Adele's hatred of the Mejewa family was carved into her bones. She believed that her fellow half-elves shared the same hatred.
But that didn't seem to be the case.
If her childhood friend Lisa was telling the truth, then many people in the Gloomy Valley seemed to have forgotten their old hatred. Perhaps survival was simply too difficult here; in the face of harsh reality, ancient grudges had lost their meaning.
After all, people couldn't eat hatred for dinner—except for those who truly had nothing.
In any case, after the shadow elves who had come to seek refuge showed some "kindness," many half-elves felt they ought to give them another chance.
How foolish!
From Lisa, her childhood friend, Adele learned that the Gloomy Valley currently had 3,500 inhabitants. This population had grown through hardship over the past twenty-odd years, only 500 more than when Adele had left.
Half-elves were evidently not as difficult to reproduce as true elves, but they still lagged behind humans, who were exceptionally prolific.
Their population had more or less reached the limit the valley could support. As the valley's current mistress, Lisa would have to expand beyond its borders if she wanted to grow her people's numbers—and she had indeed done so.
"Near Blackflame Pass, our people established a small village of two hundred in a patch of woodland. They were the ones who first discovered the shadow elves fleeing for their lives, and most of those elves now live there.
"They traded some supplies to us in exchange for the village, then named it 'New Mejewa.'"
In the Avalon temple in the valley, Lisa explained the situation to Adele. Her tone was scornful as she said:
"Those elves who refuse to accept their fall from grace are still trying to rebuild their family. Their