26 Truly a Different World

"Magus signature?" Linfel asked Alvin, curious.

Alvin then pointed to a small sphere with many diagrams floating inside be the monitor. "There is no such thing as two identical Magic Signature. That will serve as proof that I agreed with the terms and it wasn't someone else who did it."

"I see..." Linfel nodded.

The worker then pointed to a door on the back where two more masters and familiars were waiting. Compared to the Master Familiar Connection test, this place had very few maguses to the point it only had a single attendant, which they just talked to. "Seems like we came at a good time."

"It is always like this," Alvin shook his head in response. "Did you forget what we said? Maguses who decide to let their Familiars go free are rare. I'm quite surprised there are two others here today since it is usually empty."

Linfel truly couldn't understand. "With the trust between master and familiar being so important for the Master Familiar Connection, it is weird that more of them don't give their Familiars such an option. Wouldn't it strengthen their bonds instead? Sure that would help them get a higher compatibility."

Linfelia agreed with him. "That's true. Master and I managed to go from a slightly below-average compatibility to a slightly above-average one, which is already a very good result in just three years. That's because my master truly trusted me and allowed me to go free anytime I wanted. However..."

Alvin continued from there. "When you become a magus and join the academy, you are allowed the creation of one single familiar for free. Obviously, my one turned out to be Linfelia. However, the process of creating a Familiar is very, very expensive. Unless you absolutely need a new Familiar or have a lot of money, you won't make a new one lightly."

"So, that's where you can tell if a real trust exists between you and your Familiar," Linfelia added. "After all, if you allow a Familiar to go independent, what if it decides to leave you after passing the test? You will be lacking its help until you can make a new one or offer than previous one enough compensation for it to help you. But then again, if you need to offer compensation, was there really a trust between you two? In the end, it is complicated. That's why those from wealthy families like Saimon's sometimes chose to simply kill the Familiars' Emotions during their creation so that they don't need to worry about such things as trust."

Alvin sighed. "99% of maguses don't have rich backgrounds, so paying for a new familiar is pretty much out of the question before they accumulate enough Academy Magic Credits. If they want to pay Universal Currency, it is even harder. They can't afford to lose their own Familiar by allowing it to go independent. So... pretty much no maguses, especially when they just started their studies, think about allowing their Familiars to take the test."

Linfel smiled in response. "And yet, you keep telling Linfelia every year if she wants to take the test or not."

Linfelia quickly hugged Alvin's head with her small body. "I don't need to be independent to trust him completely. That's because Alvin is a good boy."

Alvin glanced at her. "Am I some kind of dog now?"

"A very troublesome one, I might add," Linfelia nodded.

After that, they joined the two other maguses, who were having a talk while they waited for the test time. 

"Oh, hey!" One of them waved to Alvin and his Familiars. "That's truly rare. To have three of us at the same time. I'm Romario, and this is my buddy, Calisbin." He said as he pointed to his Familiar.

The other one was a female magus. "I'm Julia, and my friend here is Danil." She also introduced herself and her Familiar.

Danil and Calisbin also approched Linfel and Linfelia. "Are you two taking the test, too?"

Linfelia shook her head. "My master told me to take the test many times, but I don't need it. The only one taking the test is him, Linfel. By the way, I'm Linfelia."

Linfel waved to the two. "Hey there. It is good to see your masters also trust you enough for this test."

Julia was only thirteen years old, two years younger than Alvin. As for Romario, he was a year older, being sixteen. The three of them have never talked to each other, which is normal in an academy of this size and number. Nonetheless, they clicked together pretty fast, and so did their Familiars.

Suddenly, the door opened, and another worker called them. "Alright, the test is ready. You can come in to watch as it is pretty simple."

Everyone nodded, and they quickly entered the room. Inside, several intricate diagrams connected to many other circuits and monitors could be seen on the back. 

"So, who wants to go first?" The worker asked. There wasn't really a need for an order as there weren't many who took this test anyway.

"Julia, you were here first, so just let your Familiar go first in case you need to leave sooner," said Romario, not minding to wait.

Linfel also nodded. "I don't really mind about the time either."

"Danil, then you can take your test," Julia accepted the offer.

"Yes, Julia." Danil quickly stepped forward, entering the range of the diagrams.

The worker saw that and began to explain. "Alright, all you need is an average score of 50 or higher to pass. The first test is Magic Density. Regardless of the Familiar's Level, Magic Density varies between them. The higher the density, the higher the Familiar's quality and overall prospect. Just stay still and let your Magic Energy flow normally. The diagram will do the rest."

Daniel quickly followed the orders, letting his Magic Energy circulate as he always does.

Meanwhile, Linfel asked Alvin out of curiosity. "Why is there a need for a test to gain independence? Couldn't you simply let your Familiar go?"

Alvin shook his head. "Think about Familiars as if they were the Maguses' Children. In our world, parents can't simply let go of their kids for them to fare for themselves, now can they? It's against the law. They need to provide for their children until they grow enough to take care of themselves. It is the same thing for Familiars that want to go indenpendet. They must show through these tests that they could fare for themselves once they end their Master Familiar relationship officially."

Linfel thought about the place he came from. Back then, such things had little meaning. If the parents wanted to abandon their kid, usually because of lack of talent or because the mothers and fathers didn't want to have children to start with, no one would bat an eye. "This is truly a different world..."