"Hahaha, interesting. Has that Rein just won a bloody duel, and the opponent was your father?" General Parix burst into sarcastic laughter upon hearing Dennis's reply.
The moment sent a chill through Dennis's heart.
You bastards, aren't you just a band of bandits?
How do you know about the bloody duel?
And how come you know it so well, that Rein beat my father? Dennis was somewhat befuddled for a moment.
"Kid, seeing you flee like you're moving house, you must be hiding from this Rein too, right?" General Parix looked down at Dennis, who lay at his feet.
A bit confused, Dennis subconsciously nodded.
"Would you like to have your revenge?" Parix continued to ask.
"Revenge?!" For a moment, Dennis felt as if he had moved from hell to heaven; he hadn't expected this 'Bandit' Great Knight, who was stronger than his father, to actually be willing to help him take his revenge!
"Of course! That would be...sir, could you help me with my revenge?"
"No, no, you've got it wrong. Revenge is something you must do yourself, but I will help you."
Hearing that the burly man wouldn't take action directly sent Dennis on an emotional roller coaster, as his mood plunged once again.
Rein defeated even my father; even with help, I couldn't possibly beat him! Dennis grumbled to himself.
"But...but I'm no match for Rein at all, you know. My father became a Great Knight, yet he couldn't defeat Rein..." Dennis said tactfully.
"I have a way for you to gain great strength, albeit a bit... painful," General Parix thought for a moment, then chose the word "painful."
"Painful?" Dennis was somewhat puzzled.
At that moment, Parix waved his hand, and a burly man approached with an exquisitely carved wooden box, which he opened immediately. Your next read is at empire
Inside was a pink potion in a transparent glass vial, bubbling slightly.
The vial was corked, yet a sweet fragrance could still be detected.
"This is a 'Mutation Potion'; only Squires can consume it, and they need to have a strong desire to survive. Only with that can one successfully gain great strength after consumption."
"As for side effects... Well, it's a bit painful," Parix explained with a seemingly benevolent face.
"This..." Dennis appeared contemplative.
He knew all too well that what this imposing man was saying wasn't entirely true, or at least only partially true.
But did he even have a choice now?
Dennis lowered his gaze once more to the sight of several family knights lying dead in pools of blood, their eyes still open.
He knew that if he dared refuse, his body might soon be joining theirs on the ground.
So...he had no choice!
"Alright! Sir, if after I take the potion I still can't succeed in killing Rein, I hope you can step in to take care of him for me."
"Of course, that would just be a trivial matter to me."
"There are too many people here. Clean up the site, and then escort Master Dennis to our stronghold," Parix ordered.
"By your command, sir."
"Are you prepared?" Parix asked with a smile.
"Ready, sir." Dennis had made up his mind. Sooner or later, he'd have to take it; might as well do it willingly and maybe even curry some favor with the man.
"Very well." General Parix waved his hand, and the robust man next to him handed over the pink vial to Dennis.
Dennis, with a fierce look in his eyes, didn't hesitate. He popped the stopper and 'glug-glug-glug' downed the pink liquid.
Dennis burped satisfyingly, and his eyes lit up!
He hadn't expected the 'Mutation Potion' to taste... surprisingly good!
Parix, pleased with this scene, nodded and said with a smile, "It'll hurt a bit in a moment, and to prevent you from harming yourself, we need to put some shackles on you."
"This..." Dennis looked doubtful but stretched out his hands helplessly as the burly man approached him carrying the heavy shackles.
Dennis felt the heavy, peculiar material of the metal shackles on his wrists.
The air in the room almost stilled, and Dennis thought he could hear his heartbeat growing louder and more intense!
About half a minute later, a burning pain surged from his stomach!
Dennis immediately screamed in agony!
His body's veins began to bulge and writhe!
His skin also started displaying tiny, dense scales...
Dennis felt pain deep in his bones!
This is just a little pain?
"Sir, you said this boy is a noble offspring; can he endure it?" a squad leader dressed tough asked, looking at Dennis writhing and screaming on the ground in pain.
They had tried this experiment on several others before, but none had withstood it.
Any one of those individuals seemed more formidable than Dennis.
"This 'Shadow Lizard Mutation Potion' is an experimental drug from the Eagle Federation; however, the conditions for taking it are quite harsh. It works best on Squires, not on official Knights, because Knights who have taken advancement Magic Potions find it difficult to mutate."
"Moreover, the person taking it must have a strong desire to survive. Once these two conditions are met, the success rate increases significantly," General Parix explained to his confidant.