"You say mercy would be a sign of weakness for the church," Sothis began, raising a finger. "But it seems more likely to get you more enemies down the line. Just like how Nemesis made an enemy out of you." Rhea nearly objected, but another gesture from her mother stopped her. "And before you say anything, Nemesis and his friends did kill our people. but they're dead now. Very, very dead."
"Second point," The goddess raised a second finger. "Killing Lonato could lead to Ashe seeking revenge, which means you'd have to kill him, then his friends, and so on till the end of time." Sothis continued, before raising a third finger. "And for my final point, you are the Archbishop of the Church of Seiros, the largest religious organization in Fodlan. Bar none." She put a lot of emphasis on each word, staring intensely at Rhea. "That means people look to you as an example on how to behave. If you keep ordering everyone dead, how do you think the humans will react? 'Ruthlessness is a mercy upon ourselves?' That's how they react."
The Archbishop had been struck speechless. The last time her mother had chastised her was centuries ago. What's more, she did not have any immediate counterarguments. Her mother did have a way of making a point. Though, as she stared at her disapproving mother, she was able to form one thing to say.
"My eyes are up here, mother." She sighed, having noticed Sothis had been shouting at her chest from halfway between herself and Byleth.
"I've made my decision!" The sex genie refuted unashamedly, Byleth merely facepalming at her reaction. It had been a while since Sothis had done anything horny, so he should have expected something like this, he supposed. "Still, I think she did make some good points there." He interjected, trying to help the argument.
Rhea sighed again as she returned to her full height. "Even after all these years, you still know how to point things out to me, Mother." She composed herself before speaking. "Nevertheless, I cannot allow attacks upon the church to go unanswered. In this matter however, Mother, I am willing to compromise." She looked Sothis square in the eyes, crossing her arms over her chest to prompt her mother to look her in the eyes. "I am willing to at least send a missive to him, offering to reveal the truth regarding Christophe's death, on condition that he officially stands down from his plans to attack the main church. Is that acceptable?"
Sothis and Byleth shared a look and nodded after a moment. This was a lot more than they had expected to get out of this than when they had started. "That is reasonable, Lady Rhea." Byleth confirmed. "Truth be told, I had considered trying to talk him down when we arrived, but I would not hesitate to fight back if he attacked first." The archbishop smiled appreciatively. She had to admit, not only had this vessel for her mother brought her back (if in an unexpected way), he was still willing to defend her and the monastery if things called for it. So much like his mother and father had been...
"Great! Now that's settled, wanna join his harem?"
And another lesson learned today. It turns out the quasi-immortal draconic Archbishop can, in fact, choke on her own spit.
"Ack - but- what!?"
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