts. This water was a noticeably lighter shade; at first glance, it looked perfectly normal. Although she could sense Sea Beasts nearby, they were all low-level and not a cause for concern.

She turned her head to look around.

Though it was an island, it seemed to be a massive one.

They had landed in just one corner of it. Looking inland, she saw a continuous stretch of gently sloping terrain. In the distance were forests and buildings. Far beyond that, the island seemed to stretch on for ages. She estimated it had to be over a thousand square kilometers in area... ’Finding Finn Sherman on a place this big is going to be tough!’

Luckily, their landing spot seemed to be remote and uninhabited. That meant they could at least sneak further inland without being noticed.

The four of them assessed their surroundings for a moment before the Shaman spoke. ”Follow me. I know where Finn Sherman is!”

Paige Summers was stunned for a second, then exclaimed, ”That’s great!”

Rhonda Rhodes, however, just snorted, her expression clearly asking, ’And how would you know where he is?’

The Shaman grabbed her arm and pulled her aside to whisper.

Paige Summers watched the two of them with an amused expression.

’Even though I can’t hear what they’re saying,’ she thought, ’I don’t need to. The Shaman is definitely explaining himself...’

Marcus Monroe, however, hadn’t paid the other two any mind. Instead, he was looking at her with a thoughtful expression.