"I don't know. Don't be mad at me!" Tristan yelled, closing his eyes and pushed the two men who were holding their heads till they fell to the ground.
Tristan quickly sat down, bending his knees, lowering his head, and covering his ears with both hands. His eyes were tightly shut. His body shivered with fear.
"Your Majesty. Why did you behead us?" The two men's voices echoed in his head again.
"Why don't you give us another punishment? Did we really deserve to be beheaded?" The two men stood, putting their heads on the hutt before Tristan.
"Your Majesty."
"Shut up, you bastards!" Tristan shouted so loudly that the veins in his neck stood out. He wouldn't open his eyes because he could feel the thick liquid on his legs. The two men looked like they had just been beheaded.
"I don't regret it. It's no use complaining to me. You're already dead. Why don't you enjoy hell—your new home?" Tristan's chest rose and fell because of the roaring emotions in his chest. He felt scared, but he didn't want to admit it.
"Dead? Hell?" Tristan's eyebrows knitted together. Those two words kept coming to his mind. Why did he say that?
Tristan's eyes widened as he realized something was wrong, and he almost had a heart attack when he saw two heads with bulging eyes in front of his feet.
"Damn it. Fucking heads." Tristan kicked the two heads. They rolled and fell to the ground.
"You are so mean to us, Your Majesty." The two men were angry.
The headless bodies of the two men approached Tristan, and both of their hands tried to reach for their king.
Tristan panicked. His heart was beating so fast it felt like it was going to explode. He searched for his sword or whatever it was to chase them away, but he found nothing.
"Your Majesty."
Tristan held his breath as a hand patted his shoulder. He froze like a statue, and the air around him stopped blowing. How funny it would be if he died of a heart attack.
"Did you have a nightmare, Your Majesty?"
Tristan's eyes widened. He quickly turned to his right and found his two knights looking at him worriedly.
Then, the eight palace soldiers standing around the hut pretended not to know what had happened to their king.
"Do you need a glass of water, Your Majesty?" asked Aiden's knight.
Tristan took a deep breath through his mouth and touched his chest. He was so relieved.
"No. I don't need a drink," Tristan said to Knight Aiden.
Tristan laid his limp body as if he had no bones. He stared straight at the ceiling.
Tristan noticed something peculiar about why the two headless guys approached him. They were dead. Dead people were unable to rise from the grave, let alone hold their heads.
He was annoyed at himself for realizing so slowly that he was dreaming.
"Damn it. Damn it. Holy crap." Tristan cursed. "Why does it feel so real?"
Tristan was ashamed of his two knights. They had found Tristan screaming because of nightmares twice.
"I'm so stupid." Tristan covered his face with both of his hands. "What an idiot." He chuckled. He laughed at his stupidity.
It was the second day he was serving his penalty. Tomorrow was the last day. Tristan swore he wouldn't sleep until the penalty was over.
"The sun hasn't set yet?" Tristan was shocked when he saw the orange sky.
"The sun will set soon, Your Majesty," said the knight Aiden.
Tristan sat back on the edge of the hut, staring straight at the orange sky. He appeared weak and helpless, and his breathing was difficult, as if he would die any minute.
"Why did you let me take a nap?" Tristan asked his two knights.
"You look exhausted, Your Majesty," said knight Aiden. Besides, he and Knight Ajax did not dare to forbid or wake their king if not for an essential reason.
Tristan closed his eyes and sighed through his mouth, and his shoulders dropped weakly. "I can't be angry because I failed my task."
***
Physician Jonathan kept glancing at his king. He made medicine for the ten people with purulent lumps and red eyes. He was a little nervous, and his hands shook slightly because his king was beside him!
Physician Jonathan treated the ten people alone because the other physicians didn't want to treat people whose illnesses they didn't know, and he wasn't like Physician Joseph, who was married to Physician Jennifer. Yeah, he was still single, and he didn't desire a girlfriend or wife.
"I'll accompany you. I can't sleep," Tristan said. Of course, he was lying. He couldn't possibly say that he didn't want to sleep.
Tristan realized that Physician Jonathan was nervous and uncomfortable with his presence in his room, but Tristan couldn't find any other place to prevent him from falling asleep. If he read a book in his room, he could fall asleep without realizing it.
"Would you like some tea to help you relax? Sleep is important, Your Majesty." Physician Jonathan said carefully because his king had already sentenced two men to beheading. No one wanted to die by beheading.
"I took a nap. I've wasted my precious time," Tristan said regretfully. People in this world don't know that time is money. Physician Jonathan certainly didn't understand what Tristan was saying.
"Don't you feel sad? Tomorrow, there will be a sacred ritual. What you did tonight will be in vain," Tristan said.
Tristan felt terrible for Physicians Joseph, Jennifer, and Jonathan, who had spent their time making anti-itch, sleeping, and pain-relieving medications despite knowing that people believed in sacred rites to eliminate disease outbreaks.
"I don't feel sad because what I did still helped them," Physician Jonathan said. "They need all three types of medicine before the sacred ritual is held."
"You're right." Tristan nodded.
"I became a physician because I love helping people." Physician Jonathan smiled, remembering all his patients.
Tristan watched Physician Jonathan, who had finished making the medicine for itching, and he was ready to apply the medicine to the bodies of the ten people who were sleeping because of the effects of the sleeping medicine.
Tristan could not understand why Physicians Joseph, Jennifer, and Jonathan loved their jobs.
In his previous and present life, Tristan always complained about his job. He was never grateful to have a job.
"Your Majesty." Knight Aiden approached his king, who was watching Physician Jonathan treat his ten patients.
"What is it?" Tristan came out of the room, looking at Knight Aiden.
"King Dazen of the Halu Kingdom has come to see you, Your Majesty," Knight Aiden said.
"Why does he want to see me?" Tristan dug into Tristan Madigan's memories for information.
The Halu Kingdom was one of the kingdoms that declared themselves part of the Madigan Kingdom. The kingdom had enemies, and they often fought wars.
Tristan sat on the sofa, waiting for King Dazen in the living room. He guessed the purpose of King Dazen, who was two years older than him, in meeting him.
Then suddenly, he was surprised by a voice that echoed in his head and a transparent blue screen that floated in front of his face.
[The fifth task has come.]
[You must agree to all requests of King Dazen of the Halu Kingdom if you do not want to get a penalty.]