Restart:Untalented Man

Prince Baldwin doesn't agree with Irene's suggestion. "Let's not send any agent there. Our focus should be Bagyarosia which is in turmoil right now."

"Sigh...Why is my place never in peace." Irene grumbled. She has been so tired since last year. Maybe she should ask Harford to increase her wage.

Clearly, she deserves it.

"Stop making a fuss about it, explain to us everything that transpired there," said Eunice.

"Alright, alright. Count Naharog intends to establish the Kingdom of Naharog but has not yet achieved it. While Count Vofors and his family have died at the hand of his own people. People in Vofors seek to build a new nation called Vofors Republica by following the blueprint of Cerdeauxia. As for Caushilbo, Count Claus is cowardly as ever. We didn't find any evidence of Tetherswest's standing in this turmoil. But, we can guess that they will choose Ryntum's side if the worst-case scenario occurs."

Mark Donald opened his mouth for the first time, "Your Highness, I see the break up of Bagyarosia as an opportunity for us."

Prince Baldwin raises his hand. "Hold on for a moment, Mark. Let Acellin brief us first about the unrest in Cerdeauxia."

A man in his early thirties with chestnut hair stood up as soon as the prince called his name. He is Acellin Celestia, the Trunk of Cerdeauxia. The man clears his throat first before starting to speak.

"The unrest in Cerdeauxia escalated when the people there learned of President Matthew's attempt to kill the last royal heir of Cerdeauxia through Bagyarosia as his proxy. After the noble coalition loses the battle, Matthew's position as the most powerful person in the republic was shaken. His opponents begin to take advantage of the situation to gain support from people. Currently, the Party of Royalists, PoR has spread their idea of constitutional monarchy to every level of society. It is a matter of time before the coup happens and topples Matthew's Cerdeauxia Reformation Party, CRP."

After briefing the situation in Cerdeauxia, Acellin looks at everyone's faces for their reaction.

"Hmm..." Baldwin fell into deep thought. Cerdeauxia's internal problem is taking a worse turn than he expected. He spoke again, "Mark, do you think it is feasible to implement our initial plan?"

"It is possible, Your Highness."

"But Cerdeauxia Reformation Party is at a disadvantage right now. How do we plan to turn the table in our favour?" Irene interrupts.

"People of the republic are dissatisfied with Matthew and his cronyism practice. The grassroots-level members of the party hate him and his family. They see it as an attempt by Matthew to turn CRP into his family political party. We will bring a new candidate of our choice to be the new leader of the party." explained Mark to Blackout members.

"Wouldn't it take a lot of time and resources to raise the puppet to be the party's leader?" asked Baldwin.

"Worry not, Your Highness. It wouldn't take too much of our resources and time. CRP Supreme Council Members will hold their once-every-five-year meeting to vote on whether to keep Matthew as their leader or to vote for someone else. We believe they ought to oust Matthew from the party's leadership and destroy his political career. We will lobby them to favour our puppet as the party's leader."

"Are you sure they will accept a stranger as their leader?"

"Probably not now. They're currently quite sensitive to any outside influence. The grassroots-level members of the party also won't accept it which is why we need our puppet to rise from the bottom to the top. We can buy council members by promising them sufficient benefits as long as they provide a smooth way for our puppet to climb up. It might take us one year at most for our puppet to be at the top." Mark reassured the prince.

"In politics, nothing is cheaper than politicians themselves. Once we secure our puppet's position, Blackout agents will dominate the party by eliminating its Supreme Council Members one by one. Then, the leftover supporter of the Cerdeauxia royal family will be next." said Harford.

He agrees with the initial idea of installing their puppets. With the Cerdeauxian desperation for change, came the opportunity to erase the remnants supporter of the monarchical system there.

Eunice asks an important question, "So, who is going to be our puppet?"

"If I may..." Jack politely asks for permission from Baldwin to speak. He has no room for being arrogant here.

"Go on."

"Your Highness and respected Blackout members, we have a perfect candidate for the task. His name is Russell Ryntum. We will use him to rule over the land which rightfully belongs to his brother."

Hearing this, Eunice raises her eyebrows and asks. "Did Princess Reina know her brother is here?"

"No, Lady Eunice. Blackout keeps it a secret from her." Jack replies. He believes it is a needless thing to do.

"Are you trying to pit Russell and his brother against each other?"

Jack respectfully replies to his superior, "Yes, Lady Irene. We need to remove any possibility of these two nations forming a diplomatic relationship."

"How capable is he? As far as the record goes, he only receives an education but never involves himself in governance during his days in Bideford. Puppet or not, Cerdeauxian might replace him if he shows incompetency." Acellin asks in a serious tone as he is in charge of the republic.

"This...Presently, the headquarter is educating him." Jack hesitates to answer. Up until now, he hasn't successfully tamed Russell into subservience yet.

Acellin squinted his eyes due to Jack's uncertain answer. "You know this plan is gonna fail if Russell or whatever his name is messed up, right?"

"Calm down, Acellin. He is doing the best he can. It takes time to get the result." Irene backed up her subordinate.

Baldwin intervened, "No fighting, everyone. We are here to discuss. Jack, proceed with whatever you do. Use any means to hasten the pace. Barlia can let one immature brat hinder our plans."

"I will deliver a satisfying result for you, Your Highness."

"Good. I am looking forward to it. Harford, what is our next agenda?"

Flipping through his notebook, Harford replies, "Our next agenda is about the development of Blackout secret base in two new regions; Inver and Inverloch."

"Let's start with Aldo first." Instruct the prince.

"Thank you, Your Highness. Blackout divides Inverloch into three regions; north, central and south. I will explain the development of the south first. The south consists of three regions with the capital, Ferlochia being chosen as our southern headquarters. Bases in every city have been secure and normally operate. I heavily place a considerable amount of agents in Neax with the goal to penetrate into the Grand Duchy of Caberia in the future. Vincent and Stanley will explain the remaining to the region." said Aldo while looking at them.

Vincent Warren, the Central Trunk of Inverloch quickly got up. He has been fidgeting this entire time, rehearsing his speech. "Finally, it's my turn to speak...Err...Nothing much to say except to inform you guys of the location of the central headquarters which is in...Err...Oxlight City. Its strategic location in the middle makes it easy for me to oversee the two regions I'm in charge of...Err...It's your turn, Stanley."

"Thank you, Vincent. North has two regions it oversees. The north headquarters is Erki. I chose this city because; first, the settlement location distribution in the north leans to the east side. Second, The city of Erki is near the border which enables effective information sharing between North Inverloch and West Ingnynes." explained Stanley Lyn, North Trunk of Inverloch.

Baldwin nods. A sign of satisfaction is on his face. The three of them perform the job exceptionally well.

The meeting continues with North Trunk of Inver, Noelle Ninon and South Trunk of Inver, Lea Felixia giving their reports. As in Inverloch, they didn't encounter any obstacles while building the Blackout base there.

As the sun sets on the western horizon, their annual meeting ends.

Baldwin gave them some words before ending the annual meeting. "My elite agents, I hope everything we discuss here remains among us. Any leaking wouldn't be tolerated. This is a perfect chance for us to obtain fertile land in the south and solve the food problems faced by our ancestors many years ago. I won't let it slip through my hand."