"What an arrogant child." Folsan spat out while watching the devil herself step out of his church, he calmed the shaking in his hands and put himself back into a sense of composure. "She needs to be dealt with, who knows what kind of insanity she will come up with once she grows up?"

  "Isn't it our job to guide children like her? We've already failed to do it once, and this is the result, are we really taking the risk again?"

  Folsan turned his eyes to his left and locked gazes with Nogjaf, the village head of Flotol no longer looked as enthusiastic as he did while they were planning on bringing down Rontress, nor did he look as purposefully composed as he did when they faced the child moments prior.

  Right now, the best way to describe his expression would be comparing it to someone being forced to swallow a poisonous frog. The man being here is impressive enough on its own, Folsan believed that the noble would have left the moment that things got dicey.

  "Do you really believe that this is the solution to our current problem?" Folsan didn't wish to redeem Rontress, and even if he did, he would have sent her away regardless. The girl is a threat to his standing in the village, whether he likes to believe it or not.

  "Yes, that is the solution that we should be looking for! The one that we should make into reality! She is just a child!'

  Then, of course, there is Flutt, who just suggested the most insane thing in the world. As if Folsan would willingly let that girl go after everything he's done to her, with the way she's reacted so far, it is clear that the only path forward is either of them dying.

  And Folsan did not intend to die.

  "Flutt," Nogjaf started, the head priest briefly considered shopping him from continuing to run his mouth but decided against it, maybe Aldalama's words will make sense somehow? "She is a child, yes, but if you've seen everything she's done so far, it is clear that she is being possessed by some kind of demon."

  Folsan blinked, did he actually believe that Rontress is a demon of sorts? How idiotic does one have to be in order to do so?

  "No child is that smart, even my own childhood never had such capabilities." Oh, is that why? He's chosen to believe some kind of like in order to satiate his own ego? How pathetic, and also very fitting.

  "Nogjaf is right." Folsan decided to encourage the man's insanity, he has nothing to lose while he has everything to gain so what's the harm of doing this? "Rontress might be possessed by the devil, which is why we need to tread cautiously around her."

  "She's not possessed!" The priest argued, Flutt looked at all of them, then towards the fallen executioner. "If she was then she would have killed Oguarez, but she didn't."

  "Well that's because..." Nogjaf trailed off, his expression uncertain. "That's because the demon isn't all that smart!"

  "Yes." Folsan said dryly, his expression hard as stone. "What Nogjaf said is the truth, the demon isn't that smart, which is why it didn't kill Oguarez when it had the chance."

  Folsan personally would have argued that the demon is arrogant— it gives room for more argument because it plays to the child's inherent strength and it makes sense given that demons are prideful. — when given the chance but since it's already passed, he was left with no choice and went with this story instead.

  "Idiocracy?" Flutt looked hurt and Folsan noticed that the way he held his stave had considerably tightened. "You keep saying that she's dangerous and cunning yet you say the opposite things when it benefits you."

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  "Are you saying that we are lying?" Folsan accused, knowing that the priest would be pressured into submission, there is nothing worse than social pressure, especially one from those with status, so he knows that Flutt would bend eventually.

  "Yes." Flutt looked determined, why was he so determined to make that little girl look innocent?! "Rontress hasn't done anything wrong so far! I've noticed that she only fights back after we attack her first! It's not her fault!"

  "Isn't it?" Folsan asked, tone calm but the emotions stirring within him is anything but. "Did you not see what she did with Oguarez? How do you explain that?"

  "I..." The priest trailed off. "I'm not sure." He murmured. "Maybe she... I don't know."

  Of course he wouldn't, Folsan knew that the spell cast was a taunt from Rontress' end, she wanted them to realize that she wasn't scared of any of them, hence why she attacked the person Folsan invited specifically to deal with her when things went bad.

  He just never expected that she'd become so powerful that she didn't view the executioner as a threat.

  And Oguarez can fight a small party of C rank all by himself as well, old as he may be, his age has allowed him to accumulate a lot of levels over the years, executions were common in the past— before Rontress started feeding the people of the pier. — so his power is not to be underestimated.

  Rontress truly is a monster in human skin, the fact that she's capable of not just beating Oguarez, but treating him as more of a pest rather than the competent combatant that he is speaks volumes of just how powerful she has become.

  And someone like that needs to be pruned before they could truly grow.

  The question of how is out of the question: the people of Flotol may not be able to overpower her, but Rontress can take her own life, making the solution clear, she needs to be taken out through her own misery.

  Her family is her weakness, and thus, if they are killed, she will be miserable.

  There is also another solution, but it requires someone to go into the depths of Misery Swamp and attract the attention of one of the larger Aberrant Crayfish that hides within its murky depths.

  Rontress is powerful, but is she as strong as the beings that lord over the swamp itself? Folsan didn't believe so.

  But doing this would mean that Flotol is destroyed as well, the idea is only appropriate as a last resort, when they no longer have any other options left.

  Folsan didn't want to ever do it, let alone consider the thought.

  "Rontress isn't what you think she is, that girl used us in the past, made her clear her name." Incorrect, people had come to them about the problem surrounding Rontress and he had foolishly believed that executing a child was the wrong choice.

  "Never again." Folsan murmured, if he had known about what she could grow into...

  "Are we in the right, then?" Flutt asked.

  "Yes."

  "Okay." Folsan observed the priest's expression, noting that Flutt didn't seem to believe him in the slightest. Well, his opinion can be changed, in fact, it's already starting now.

  "I need to go, we can discuss this again later." Folsan stepped off from his podium. "Can you take care of Oguarez for me? I need to prepare for the next time that girl comes around so I don't have the time to do anything else right now."

  Flutt healing the executioner would mean he starts feeling sympathetic to their cause, Folsan can only hope that Oguarez understands what this all means and acts accordingly— which is to say, try and garner Flutt's sympathy as much as possible. — and the executioner should do that, his pride has been crushed by Rontress, what is he gonna do? Start fearing her instead of fighting back? He's a rat trapped in a corner.

  "I— I need to go as well!" Nogjaf started, he then took off, rushing towards the double doors, his expression panicked.

  So he's finally running away?

  Folsan watched the man go, he couldn't care less if he lost Nogjaf, that just means that he has full control of Flotol soon, and the original purpose of this church can finally be realized.

  He left the hall and went into the building's depths, the metaphorical pressure disappearing with his presence.

  Flutt can only watch helplessly as the doors closed behind the head priest, he himself walked down from his podium and made his way towards the fallen executioner.

  He lifted Oguarez from the ground, the man let out a small huff, then a painful groan, "they don't understand what we're dealing with, don't they? Or maybe they're too deep in their delusions of power to realize it..."

  "What do you mean?" Flutt asked as he supported the old man, wrapping one arm over his head and bracing Oguarez's weight. "I don't understand."

  "Listen, I'm not saying this because I'm scared— well, I am, but I don't think it's a good idea to piss off that girl like Folsan wanted." Oguarez coughed. "It's not a good idea, why are we poking a sleeping dragon?"

  Flutt only listened as the executioner droned on, his thoughts running a mile-a-minute.