Xalafel narrowed his eyes, asking. "So, you basically gave it a try... and it worked?"
Linfel nodded, his voice tinged with uncertainty. "That was pretty much it. To be honest, we still don't know what was supposed to have happened. Was there supposed to be a backlash? Something like that? We only heard it was risky."
Litivia took the chance to explain. "As mentioned in the Master Familiar Connection class that Alvin must have taken, the Familiar connects through the soul with its master. Two Familiars trying to share the same soul connection create a huge burden to the soul. Answering your question, the results of trying it at lower levels should have been the collapse of the soul. Simply put, death."
Dilwe couldn't help but ask. "Alvin, why did you even try it in the first place? Weren't you afraid of the consequences?"
Alvin's mind worked fast, trying to think about an excuse. Finally, he came up with something. "Well... I was curious about this Double Connection. So, when we tried it out, the three of us agreed to immediately cut out the connection between our souls if we felt even a little bit uncomfortable. We simply thought that the backlash wouldn't be instantaneous, giving us time to at least cancel it before anything bad happened."
Xalafel pondered a bit and had to admit it made sense. "Well, that's not entirely wrong. Anyone can try to connect with two Familiars at once. If you just start it and cancel right after before things get bad, you can indeed prevent the collapse of the soul."
"Still, the window is very narrow," Litivia added, her voice filled with a mix of relief and realization. "You would have to cut the connection before even finishing it. But then again, you decided to stop it at the very first sight of an issue, so I guess it does have a certain degree of safety... although most people would never give such a thing a try. One mistake and you would be nothing but a body without a soul, an empty shell."
Fenlin looked at Alvin, Linfel, and Felia. "So, when you tried it out for the first time... you didn't feel anything wrong whatsoever?"
Alvin, Linfel, and Felia nodded. "Everything worked pretty smoothly. We could connect our souls and Magic Energy as if it were a single Master Familiar Connection. There were no such things as burden, pain, or anything else. We tried a few times in the next few days, and it only got better as we got used to it."
Xalafel laid back on his chair and looked at the roof. "You simply tried... and it worked. Could it be there are others out there who are also capable of doing such a thing and just don't know?"
Litivia also thought about it. "Indeed, that is possible. However..."
Dilwe resumed from where Litivia stopped. "We can't just go out there and tell all Maguses and Familiars to try a Double Familiar Connection."
Fenlin agreed. "He is right. They succeeded, but they used an uncertain method. Even if you decide to cut the connection as soon as you feel anything wrong, that doesn't mean you won't perish. If anything, chances are that once we disclose this method, countless maguses will give it a try. If things go wrong, we might end up with a pile of corpses. Don't forget, Alvin, Linfel, and Felia didn't feel anything wrong from the very start. Others... most likely won't be this lucky."
"I wouldn't disclose it anyway," Xalafel continued. "If we were wrong, we would also be putting a huge target on Alvins' back. He already can do a Double Connection now at Level One. Just what will he be able to do when he gets stronger?"
Xalafel then looked at Milia and Connor. "That said, you guys better know what to do."
Connor and Tratil quickly nodded. They definitely didn't want to get on the Academy's bad side.
Milia, however, was a member of the Frondor Family. This information would be of great importance to them. It could possibly chance the power balance of the country or even the world. Yet... Milia seemed completely lost in thought, and it wasn't because of this meeting.
"Milia!" Xalafel called her attention, seeing her lack of attention.
"Ah!" Milia jumped back and quickly nodded. "Right, right! I won't tell anyone. I'll talk to Nori as well. He will do what I say."
Alvin seemed concerned. "Are you truly okay? You have been strange ever since we fought that Level Four Magic Beast."
Milia quickly avoided Alvin's gaze. "I'm fine!" She then looked at Xalafel, understanding his meaning. "Senior Xalafel is concerned that I'll tell the Frondor family about it. There is no need to worry, though. Alvin saved my life back there, and I absolutely hate owing favors. I swear on my honor as a member of the Frondor Family that I shall not disclose it to anyone unless strictly necessary."
Alvin patted her shoulder. "You don't really need to feel like you owe me anything. I'm the one who owes the Floating Blades Faction for everything they did for me until now, including you. I'm still far from paying that debt."
Milia quickly slipped away, feeling hot again. "W-Whatever. I just won't tell anyone. Is that it? Can I leave now?"
Xalafel shook his head. "Wait for us to finish it first." He ignored Milia's behavior, thinking it had something to do with her pride as a Frondor Woman. "Alvin, can you show us the connection up close?"
Connor and Milia's attention was immediately picked. They had seen it, but because they didn't expect Alvin to do such a thing, they didn't have the chance to check it up close, either.
Linfel nodded at Alvin, who quickly called Felia close. Felia's core changed into the shape of two interlaced bracelets, with a few little chains connected between the bracelet and five rings on Alvin's fingers.
Linfel was next, attaching himself to the back of Alvin's other hand. He didn't change shape, and he could have done it without even touching Alvin as long as he was close enough. Nonetheless, that made it a little bit more believable. Finally, Linfel matched their soul frequences, and their Magic Energies merged. The connection was established.
Xalafel, Litivia, Dilwe, and Fenlin, two Level Five and two Level Four Maguses, used their Magic Energy to sense Alvin's connection. It didn't matter how they looked. Linfel and Felia were perfectly connected to Alvin, and their Magic Energies were merged without any issues. "Truly unbelievable..." Xalafel murmured for a moment.
He quickly recovered, though. "Alvin, I saw you defeating the Rock Breaker and defending against one of the attacks of the Serpent. I believe it is safe to say your strength while using a Double Connection is within the realm of a Level Two Magus, almost a Level Three."
Alvin agreed with that. "Yes, although I wasn't aware of how strong I was until I finally met the Rock breaker."
Xalafel felt the connection go for a few more moments before finishing. "Alright, you can stop it now."
Linfel and Felia separated from Alvin, and their power went back to normal.
Xalafel continued from there. "You did an impressive job finding that you were capable of it. So much that I wish I could send you straight into a Rank A Class. However, we truly can't reveal your abilities... at least not yet."
"Well, we also don't want to become targets. Hahaha!" Linfel commented on the side while laughing.
Xalafel's voice took on a somber note. "That is true. You are still Level One Magus and Familiars, so you might not know this. The situation of the country isn't exactly as safe as it looks on the outside. It's a dangerous place, filled with hidden threats."
"We know," Connor quickly spoke. "The guys from the Floating Blades Faction told us what was really happening. About the saturation and how soon there won't be enough resources for everyone."
"Is that so?" Xalafeal narrowed his eyes but quickly returned to normal. "They should have waited to do that, but in this case, it is good that you already know about it. Simply put, the nearby countries would like nothing more than to get rid of potential threats to a war that will sooner or later happen. In the background, things are already remarkably ugly. And, to be honest, we are already out of enough resources. It's just that the governments are pretty good at hiding it from the general populace."
"I understand," Alvin spoke, already expecting that. "I will keep it a secret, definitely not showing it again until I reach Level Five."
"No," surprisingly, Xalafel denied that notion. "I want you to show off your ability to use Double Connection as soon as you and your Familiars reach Level Three. Of course, until then, you will have to rise in the ranks normally."
"What?!" Everyone in the room was taken aback.
"But wouldn't that put a target on my back, just like you said?" Alvin couldn't help but ask, scared of the idea.
Xalafel got up and walked to the window with a worried expression. "Yes, that would put you in danger."
Litivia didn't like it at all. "Xalafel, I trust you and your judgment. You know it. However, even I fail to see how it would be a good thing for us. If you say such a thing, that will put our academy and the entire world against us. Maybe the entire Universe since humans are the only ones who use the Master Familiar Connection."
Linfel was surprised to hear that. "Only humans use it? For real?"
Yet, Litivia looked at him, puzzled. "You should have received this information when you were created. Why so surprised?"
Alvin quickly intervened. "I created Linfel without most of the normal knowledge a Familiar would usually have. So... he doesn't know a lot of things."
"Why would you do that?" Livitia asked back.
"The knowledge curse..." Alvin spoke.
"Oh!" Litivia had to admit it was a good reason. Linfel heard from Alvin about it. Familiars find it hard to evolve because they already know everything. So they don't question their knowledge and thus find it hard to improve and find new paths. Still, it is quite an annoying thing to deal with, so those who create Familiars like Linfel are pretty much nonexistent. "Maybe this is one of the reasons why you can use Double Connection already. I will keep that in mind."
She looked at Linfel right after to answer his question. "Indeed, humans are pretty much the only race that uses Familiars. The reason for that... is that humans are generally weak. Our Master Familiar Connections are what give us a little chance to stand on the same level as the much more powerful races. You can read about it outside in the history of the human race once we finish here if you are interested."
Linfel quickly made a mental note to do so. "Alright. Thanks for the answer." Of course, he still wanted to know about Xalafel's plans for them. "Senior Xalafel, would you please explain why you want Alvin, Felia, and I to show our Double Connection at Level Three? I can only see the danger here..."
It was then that Milia's voice echoed. "Level Three... Does it have anything to do with the Continental Academy Competition?"
"What is that?" Linfel obviously knew nothing about it.
Xalafel, on the other hand, smiled, feeling satisfied. "Little lady Milia is indeed insightful. Your father must be very proud of you."
Milia's expression turned a little solemn. 'That man probably doesn't even remember I exist,' she murmured in a low voice that only she could hear.
Xalafel didn't notice it and simply continued. "Milia is right. I want you to show your strength at the Continental Academy Competition. As the name says, it is a competition where the Maguses and Familiars of the Academy of the entire continent gather. Obviously they compete to see which Academy is the best one."
Alvin was still confused. "That would still only put a target on our backs, a bigger one actually."
"On the contrary," Xalafel coldly smiled. "That will help our country immensely."
Suddenly, Linfel's eyes lit up. "Old man... you are truly a nasty person."