After Ayase read the content of the golden letter, she began to frown deeply.
She sighed deeply and looked at Nial for a few seconds with an expression that seemed to say 'Will it really be alright?' before she shook her head lightly.
"Do you really want to learn the Secret Techniques of the Silver Eye Clan right now? I would recommend waiting a few more years, at best until you are 20 years old, but it seems like your mother is of a different opinion," Ayase asked, staring straight at Nial to see his reaction clearly.
Nial smiled at his aunt and nodded his head vigorously.
"Please teach me! I want to become stronger, and learn more about the hidden power of my eyes."
Ayase grunted quietly but she didn't immediately rebuke his words by mentioning the dangers that entailed the usage of the secret techniques.
Seeing the brightly gleaming eyes of the youth, she could only frown and ask herself if she had been the same in the past.
'I was just playing around with my sister…but he has already more responsibilities as the Crown Prince. Does he know that he won't be able to have a normal childhood? Is that why he is doing this?'
Ayase was not too sure what to think about Nial's personality since she got to know him only a few hours ago. However, she could tell that he was determined and that he was willing to give the secret techniques his all.
His sister, Nial's mother, wanted her to teach him the secret techniques for the next few years while protecting him from external dangers. At the same time, the Empress wanted to make sure that Nial wouldn't enter the Monster Dimension for a few more years.
No matter how Ayase looked at it, his tomboyish sister seemed to have changed, turning into an overprotective mother. The Empress was known as a wise ruler, and someone who didn't really think that there was a difference between nobles and commoners, but she was just a tomboyish girl at the end of the day.
Every member of the Silver Eye Clan, who had been present six hundred years ago knew about this. They were fully aware of the Empress' real personality and it was quite enjoyable to see and hear rumors about her 'magnificent' personality and attitude.
"I will teach you…but only if you can accept three conditions!"
"...Conditions? What are they?"
Ayase smiled lightly seeing Nial's expression. He was vigilant and could immediately tell that the conditions would be rather unfavorable. However, he didn't voice his opinion before hearing the conditions.
"First, you will have to follow my orders. That means you are not allowed to do anything I didn't order as well. If I tell you that you have to rest, you will have to rest. If I tell you to get up and continue training when you're already panting like a god, you will get up and continue training.
Of course, this condition applies not only during the training but the entire period of your stay in the Silver Eye Clan," Ayase said, lifting one finger.
"Second, I will seal the Secret Techniques' memories to prevent you from training them any further the moment I can see that you're sustaining injuries. It is impossible to prevent straining your eyes in the process of your training, but that doesn't mean it is normal to sustain heavy injuries. The Secret Techniques have been created to guide the user into the proper usage and circulation of mana in the eyes. That means you are not supposed to injure yourself as long as you follow the Secret Techniques' formula step by step.
If your eyes are not developed enough to endure the natural toll, I will immediately stop teaching you the Secret Techniques, and I will seal the memories to prevent you from using them again until you're ready. Because it is not easy to make this happen without affecting your mind, you will have to acknowledge my influence in your head," She said, lifting the second finger while maintaining a grave expression on her face.
"Third, you are not allowed to enter the Monster Dimension until you master the Silver Eye Clan's Secret Techniques. This condition won't take effect if I stop teaching you the Secret Techniques, but I won't ever teach you again. That means you cannot nonchalantly say 'I don't want you to train me for the next three months.' before jumping into the Monster Dimension."
Nial didn't really think that the conditions were weird. At least, the first and the second condition made sense. It was pretty obvious that Ayase was bothered about the high possibility of sustaining permanent injuries while practicing the Secret Techniques.
She was not willing to teach him but trusted her sister's words. Knowing her sister well, Ayase was certain that she would never allow her son to do anything that could injure him. The Empress was this kind of person; overprotective and obsessed with those she loved dearly.
The third condition was a little weird. Nial was not too sure why anyone would want to restrict his usage of the Monster Dimension. After all, training in the Monster Dimension was said to be quite efficient because of the mana density over there.
However, after thinking about it a little, his aunt was probably just worried that Nial would escape from her control and use the Secret Techniques secretly.
Thinking that Ayase was that worried about his usage of the Secret Techniques, Nial figured that they were a lot more dangerous than he initially thought.
But that didn't mean he would back off all of a sudden.
"Only those three conditions? I didn't plan to enter the Monster Dimension for a few years either way. Goldy should evolve first before I can think about the next Familiar I want to bind, either way," Nial said, agreeing to Ayase's conditions without any qualms.
He stretched out his hand and smiled lightly.
"Please guide me well, teacher!"