What is faith, really?
What is belief?
What is truth?
The kingdom they were supposed to protect has instead become a den of evil.
The king they trusted betrayed their trust.
Friends and acquaintances harbored darkness within their shadows.
Even families bound by blood didn't fully reveal their truth.
So what?
Why did all this have to happen?
Is faith so meaningless?
The Dwarves are a race renowned for their skill in forging. Not only in forging weapons, but also in crafting, household goods, building construction, the quality of the ore they mine, and so on.
Although they are skilled at weaponmaking, they are a race that deeply dislikes fighting.
So, are all dwarves truly incapable of fighting? Not really.
Some dwarves possess their own unique fighting techniques. Not only are they skilled at forging, but some are also skilled at wielding weapons.
However, they don't use these skills to fight each other. Instead, they use them for mining, hunting animals and monsters for hides, meat, horns, and other items, and to protect themselves from more dangerous monster attacks.
So, if the dwarves are so peaceful, why are there heroes there?
Just like any other race, even though it is said to be peaceful, there is still darkness that not everyone knows about.
The dwarven kingdom, Elderforge.
The king-election system in the dwarven kingdom is the same as in human kingdoms.
Although the dwarven kingdom is located in a cliff region filled with rocks and steep cliffs, they don't live in hardship.
Thanks to their skills, they can create tools that make it easier to navigate the rugged terrain. Although plants struggle in this barren cliff region, they can create tools that help grow some vegetables and fruits. And even though the region is quite dry, they never lack water.
Still, wherever light shines, shadows always follow.
Although the dwarves appear peaceful and friendly, they are actually quite arrogant and greedy.
Are all dwarves skilled at forging? Not really.
While their race is renowned for this ability, it doesn't mean they are all experts in it.
Just like humans and others, everyone has their own specialties.
So, what if there was someone who possessed many skills without having to put in much effort?
The hero of the dwarven kingdom, Aderon.
Aderon was just an ordinary child who could even be said to be unlucky in his life.
Living in a fairly steep cliffside area, he only lived with his grandfather.
Both of his parents had gone who knows where. No one knows the reason, but many say they were ashamed and did not want to take care of their son, Aderon.
Why?
Aderon was born unlike normal children in general. He was born with disabilities, his body was not perfect.
Aderon was born with one arm, one leg, and even experienced blindness in his left eye.
People looked at him with concern and said there was no hope for him.
In this cold world where you are worthless if you are not useful, only his grandfather was by his side.
Replacing the role of both his parents, his grandfather cared for him with great affection.
His grandfather wasn't a skilled blacksmith, he was simply a lumberjack who supplied lumber for various industries.
His grandfather sincerely cared for Aderon and never gave up on him.
Even though Aderon was still young, he understood how hard his grandfather had worked for him.
Prosthetic limbs were very expensive at the time due to the complexity of their construction.
Since his grandfather didn't have enough money, he could only scrape together enough to support them.
People who saw him said,
"Poor them..."
"His grandson is useless..."
"He's just a burden on his old grandfather..."
"Isn't he just making their lives difficult?"
Instead of compassion, they received only criticism and insults.
His grandfather remained silent, not responding. He gently covered his grandson's ears to block out the harsh words.
"It's okay... Don't listen to them..."
"Whatever the world says, Grandpa is here with you..."
Hearing his grandfather's words, little Aderon cried in his grandfather's arms.
His kind grandfather simply smiled and didn't respond to the insults directed at him, not because he couldn't, but simply because he didn't want to.
"There's no need to respond to those useless words, because they're not true..."
"Responding to them will only complicate things and create unnecessary problems..."
"Just ignore them, just think of them as passing wind..."
Aderon nodded, listening to his grandfather.
Before bed, his grandfather would sometimes tell him stories about past heroes. Listening to them made Aderon dream of becoming one.
But, with his limitations, could he do it?
In his heart, Aderon could only pray to God.
"Even if I can't be a hero, at least please give me and my grandfather a beautiful and happy life forever."
It was a prayer offered by a three-year-old child.
Time passed, and when Aderon was five years old, it was time for him to attend church.
Carried behind his grandfather's back, everyone's eyes were fixed on him.
They asked,
"Why would such a disabled child come here? Nothing will change for him. Is he looking for a miracle?"
But even so, just as his grandfather had said, Aderon simply let them pass by like the wind.
Aderon bowed his head and earnestly prayed in his heart.
Not to become a hero, not to become someone special. He simply prayed for a happy life for his grandfather and himself.
Perhaps because his heart was so sincere, his voice reached the gods.
A miracle that was said to be impossible and laughed at by others, descended upon him.
A physically imperfect boy was chosen to be a hero.
Seeing the light that shone brightly like the sun, the people in the same room were shocked to see it.
Seeing where the light was heading, their eyes widened as if they were about to fall out of their eyelids.
They all said in unison, "Impossible."
Some of them even rubbed their eyes, unable to believe what they were seeing was real.
There was no visible change in his physical appearance, but not many people know what a blessing from the gods looks like.
Aderon was shocked and immediately opened his eyes. He could feel exactly what had changed in him.
Aderon looked at his grandfather sitting beside him. His grandfather was crying and smiling for him.
The grandfather hugged his grandson tightly.
What he said in his prayers was only for his grandson's happiness and that the gods would always protect him.
His grandfather's greatest concern wasn't Aderon's inadequacy, but time.
Every living thing will die, his grandfather knew that all too well.
In his old age, he worried about what would happen if he died and no one would be by his grandson's side.
Therefore, seeing the light from the gods filled him with emotion.
He didn't ask for his grandson to be a hero or anything. He just wanted him to live happily ever after.
His grandfather hugged Aderon tightly.
"Thank you... thank you, gods..." he couldn't utter any more words.
Although people still looked at him with scorn, no one dared to make harsh comments like before.
The blessing he received wasn't insane physical strength or extraordinary magic.
Because the dwarves were a race that loved to create various things, Aderon had gained the abilities of a smith.
But how could he smith with such limbs?
No one could definitively explain how miracles could happen.
Aderon's blessing was a manifestation.
Someone must have imagined many things in their mind and hoped that those images would become reality.
A person with knowledge naturally desires to apply it to reality, but sometimes it's difficult to do so.
That's the blessing Aderon received, he could apply what he thought in the real world.
But even so, there were still limits.
He couldn't instantly change destiny just by thinking about it.
Everything required a process.
How could someone forge without both hands?
So Aderon imagined himself with two perfect hands. It truly worked like magic.
Although it looked great, it still had its drawbacks. The hands he imagined weren't real hands.
Because they were a manifestation of his thoughts, they naturally drained a great deal of his energy.
And once his mental strength weakened, the hands would disappear.
So what was the point of them?
Nothing is useless in the world. A blessing must have its light.