Maria stood atop a wooden platform, with Gil beside her. She coughed as everyone gathered around. "Ahem! I have some important things to say! First of all, let me tell reiterate the goal I and Gil share. It is to make a peaceful world where all races can live peacefully. And how are we going to do that? We're going to make a nation!"
The elves were bewildered. "A nation?!" The village was small, and they had limited resources. They only took up a small part of the whole forest. They would have to gain control of the entire forest to even have a chance of becoming a nation, which was by all accounts not a light task. Even if they did manage, what then? They didn't see how that would end tensions between demons and sentinels.
Maria saw the puzzled faces among the elven crowd. "I see you're all confused. Let me be more precise; I have no intention of getting tangled up in the war. I assure you we will not get involved in it. The nation I will create shall serve as an example to the rest of the world, one in which demons and sentinels live together and do not face any discrimination or prejudice. This nation will demonstrate that coexistence is possible. Are there any objections?"
The elves debated among themselves but could not find a counterargument to her idea. Moreover, many of the elves actually agreed with it. Others wanted the power and prestige a full-fledged nation granted. They knelt to Maria and Gil. "We have no objections! In fact, we would be honored to serve you in making this nation a reality, my lords!" Gil brightened. He feared the elves would not accept his idea. Building a nation was a very ambitious task and guaranteed to bring attention. Other powers might hinder them, worrying that they might be surpassed one day. He was glad that was not the case.
Gil thanked the elves. "I am grateful for your support. Now, I would like to suggest a few rules if we're all on the same page. These new rules will be critical to forming the nation, so they must never be broken or changed. You and the kitsune will live cooperatively. No fighting will be permitted. You must treat everyone with dignity and respect, especially as we begin to grow. You must not bar anyone from living here. If sentinels seek refuge, you must grant them that. You will only be allowed to kick anyone out if they cause any trouble or violence. Finally, you will not harm anyone unjustly. Do we all agree on this?" The elves nodded, and the kitsune wagged their tails, which Gil took as a yes.
Maria jumped down from the platform. "Very well. Then I will form bonds with all of you." Hagas couldn't believe what he was hearing. "What? You'll form bonds with all of us?" Maria nodded. "Yes, to ensure that loyalty and our good relationship continue. You lot must also become more powerful if we are to make a nation. I will now begin naming all of you, so stand in a line."
"Are you sure about this?" Conall asked. "You're going to name all of us in one go? You might die from quanta loss!" Maria brushed his concern aside. "Don't worry. I have more than enough quanta to name all of you, including the kitsune. Form a line if you want a name." Maria actually did not know whether she had enough quanta to name two thousand individual demons. A demon's body was composed entirely of quanta, and the stronger they got, the more quanta their body possessed. But forming a bond with someone resulted in a permanent quanta loss, and so naming too many might cause a demon to die. Demons could not absorb quanta from their surroundings like sentinels could, so they could not regain that lost quanta. But Maria had formed a bond with Gil, who was a sentinel. Their souls were now fused, and so Gil could get that quantum for her, or so she thought. It was only a theory, one she was about to test.
Maria started with Hagas and Conall. "I'll keep your names. You two will still be known as Hagas and Connal. Now kiss my hand." Hagas and Connal eagerly did so. "Thank you so much, Lady Maria!"
"Not a problem. Next?" Maria named every elf that followed as quickly as she could. She tried to be creative but coming up with a thousand different names was proving to be troublesome. She was running out of ideas. Gil watched the line get smaller and smaller. "It's only been ten minutes, and she's named almost every one of elves," he thought. "But does she really have enough quanta to name all of them when you factor in the kitsune?"
After Maria finished naming all the elves, she felt tired, but otherwise, she was fine. She showed no signs of excessive quanta loss(loss of consciousness, pale skin, high body temperatures, or blowing up). She turned to the leader of the kitsune pack. "You will be called Volpes from now on." The kitsune wagged his four tails excitedly. "Yes, Lady Maria! Lady Maria?" Maria collapsed on the ground. She had used up all her quanta. She hoped her theory would prove to be correct, or she would die.
"Hey, she's waking up! Quick, get her some water!" Maria touched her temple. She saw Gil sitting on a chair next to the bed she was on. "I feel so dizzy. What happened? I remember naming all the elves, but it's all blank after that."
"You used up all your quanta; that's what happened," Gil said. "You collapsed and have been unconscious for the past three days. How are you feeling?"
"Wait, three days? I've been out for that long?" Gil nodded. "I thought you were a goner after the first two had passed. But I'm glad you've rejoined us. Welcome back to the world of the living, Maria."
"Hey, have more faith in me. I'm disappointed to know that you thought I was dead."
"Yeah, you're right. You're pretty tough. Hagas, you could come in. Maria's awake now." Hagas burst into the room. "Lady Maria! I cannot express my joy knowing you're ok! Please, have a drink! You must be thirsty." Maria quickly glugged down the glass. "Thank you, Hagas." She spat out water after seeing his appearance. "What the hell happened to you? How'd you get so big and burly? You're taller than me now!" Hagas flexed his muscles. "Ah, yes. While you were asleep, we elves had evolved into leprechauns, thanks to the power you imbued us with."
Conall walked into the room. Before, he was a wiry little kid. Now he had grown into a teen who matched Gil in height, but more muscular. He had a green bandana on his head, and like his father, he wore a green tuxedo coupled with green pants and black boots. "I'm glad you've awakened, Lady Maria. The last three days have been tense."
"I'm sorry for any trouble I might have caused," Maria sighed. Memories began filling her head. She felt like an idiot for giving such a grand speech and then getting knocked out. But she was alive, and that's what seized her mind. Her theory had turned about to be correct. Gil filled up her body with all the quanta she lost, whether he knew it or not. She might have been reckless naming all the elves in one go, but she learned something valuable by doing so, so for her, it was worth it. "Oh right, I didn't finish naming all the kitsune!"
"Relax." Gil stopped Maria from getting out of bed. "You've already named all the kitsune, Maria."
"What?"
"Volpes told me that kitsune share pack names rather than have individual names. By naming the leader of the pack, you've also named all the other kitsune."
"Oh, is that so? Wait, who's Volpes?" A big kitsune licked Maria's face. He was as big as Hagas, with six red tails and shiny white fur. Maria thought he was beautiful and petted him.
The kitsune sat next to Gil's feet. "I'm happy to see you've come back to us, Lady Maria. Now we can begin the feast!" Maria was perplexed. "A feast? Is there a special event today? And who's this lovely fox? I didn't see him among the kitsune." The fox licked Maria's face again. "You gave me the name of Volpes. After that, I evolved into a kumiho. It's good you've come back to your senses, Lady Maria."
"Yeah," Gil smiled. "We planned to throw a surprise party for you. You have to try the food here; it's so good!" He took Maria's hand. "Come on, let's go. You've been bedridden for the past three days." Maria let herself be pulled out of bed and stood up. "I'm going to get dressed first if you don't mind." Gil nodded as he and the others left the room. "Sure, we'll be waiting outside."
Maria gave a quick speech thanking the newly evolved leprechauns for taking care of her and announced the start of the party. People laughed, drunk, danced, and cheered as they celebrated the awakening of their lord. Maria feasted on steak, amazed by how good it tasted. Gil was right; the food was incredible here.
Volpes never left her side. Conall and Hagas dropped by. She articulated her thoughts after they were done eating. "What's your take on Gil?"
"Hmm?" Hagas lie on the ground, his belly full. "What exactly do you mean?"
"I'm asking what your opinion of him is."
"Lord Gil is astounding, frankly. He acts nothing like his brethren. Not only does he treat us leprechauns kindly, but he has no qualms about living with us. He's even willing to help us advance and become a nation, all so he can end the war." Conall nodded. "He's also humble and funny. He's my hero. The leprechauns all look up to him." Volpes agreed with him. "He may have killed some of my pack, but he spared the rest of us and even let you give us names! I am indebted to Lord Gil and will always serve him and you, Lady Maria."
Maria grasped all the input given by the three. To them, Gil was a source of inspiration. A strong and charismatic leader; they held him in high regard. She might be able to take their plan to the next stage earlier than she thought. "Then how about this? Would it be alright if Gil was installed as the ruler of the village?"
"WHAT? Why me?" Maria turned to see Gil behind her. "We've already discussed this, Maria. You should be the leader here, not me. You're a demon, so the leprechauns will be less suspicious of you. Furthermore, you're just good at that kind of stuff. Everyone here already loves you. You're a lot smarter than me too."
"That's why I want you to be the leader, Gil. You're not as dumb as you think. Also, everyone here thinks you're inspirational, so no need to worry about infighting. Most importantly, you're a sentinel. If we want to make our nation an example to the world, you have to be its face. Then, people might think that sentinels aren't so bad after all. Only you can make it happen, Gil."
"Well...alright. But then what will you do? I can't do any of this without you, Maria."
"Of course you can't," Maria smirked. It's not like she was going to sit idly by. Gil was too kind to be a proper ruler. He needed someone who would enforce discipline while keeping the people loyal to him. "I'm your partner. I promised you that I would support you. I'll be your second-in-command like a queen is to a king."
"But you're more capable than me. Are you sure this is what you want?"
"Yeah. I want you to be the head of this village and our future kingdom, and so does everyone else here. What's the matter? Think you'll crumble under all the pressure?"
"Pretty much. Being a king is a massive responsibility. If I screw up, so many people could be negatively impacted by my actions." Maria shook her head. "But you won't screw up, not with me around. The two of us are unbeatable, remember?" Gil realized she was right. Maria would fix any mistake he made in a heartbeat. All he had to do was trust her, and he could readily do that. "Ok, I'll become the ruler of this village. I won't fail you, Maria, and I won't break my promise to you."
"Good; that's the spirit. Conall; Hagas; Volpes, inform the village of the news. Starting today, Gil is our ruler." Hagas and Conall saluted. "Yes, Lady Maria!" Volpes wagged his tails. "I will inform my kind as well." The three ran off, leaving Gil and Maria by themselves.
Maria got up and stretched. "Sitting for too long always makes me feel so rigid. Come on, Gil. We should leave too." The two walked their way back to their loghouse. Maria knew they would have to improve their technology. All they had was iron equipment, and that was paltry to what other nations had. Loghouses were made out of wood and flammable. They needed to improve their infrastructure as well.
"Hey, Maria, don't you think we should get some artisans or better materials at least?" Gil pointed to a longhouse. "The buildings are easy to destroy, and we don't have much to defend ourselves with."
"You're right. We need some upgrades." She snapped her fingers, and Volpes materialized next to her. "Fetch Hagas for me, will you?"
"As you command, Lady Maria!" He sped on his way as Gil stared in wonder. "How'd he do that? Volpes can actually teleport?"
"No," Maria replied. "A kumiho can transform their body into quanta and back again at will, letting them move around quickly. But they can't do it an infinite number of times, hence why Volpes chose to run to Hagas."
"Wow. That's actually so cool." Maria nodded. "And he's one beautiful fox. I already adore him." Hagas came to Maria, huffing, and puffing. "You called for me, Lady Maria?"
"Yes. I was thinking we need to improve our housing and get better materials. Do you guys barter with anyone in particular?"
"Now that you mention it, we do trade with merchants in the kingdom of Dirram from time to time as well as the other elf and ogre villages nearby."
"Alright. Then dispatch a team to Dirram. Their objective is to recruit skilled artisans if possible, but if not, then come back with better materials." Hagas nodded. "As you wish. But we don't have much to offer, and I'm not sure how many we can send."
"Then I'll go as well," Gil volunteered. "I'll take Volpes with me. Surely that will lessen your worries."
"Greatly. Very well, Lord Gil, I'll have a team ready in no time." He headed off and talked to fellow leprechauns, asking if they were willing to join Gil. In no time at all, he came back with five leprechauns, Conall being one of them. They all bowed before Gil. "We are yours to command, my lord!" Maria nudged Gil on the arm. "See? Everyone here wants you to be their leader. Are you ready to issue commands?" Gil nodded. "I'm not sure about the 'issuing commands' bit, but if the leprechauns want me as their leader, I'll be more than happy to accept."
"Then you better come back here. My rules haven't changed, so if you screw this up, you're getting punished severely."
"Well... off I go then," Gil remembered the time he teased Maria for being scared of his old pet dog. Back then, Maria was colder, and she told Gil he'd regret poking fun at her. He brushed her off and regretted it later when she sprayed his clothes with yucky perfume and hung a bucket of ice-cold water above his door. He wasn't going to make the same mistake again.
Maria watched Gil and the other leprechauns ride on kitsune like a knockoff cavalry brigade. She was glad the kitsune decided to stay with them. Their strength would come in handy when a battle broke out, and it seems all the leprechauns had formed a bond with the foxes, which would increase the power of both parties in the future. If Gil proved successful, which she knew would happen, they would be one step closer to that ideal kingdom they desired and Gil's hand. A king needs a queen, after all. But that was the far future. For now, Maria decided to supervise any projects to improve upon what the leprechauns could already do. When Gil came back with some artisans, they would be able to advance their little town even more. Even though she thought nothing would go wrong, she silently quipped a prayer for his sake, hoping he wouldn't anger the citizens or the rulers of Dirram.