Greed and envy blinded people.
Aderon knew many people disliked him. But he never expected something like this to happen.
The objects he made were considered miracles, even though some were still imperfect. Everyone who saw them wanted them.
Why didn't they just ask Aderon? They could haggle over the price.
Why did they have to steal them, and even buy them from the thief?
No one can ever truly know a person's heart.
Aderon recalled all the insults he had received in the past.
Aderon recalled the people who praised him after he was elected.
Aderon recalled the smiles they gave him, and then he saw a fake smile.
Aderon laughed.
A laugh filled with anger.
In the not-so-large bar, Aderon stood up from his seat.
Walking slowly toward the man who had sold his forgings, his body began to swell.
People were immediately shocked and looked at him.
His right arm and left leg, once made of iron, were now covered in thick black flesh.
Removing the hood covering his face, everyone there could see that his blind left eye had now merged with his right, forming a single eye with a wide, glowing golden pupil.
Seeing those eyes shedding tears of blood, people screamed and scattered, except for those in front of him who were talking about him.
Seeing Aderon, their bodies stiffened with fear. Their eyes trembled violently.
The dwarf hero's dwarfish body had now become a five-meter-tall giant.
Black veins carved into his body, all the way to his face.
A black aura began to envelop him.
His once friendly face had now turned terrifying.
"I'm sorry, grandfather..."
The kingdom he was supposed to protect, he had now destroyed with his own hands.
Although he was angry, Aderon was also sad.
The hand that forged now destroyed.
The magnificent kingdom had now been razed to the ground.
The hero had fallen.
He had become a 'Mutation Giant'.
Was compassion truly absent?
Was greed the only thing that existed within everyone?
Was trust so easily lost?
A smile was a manifestation of one's feelings.
When Will people smile, what they smile for, and why they smile?
A smile mostly describes a person's character as kind, friendly, and polite.
A smile can also describe if someone is in a good mood.
A smile can also be used to calm someone and mean a sentence 'everything is okay'.
But, does a smile only mean good things?
I don't know.
For some people, a smile is a mask.
A mask they wear on their face to cover their true face.
Someone smiles even though they want to cry.
Someone smiles even though they want to be angry.
Someone smiles even though they are hurt.
Someone smiles when they lie.
And yes, a smile has many meanings and also does not mean many things.
The kingdom of the vampire race, Rosemoon.
The kingdom is located in the northern part of the continent known as the snowy polar region. The region with cold weather almost every year and snowfall is more intense, the vampire race lives there.
The region with cold weather almost freezing where the sun does not shine, and the moonlight that shines more often is very suitable for the vampire race to live because of their characteristics.
Pale white skin, low body temperature, and blood drinking are what people think of the vampire race. Yes, that's true.
Wouldn't it be boring to live by just drinking blood and eating raw meat? Do they really not enjoy cooked food or other dishes? Unfortunately, no, and that's how the vampire race was created.
Although the vampire race sounds scary, in reality they are not that terrible.
Vampires uphold good manners, especially the nobles.
Not only the nobles, but the people also have good manners, although not as perfect as the real nobles.
But looking at it from the perspective of other races, it is quite commendable.
But, isn't the image of the vampire race quite stiff?
You could say yes, but that is just a form of manners.
Not true character.
Or in other words, an 'image'.
Everyone has a 'mask,' and they must be wearing it.
That's what the vampire hero, Cyan von Roseblood, thought.
The vampire kingdom was ruled not by a king but by a queen.
But even so, their government and nobility structure were similar to human kingdoms. Dukes, marquesses, counts, and so on.
Cyan was a noble. He was the third son of Duke Roseblood.
As a noble, he knew all too well how other nobles behaved. And as the son of a duke, he was expected to uphold his dignity and family name, especially since he had been chosen to be a hero.
So what was the problem?
Cyan never minded anything. Whether it was heroes, nobles, or commoners.
But he just felt tired.
Everyone wore a 'mask,' and so did he.
A mask thick enough that he sometimes didn't even recognize his own feelings.
A mask heavy enough to make him feel tired.
Why? Couldn't he just take it off?
The nobles were respectful to their queen. They also spoke politely to other nobles. They deeply valued the traditions of their ancestors. Even the commoners knew how to behave when a noble passed by.
Wasn't that a good thing? Yes, of course it was a good thing.
Wasn't that something that shouldn't be a problem? Yes, of course it was true.
But as individuals, they felt a sense of hierarchy.
Especially the nobles.
People who knew how to behave, manners, and politeness were a good thing. In the eyes of others, they deserved praise.
But how were they in the eyes of the arrogant nobles?
Nobles were nobles, and commoners were commoners.
Even if a commoner wore luxurious jewelry and acted charmingly, they would still never be higher than the nobles.
High self-esteem, and even if they smiled, it wasn't a compliment but an insult.
So what was the problem? Isn't that how it was? Even among other races, the hierarchy existed.
Well, it wasn't a big deal, but not for Cyan.
As a noble, let alone from a duke's family who served directly under the queen, Cyan was expected to have many things.
Whether it was etiquette, good manners, responsibility, and so on, it was very tiring for him.
Especially after he was chosen as a hero, this pressure became even more intense, leaving him feeling exhausted.
Being in a high position made him inevitably look at the people below him with his head held high.
He had to smile even though he didn't want to.
He had to listen even though he didn't want to.
He had to respond even though he didn't want to.
During Cyan's life he had done many things he didn't want to.
He really just felt tired.
What is nobility? What is a hero?
They are all just living beings living in the same world.
There is nothing different about them.
Then why do they have to build walls that don't actually exist?
Cyan has a handsome face with pale white skin, jet black hair and red eyes like Ruby gems.
In the Rosemoon kingdom where the moon appears more often than the sun, in his room located on the highest floor of the castle, Cyan looked at the large white moon.
Then he looked down.
From his room he could see the quite crowded square.
Seeing the sight of the crowd of people Cyan's ruby eyes looked a little sad.
People who were talking and laughing freely without any burden, children who played happily, and all of them who acted without having to think about manners.
Cyan had status, a luxurious castle, and abundant possessions. But deep down, he never wanted any of that.
There was one thing he desperately wanted.
A friend.
Wasn't that a naive thought?
Many people would aspire to be in Cyan's shoes, and if anyone heard that, wouldn't they just be ridiculed? Yes, that was true.
But everyone has their own desires.
Someone must want what they don't have and want to experience what they've never felt.
Even if what he wanted was something simple.
Since childhood, Cyan had been given a strict education about nobility. Locked within that so-called education, Cyan was isolated from the outside world.
Let alone making friends, he never even played with his siblings. But Cyan never complained.
He continued walking with his mask on.
Walking through the blood-soaked battlefield, Cyan's hands trembled.
Even though it was his duty, he never wanted it.
Although the vampire race drank blood, the blood they drank was not human, but the blood of livestock that was their food source.
And that was clearly different from the battlefield where the blood of others was spilled.
Taking their lives for the sake of victory.
Seeing the faces of those who suffered in death.
A responsibility so heavy he couldn't lift it from his shoulders.
"When will this end..."
Cyan let out a long sigh, his eyes tightly shut.