Tristan glared at the witch and clenched his fists. How did the witch know about him imprisoning the witch Jane? Could witches do telepathy?
"I don't need a witch's help," Tristan said. He remembered the words of the prime minister, who asked him not to trust witches.
Witches were arrogant. They believe they could do anything as long as they know the spell. They have also been proven to have committed many crimes.
Many humans were also evil and harmed others, but Tristan was human. He preferred to believe in humans rather than witches.
"You are so arrogant." The witch stared at Tristan sarcastically.
"You are the arrogant one. You are confident that you can cure them." Tristan hissed sharply. "We have performed the sacred ritual. Tomorrow or the day after, they will be healed."
The purple-haired witch laughed.
The two knights focused their gazes on the witch and were ready to point their swords at her if she did something terrible to their king.
Tristan raised his eyebrows. He wasn't joking. Why was the witch laughing?
"You don't believe in sacred rituals. Please don't lie to me. I can detect lies." The witch patted Tristan's shoulder and immediately raised both hands as the knights pointed their swords at her neck.
"I apologize. I will not touch your king again. I swear." The witch in the yellow round hat glanced at the sharp sword that could behead her.
"Miss witch," Tristan said warmly. The witch looked at him with a pounding heart. "I will not accept your offer."
The witch raised an eyebrow. "Why? I am being generous to you. Usually, it is humans who beg us." She growled.
"I don't believe in sacred rituals, but the people infected by the plague believed in sacred rituals and their gods. The gods couldn't possibly not listen to their prayers just because I don't believe in them." Tristan was relieved that he had found a reasonable excuse.
"Okay, forget about that." The witch waved her hand and glanced at the two swords still pointing at her neck. "I also wonder if the sacred ritual can cure them."
Tristan observed the witch. His two knights and their swords did not frighten the woman. The witch must have been confident she could fight his two knights with her magic spells.
"Are you sure you want to ignore me? I know you imprisoned the witch Jane, who came to you because she believed she could cure your father," the witch challenged Tristan.
Tristan did not get a task from the system to ignore or eliminate the witch. This time, Tristan had to decide what action he would take against the witch.
The witch could have leaked the secret about the witch Jane.
"I won't do anything to you because I've done the right thing. If my father knew about the witch Jane, he certainly wouldn't accept the presence of the witch Jane," Tristan said with a serious face.
Tristan actually didn't know whether Carlos Madigan would refuse the potion from the witch because the older man, who couldn't move his body for years, never hated or liked witches.
Tristan stared at the witch walking out of the inn area. She bowed to him and apologized before leaving. She immediately gave up because she knew that no matter what she did, it wouldn't change Tristan's mind.
Tristan took a deep breath and leaned back in his chair. He had been agitated while talking to the witch. For some reason, he felt that the purple shoulder-length-haired witch had a plan to free the witch Jane from prison.
He would not allow such a thing to happen. Witch Jane would be in prison for 50 years or, more precisely, as long as Carlos Madigan lived.
***
Tristan and his two knights and eight palace soldiers rode horses to the neighboring village. They saw ten people infected with a purulent lump and red eye disease.
Thousands of palace soldiers had been deployed to check everyone in this kingdom. Tourists were not spared from the health check.
Tristan had not received any bad news from them. Of course, he really hoped to get good news.
King Albert sent him a letter. He told Tristan that the disease was also found in other villages. His kingdom would hold a sacred ritual again.
Tristan looked at the high priest, ten nuns, and ten people from the Temple of the God of Purity, asking the ten people if they wanted to join the sacred ritual tomorrow. Of course, the ten people agreed without thinking twice.
Tristan sat in a hut near the house that housed the ten people. Physician Jonathan was treating the ten people.
The King of the Madigan Kingdom daydreamed because he did not know what to do.
He didn't realize that the two knights, the eight palace soldiers, and his people were worried about him sitting in the rickety hut.
"Your Majesty."
Tristan gasped in surprise when a nobleman and scores of men and women of various ages approached him.
Tristan raised an eyebrow as he saw a man with his whole body tied with ropes and forced to walk, only to be pushed to prostrate himself in front of him.
"What's wrong? Why did you bring that man to me?" Tristan stared at the nobleman, who was about his age.
"He had harassed several ladies, Your Majesty, and he has recognized his actions. It's only a coincidence that you're in our village. We've agreed to hand him over to you; you decide what punishment he deserves," the nobleman explained.
Tristan observed the man shaking violently. He had caused countless women to suffer and fear males. He had ruined men's reputations in the eyes of women.
"Since he has admitted his actions, he does not deserve to live. He will not repent; he will only repeat his actions." Tristan was sure of his words.
Tristan stared at the nobleman. "Behead him." He said coldly. Then he lay down, not caring how shocked everyone was to hear his decision.
The young nobleman and everyone who accompanied him left their king. The people excitedly dragged and pushed the man who had been sentenced to beheading.
On the other side, the two knights and the eight palace soldiers guarding Tristan stood around the hut. Tristan felt comfortable lying on the wood and shaded by the leaves of the coconut tree.
"How strange they are. Why did they ask me to decide the man's punishment? And why did I give him the punishment of beheading?"
Tristan was confused, but he found no regret in his heart. The feeling of emptiness was the same as when he beheaded the perpetrator who burned the garden on his coronation day.
It was his first time killing someone, but he acted like someone who was experienced in beheading with a sword.
"Your Majesty."
Tristan opened his eyes. All the hairs on his neck stood up, and he couldn't move his head. He didn't know why the voice from his right had such a creepy aura.
"Why did you behead me, Your Majesty? Why did you put my head in the square?" The voice came from his right.
"Why did you behead me, Your Majesty? Why are you so sure I will do it again?" The voice echoed in his left ear.
Tristan's heart was pounding, his breathing was labored as if he had just run a marathon, and he stared at the ceiling, not wanting to see the two men's scary appearances.
"Your Majesty." Holding their heads, the two men climbed onto the hut and stood beside Tristan.