It was to be expected, if the Death Mark was really something without any limitations then through its fraudolent powers the Sardior clan would have easily toppled the Alliance of the Nine Clans.

Dante was curious about those restrictions so he asked.

"Sir could you tell me more about those restrictions?"

Seeing the little demon's curiosity, Rayleigh nodded in approval.

"Firstly there is the Merit System, the Death Mark will assign you Merit Points.

You can obtain merit points by saving the lives of the righteous and by killing the sinful with your own hands.

Through the Merit System, one of the Death Mark's aims is to forge a leader capable of discerning right from wrong.

There will be times in which you will question your own beliefs."

Rayleigh stopped for a moment to let the new knowledge sink in.

After thinking about it for a while, Dante asked again.

"What's the use of merit points? Is there a principle behind the amount of points given?"

"Merit points can be traded for artifacts, books and other treasures which are stored in the Death Mark, these things were left by your predecessors for the next owners of the Mark such as you. The amount of points given depends from the amount of sin done by those you have killed and by the amount of lives you have saved, all of this works based on the law of Karma which isn't something you..."

Halfway through the explanation Rayleigh noticed something important.

"Lad."

Dante was listening attentively to Rayleigh so he was surprised when he saw him stop without any reason.

"Is there anything I can do Senior?"

Rayleigh face reddened in embarrassment.

"Cough, cough, kid what's your name?"

Dante was dazed for a good minute before replying.

"Erm, the name of this little one is Dante, Senior"

After regaining his composure, Rayleigh said.

"Good, good, Dante from now on I will be your teacher."

Dante was speechless, how did he become someone's student so fast?

Not that he minded, his new teacher seemed much more powerful and wise than the Commander of his battalion.

After a moment of hesitation Dante kowtowed three times.

"Disciple acknowledges master"

Rayleigh was clearly pleased with himself as a broad smile formed on his face.

"You should be confused as to why I'm taking you as my disciple... To explain this, I shall tell you how the Teaching System of the Death Mark works.

The Mark selects from your ancestors the one who can teach you the most at the moment, when the ancestor accomplishes his purpose another one will appear and guide you to greater heights."

Dante now understood. It was actually all part of the System.

"Then what about the Refining and Awakening powers of the Mark?"

Dante felt that of the Death Mark powers, these two would be able to help him the most at the moment.

He didn't have Merit Points at the moment and his Teacher's guidance couldn't help him in a short time.

Now what he needed the most was the power to protect himself.

Rayleigh frowned, he didn't expect this student of his to care so much about the Refining and Awakening powers of the Mark.

But he still replied.

"Refining gives you the ability to evolve and refine your body and soul, evolving is something which leads your physical form to a higher level of existance while refining powers up your body giving it many useful abilities.

On the other hand Awakening is more like a passive effect of the Death Mark, which slowly purifies your body and improves your potential.

In fact these could be said to be merely side abilities of the..."

But before he could finish, Rayleigh saw Dante jumping in the air from excitement.

"Hurrah! This is the day that the next Demon Emperor will rise!!"

He finally had some confidence to cure that strange poison which had sealed his destiny.

"What are you saying foolish disciple!? Now the most pressing matter is for you to get far away from the fortress."

Rayleigh expression was dark, it wasn't safe staying in the forest.

But Dante didn't understand what Rayleigh implied.

"Why Master? When I'll return to the fortress with the report they will treat me as a Hero and reward me for my merits!"

Rayleigh frowned even more.

"Maybe I thought too highly of you, do you really think they would reward you? Beside you, your troop was completely annihilated while the legion sent by the Lyle Republic met the same end at the hand of the Necromancer.

Do you think the Lytal Republic will celebrate the survivor of such a military disaster?

They would treat you as a deserter and set you as an example while silencing everyone who knew about this.

You would be just sending yourself to your own demise by returning to the fortress."

Dante was terrified, he shuddered at the thought of entering the camp with a smile on his face just to be apprehended and taken to the prisons to rot until the day of his execution.

Seeing the color drain from Dante's face, Rayleigh was quite pleased with himself, it seemed like this disciple of his wouldn't easily forget this lesson.

"Remember, you have to always consider everything and put yourself in the shoes of others. Only by doing so, will you be able to take wise decisions."

Dante burned these words in his mind, he knew that his Master wasn't going to remain beside him forever.

Still a little shaken, he nodded.

"Yes Master..."