Shien truly had not expected Merika to have such a past.
But on second thought, it seemed perfectly reasonable.
If she did not have such a reason, why would Merika have left the village to train in the outside world?
Shien had already gained some understanding of the Elves' circumstances, so he knew very well that, in Elven Village, very few chose to venture outside for training.
There were three reasons for this.
First: the Elves' wariness and rejection of the outside world.
One could tell from the Elves' vigilance toward men of other races that they had a rather negative impression of the outside world. Coupled with the coveting and even persecution Elves had long suffered from men outside, those clansmen who had gone out either warned others about men's greed toward Elves or became trapped in heartbreak. Naturally, the Elves had no favorable impression of the outside world, which in turn dampened their desire to leave their homeland.
Second: the conditions in Elven Village were not necessarily worse than those outside.
As a race born with magic, the Elves' research and development of magic inevitably far surpassed that of the outside world. There were also many powerful elders within the clan, while the world's strongest mages and Mage Corps were all here. As a result, the Elves had no need to go elsewhere to study. They only needed to train in their homeland to enjoy conditions better than those of any outside force.
Third: Taiger Forest, where Elven Village was located, was itself the largest monster forest in the Human Realm.
Not only did Taiger Forest contain countless monsters, but it also had many rare species unavailable elsewhere, covering monsters of every level. The Elves never lacked opponents to fight or an environment in which to level up.