Disappointed, but resolved. And Shez realizes something.

"...so Tomas escaped after everything," Rhea sighed once the details were given. Byleth stood stoic next to Shez and several Knights. "But, at the very least, no one was grievously harmed."

Sothis, who didn't dare come out of Byleth's head around Rhea, huffed slightly. "Fucking teleporting magic! Always lets enemies pussy out of the consequences of losing, and it's so hard to keep them from doing it!" Byleth silently agreed.

Seteth crossed his arms. "That being said, we are still unsure of the level of threat Tomas and any of his associates pose," he replied to Rhea. "Letting him escape will almost certainly come back to haunt us. What I don't understand is how he was able to infiltrate us so easily... He had the highest recommendations from trusted people when he came to work here..."

"This betrayal will not go unpunished! Those who dare raise their blades against the Goddess and her Church will face the consequences!" Rhea stated, a steel edge in her tone.

"...hold on a sec... What if Tomas didn't betray you guys at all?" Shez suddenly asked. Rhea, Byleth and Seteth blinked, and turned to look at Shez. "Has Tomas ever left the Monastery for an extended period of time?" she then asked Seteth.

"Well, erm, yes, he did leave for a good while, before returning, and we of course welcomed him back..." Seteth replied.

"Well, think about it for a second... That guy changed his form, so..." Shez trailed off.

"...you think instead of just setting himself up as some old man and calling himself Tomas, he instead stole the pre-existing Tomas's literal identity?" Byleth summed up, and Shez nodded.

"Yeah, that is what I'm saying," Shez nodded. "I mean, what's more likely? That someone somehow managed to fake an impeccable background, and spent decades here without doing anything, only to make a move now, or they decided to take advantage of someone else's background, no doubt killing him or something in the process so there wouldn't be two Tomas's running around, and taking his shape to infiltrate for a smaller period of time? We already know they can shape shift, he just demonstrated that. Also, why even bother changing your shape if you're going to fake a background anyway?"

"I don't know about that last point," a Knight replied. "He looked pretty fucked up when he showed his true face, who'd trust someone looking like that? If you'll pardon my bluntness, Lady Rhea," he hastily added at a glare from Seteth for his language in front of Rhea, who shook her head to show it was forgiven.

"...alright, point, but still, I think my guess is more likely," Shez replied.

"...so... Wait, if they could impersonate anyone so flawlessly, then, who's to say that everyone in the Monastery is in fact themselves?" Seteth asked in alarm.

"Calm yourself Seteth. Such potent dark magics are not the kind that can be prepared on a whim," Rhea reassured him, thinking the last thing they needed was for Seteth's trust issues to grow. "Hence why Shez asked if he had left the Monastery for some time I'm sure. They no doubt need the target for a ritual for at least a month before the spell can be used..."

"...in that case, we need to be wary of Monica, given the period of time she was missing," Seteth noted.

"Well, I doubt she's an imposter herself, given she exposed "Tomas,"" Byleth cut in. "But to be safe, who was the Black Eagle's Professor last year?"

"That would be Professor Hanneman, why?" Seteth asked.

"Just have him take Monica aside and ask her some questions about some interactions they may have had last year," Byleth answered. "Stuff only he and the real Monica would know. Unless the dark magic can replicate memories as well?"

"Doubtful. That would make such a thing far more difficult and complex," Rhea shook her head. "Very well, we'll do what the Professor suggests..."