Salvation of The Scum Fifth Prince

[25 - traitor; double trouble]

"You really attract bad luck, don't you, Damien?" said Raphael after silence seeped into the room, neither parties showing much of a reaction. He was now sitting in the bed, tapping his finger on his leg at a steady rhythm.

Soren enjoyed the conversation from under his covers, casually leaning against the headrest while surrounded by pillows. He very much embodied the aura of a scum prince, with his own magical touch.

Damien leaned against the wall with a blank stare. "Do you know of an organization that doesn't have any traitors?"

His point was fair, and Raphael already understood that much. No matter how loyal an organization was to its master, it was impossible to guarantee that none of the many would turn their backs once given the opportunity.

It was hard to trust somebody to stay by your side, but it was harder to not trust them.

As a leader, Damien had to draw the line between paranoia and naivety. Not trusting his members would mean he'd run a one man show, and such a show could only last so long. But to trust everybody fully would make him vulnerable once betrayed, and he wasn't the sort to put himself in that position.

Soren shuffled in his spot. "Do you know the identity of the traitor?"

"What do you think, master?"

The prince didn't understand why the fox chose to keep his method of referring to him, but he dismissed the strangeness. There was no need for Damien to consult them with anything if he had an answer.

If Damien knew the traitor, they'd face a punishment worse than death for the crimes they dared to commit under his eyes.

However, while Soren understood the basic information from his words, Raphael read between the lines and said, "But you have an idea, right?"

Damien nodded.

"And you'd like us to help you with this." confirmed Raphael.

"It isn't necessary, but it's the best method." admitted Damien.

"You can't prosecute an innocent member,"

"So you have to uncover their crime." finished Soren, understanding what was happening after listening. The two nodded at his words and the room fell silent again.

"So," said Raphael slowly, lifting his gaze to flicker between the others. "What's the plan?"

Damien blinked, then said calmly, "Can I leave this up to you?"

Raphael narrowed his eyes at his with suspicion, furrowing his brows. Based off his understanding, this teenager was not a character to rely on others to an excessive amount, and would choose to do most of the work. In a group project, everybody would slack off and he'd be the one to finish everything.

Yet, the same boy asked Raphael and Soren to deal with everything. The conclusion Raphael reached made his brows furrow in exasperation.

Damien... just wanted to see how the two of them would work together.

The protagonist was a little speechless once again."...right, so, what's the plan, little prince?"

Of course, any answer Soren would give wouldn't help Raphael's reoccurring headaches. It'd only worsen them, without a doubt.

"No plan."

"What?"

"I'll force him to reveal everything."

Raphael sighed and said as if coaxing a child, "That's not how it works."

The tone made Soren annoyed, the corners of his lips pulling down further. "Your lacking abilities isn't my problem."