"They're writing articles about me?" Leo asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Oh yes," the garden pixie said cheerfully. "Would you like me to read some of the highlights? There's a particularly nice bit about your 'enigmatic charm' and your 'reluctant heroism that speaks to a noble heart.'"
"No," Leo said quickly. "Definitely no. I don't want to hear about my enigmatic charm or my noble heart. I want to hear about how I can make people stop writing articles about me."
Sir Reginald cleared his throat importantly. "That's precisely why I've established this intelligence network. We need to stay ahead of these developments so we can manage your public image more effectively."
"I don't want to manage my public image," Leo protested. "I want to eliminate my public image. I want to have no image at all. I want to be so forgettable that people can't remember my name five minutes after meeting me."
"I'm afraid that's no longer possible," Sir Reginald said with the kind of gentle sympathy usually reserved for delivering bad news to terminal patients. "You've crossed the threshold from 'anonymous student' to 'person of interest.' The best we can do now is damage control."
"What kind of damage control?" Leo asked, though he suspected he didn't want to know the answer.
"Well," Sir Reginald said thoughtfully, "we could start by monitoring the romantic situation. Corporal Nutkin, I want you to establish surveillance on Princess Seraphina's activities. Find out what she's planning for this Harvest Festival invitation."
"Yes, sir!" Corporal Nutkin saluted again, nearly falling off the breakfast tray in his enthusiasm.
"And Sergeant Dewdrop," Sir Reginald continued, addressing the garden pixie, "I want you to coordinate with the library sprites. We need to know what kind of research the faculty is conducting on our friend here."
"Research?" Leo asked weakly. "They're doing research on me?"
"Oh yes," Sergeant Dewdrop said cheerfully. "Professor Grimwald has been checking out books on 'Theoretical Frameworks for Interdisciplinary Magical Analysis' and 'Advanced Principles of Emotional Thaumaturgy.' Professor Sparklebottom has been reading about 'Innovative Approaches to Magical Education' and 'The Psychology of Gifted Students.'"
Leo felt his eye begin to twitch. "They're studying me like I'm some kind of... academic phenomenon."
"You are an academic phenomenon," Sir Reginald pointed out. "The question is how we manage that phenomenon to minimize further complications."
"I have an idea," Leo said desperately. "What if I just... left? Transferred to a different academy? Changed my name? Moved to a different kingdom where no one has ever heard of bucket-throwing or pond-tackling?"
"I'm afraid that's not practical," Sir Reginald said gently. "According to our intelligence, you're already being discussed at other magical institutions. Word of your... unique approaches to magical problem-solving has begun to spread throughout the academic community."
"It has?" Leo's voice cracked.
"Oh yes," chirped the kitchen sprite. "The sprites have a very efficient communication network. News travels fast in the magical creature community."
Leo stared at the collection of tiny magical beings who had apparently appointed themselves as his personal intelligence service. "So you're telling me that not only am I famous at this academy, but I'm becoming famous at other academies too?"
"Fame is a relative concept," Sir Reginald said philosophically. "The important thing is that we're prepared for whatever comes next."
"What comes next?" Leo asked, though he was fairly certain he didn't want to know.
"Well," Sir Reginald said, consulting a tiny notebook that he had apparently been keeping, "according to our intelligence, Professor Grimwald is planning to recommend you for the Academy's Advanced Research Program. Princess Seraphina is planning to make her romantic interest more... public. And there are rumors that representatives from the Royal Magical Council are planning to visit the academy to observe some of the more... promising students."
Leo felt the world spinning around him. "The Royal Magical Council?"
"They're apparently very interested in students who demonstrate 'innovative approaches to magical theory and practice,'" Sergeant Dewdrop explained helpfully. "The library sprites overheard Professor Thornfield discussing your 'potential for significant contributions to the magical arts.'"
---
[New Achievement Unlocked: Accidentally Important]
• Description: You've attracted the attention of the Royal Magical Council. This is either a great honor or a terrible complication, depending on your perspective.
• Reward: Increased prestige and the possibility of being recruited for important magical work.
• Side Effect: Your attempts to be anonymous are now officially impossible.
---
[New Skill Unlocked: Tiny Creature Management]
• Description: You now have a network of magical creatures providing intelligence services. This is either useful or deeply concerning.
---
Leo looked around at his breakfast companions: a pixie knight, a brownie corporal, a garden pixie sergeant, and a kitchen sprite whose name he still didn't know, and realized that his life had taken another turn toward the completely surreal.
"I think," he said quietly, "I need to reconsider my entire approach to this situation."
"What kind of approach?" Sir Reginald asked.
Leo considered this for a moment, watching as more tiny creatures began to appear around his breakfast tray, apparently drawn by the promise of intelligence work and the excitement of being part of something important.
"I have absolutely no idea," he admitted. "But whatever it is, it's going to have to account for the fact that I now apparently have a spy network made up of creatures that could fit in my pocket."
"It's a very good spy network," Corporal Nutkin said proudly. "We're very thorough."
"And very... discrete," added Sergeant Dewdrop.
"And we work for very reasonable wages," chirped the kitchen sprite. "Mostly just crumbs and the occasional kind word."
Leo stared at his tiny intelligence service, then at the Great Hall around him where students were going about their normal lives without any awareness that their world was filled with magical creatures conducting surveillance operations from inside breakfast trays.
"This is my life now," he said to himself. "I have a pixie spymaster and a network of magical creatures who report on faculty meetings and royal romantic interests."
"It could be worse," Sir Reginald said cheerfully. "At least now you'll have advance warning when your life is about to become more complicated."
Leo groaned. "I don't want advance warning. I want my life to stop being complicated."
"I'm afraid that's no longer an option," Sir Reginald said with the kind of gentle finality that suggested he had given this matter considerable thought. "But look on the bright side you're never going to be bored."
As Leo left the Great Hall, followed by a tiny parade of magical creatures who were apparently now part of his personal entourage, he couldn't help but reflect on how thoroughly his simple plan for anonymity had failed.
He was no longer just a student at the Royal Academy of Aethelgard. He was apparently a person of interest to the faculty, the royal family, and the magical creatures who lived in the shadows of the academy's daily life.
---
[New Quest Issued: Manage Your Intelligence Network]
• Description: You now have a spy network of magical creatures. Try to use this responsibly while maintaining what's left of your sanity.
• Reward: Advance warning of complications and the loyalty of creatures who could fit in a teacup.
• Failure Penalty: Chaos, confusion, and the possibility that your tiny spies will organize a union.
---
"I think," Leo said to Sir Reginald as they made their way to his next class, "my problems are just getting started."
"Undoubtedly," Sir Reginald agreed. "But at least now you'll see them coming."
***
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