Why?

"That... was quite a swift decision," Milia remarked involuntarily.

Alvin shrugged. "Felia is just as important to me as Linfel. Since your faction immediately accepted my terms, I felt there shouldn't be much prejudice towards her from you. Besides, I kind of owe you, Miss Milia, for the trouble I caused earlier."

Nori perched on Milia's shoulder, nodding in satisfaction. "You aren't a bad master at all. Don't you think, Milia?"

Milia nodded slightly, maintaining her cold expression.

Max sighed from the side. "Well, I tried. I still believe you made the wrong decision, but that's up to you. Farewell." Sure enough, it seemed neither he nor his faction placed much importance on Alvin and Linfel.

Amanda and the others shared the same sentiment. In recruitment, once a target had made their choice, there wasn't much point in lingering. This was a common occurrence throughout the year, especially at the beginning. Perhaps even Alvin would be tasked with recruiting someone in the future.

Soon, only Milia and Nori remained from the group other than Julia and Romario. The news quickly spread through the MCOMs that Alvin had joined the Floating Blades. Some connected it to the marriage topic, which would remain a hot discussion for a few more days. Nevertheless, there was little that could be done about it. Things would quiet down soon enough.

Milia sighed and extended her hand. "In any case, welcome to the Floating Blades."

Alvin accepted, shaking hands with her. "Thank you, Miss Milia."

Nori patted Linfel and Felia several times. He seemed unconcerned whether Felia was as capable as Linfel or not. "Hahaha! We're friends now. I'll introduce you to the other Familiars in the Floating Blades later. Well, they're not always around. There are many different classes and occupations among Maguses, so members appear at different times."

Julia and Romario felt a little out of place. "Err... are we perhaps bothering you here?"

Milia shook her head. "I don't care about one's background. Just don't cause trouble for me, and we'll be on good terms," she said emotionlessly.

Julia and Romario nodded. "We don't like trouble either."

Milia then turned her attention to Alvin and Linfel. "So, how was the Familiar test?"

"I passed," Linfel answered. "Got an Average Score of 57."

Milia knew how it worked since she had been there before. "50 is enough for independence, so 57 is not bad."

"Well, there was a pro-" Linfel began.

However, he was interrupted by Felia and Alvin. "What he wants to say is that the test was quite simple."

"It is, indeed," Milia agreed. Her Familiar had taken the test in the past.

"By the way," Milia looked at Alvin, "it's pretty obvious you made quite a few random changes to this Familiar of yours. What were the main points in the process? Of course, such information is secret, so you don't need to tell me if you don't want to."

Julia and Romario's attention was also caught. "She's right. You don't need to talk if you don't want to... But we are quite curious."

Yet, Alvin heard that and had an idea. "Not many, really. However, I thought it would be fun if I didn't add all the knowledge that normal Familiars have. You can think of Linfel as a being who has never walked within human society in his life, so everything is new to him."

Linfel and Felia understood his intentions. This would serve as a great excuse every time Linfel made some 'mistakes.'

"That's... a very unusual way of creating a Familiar, for sure," Nori commented from Milia's side. He was also curious. "So, was it your first time seeing a city like this, Linfel?"

Linfel quickly nodded. "Yes, there are indeed a lot of humans here. I only knew Alvin and his father before. I'm always impressed with humans' ingenuity."

Milia found it an interesting approach. Perhaps that's why Alvin and Linfel's Master Familiar Connection was so high. "Is that so? What impressed you the most until now? Was it the Magus Academy?"

Linfel didn't need much time to respond. "Not really. What impressed me the most is how all humans I've met, Maguses or not, are always ready to battle at any moment."

The area fell silent for a moment. "Ready... to battle? What do you mean?"

Linfel looked at Alvin, Milia, Romario, and Julia before pointing it out. "Isn't that so? Look at you four. Look at the other people in the distance. You humans are all wearing armor all the time. I find them somewhat too colorful, though, especially those outside the academy. Well, since I don't know much about the materials, I can't judge you there. Nonetheless, it's nice to see that you're prepared for anything. It's the right mindset to have."

Finally, Milia and the others understood. "Are you talking about... our clothes?"

"Clothes?" Linfel nodded. "Ah, so you call your armor clothes. An interesting name indeed. Does it have any special meaning?"

"They aren't armor," Nori explained. "They're just clothes, materials humans use to cover their bodies and hide their private parts. Maguses do have armor to use, but clothes have nothing to do with them."

"Cover their bodies?" Linfel tried to understand the concept. "Could it be it's cold at the moment, and you need to cover your bodies? Humans are quite fragile, aren't they?"

Alvin sighed. This wisp was a lost cause. "No, that's not it. We wear clothes because it would be too embarrassing not to."

Linfel looked even more puzzled. "This... doesn't make much sense."

"How come?" Milia was also intrigued by this Familiar's unconventional thinking. She didn't usually have such interactions.

Linfel explained further. "You say it's embarrassing, but aren't the penis and vagina two extremely important parts of the human reproductive system? These organs are the sole reason for the continuity and evolution of the human race over time. Why would humans feel embarrassed about showing the very things that make them what they are today?"

Linfel narrowed his eyes. "Shouldn't your human race... feel proud of having reproductive organs? Proud to show everyone that they are healthy and can carry the human race forward? Truly... I don't understand why you wear clothes if not for protection against something. They seem rather pointless and against the natural order, if you ask me."

He concluded, "Why do you feel embarrassed about showing such an amazing trait of your human race?"