In the middle of the night my alarm goes off and it electrocutes me to a fully awakened state. I look down at the screen on my forearm and I am shocked to see an insanely intense mana signature which looks to have about 300x density, a rank 2 monster. I jump up, wake up Aelynthi and I start the prepping two of my grenades. Checking my screen again I see the monster is moving towards us. The distance is a little over 100 meters, as it is a bad idea to let him enter cqc range and as my grenades would not be ready by time he gets here I have no choice but to run towards one of my prebuilt pillars for my AMR.

"Please listen and run away for now, so I can focus on combat" Aelynthi nods with a tense face filled with worry.

I run out of the shelter with the AMR in hand and the monster reacts to the sound of our movement immediately by running towards me. Fuck! By the time I have my AMR on the pillar and take aim between its 2 red eyes, it is already 10 meters from me. Left with choice I do not hesitate to fire. The bullet shatters as does the skull of the animal. The dead body continues on thanks to its momentum until he hits the pillar. All that is left of its head is a bloody mix of bone, brain, skin, fur and muscle. Now I take a better look at it and see that it is an overgrown bear. Aelynthi, did not even have enough time to run away. I look at her and see that she is crying. I feel guilt, sadness and shame from her. Guilt? I understand the problem after a moment of thinking... the giant bear was attracted to the smell of blood of the beastkin bandits and it caught our scent as we did not leave the area due to Aelynthi hanging on my neck. I drop my AMR.

I run over to her and hug her. She starts muttering something, I decide to silence her with a kiss even if I do not elvish I do not need to know what she is saying. She struggles at first then goes weak in my arms. I break the kiss and spend the next 5 minutes calming her down. "It is not your fault, I am the idiot that did not think about our safety." She does not accept my excuse, but what else can I say? I can not blame her as my actions also caused this mistake. "Comon, lets pack up and set out." She nodes weakly.

Within 10 minutes we are leaving the camp, with the addition of a few kg of bear meat. Aelynthi is still depressed and won't talk to me.

"Do you know what else poses a danger in our situation?" I step right next to her.

"Acting depressed and not paying attention to our surroundings." She yelps as I pick her up in an over shoulder fireman carry. We walk like this for a few minutes before I feel a pinch on my buttocks. How? I think she shaped a hole in my clothes via mana. I need to find a way to patch this weakness of items with... My contemplation is interrupted by another pinch. I decide to reciprocate.

*Smack* "No pinching!" I get another pinch as a response. *Smack* *Smack* *Smack* "No pinching!" She stopped. I pat her buttocks on the same place as I smacked her and say "Good Girl.". After a minute I feel something painful on my side, she bit me! *Smack* "No biting!" As I take another step I feel something burn me, she casted a spell! *Smack* "No burning or spell casting!" After another step I feel a different kind of burn, ice. *Smack* "No freezing." I did not smack her for casting a spell again as this clever girl first made the ice and kept it in her hand before burning me. Well, at least she is no longer depressed. She seems to be enjoying being carried by me. I switch her over to a princess carry and ask "You seem to be enjoying this." Her reaction is bashful at my statement. "Good, I was worried your bashful cuteness would disappear if we go this far into our relationship." This only increases her redness and she tries to hide her head in my chest. I get an idea and start gathering carbon in my right hand under her legs. "My mother pinches my father all the time as well." She perks up at the mention of my parents. I can see her interest but she still continues to be mute. I smile and receive a pinch in response. "My mother is a housewife." As I do not say more I receive another pinch in response. "My father is a scientist." Now that the bait has been set, no matter how much she pinches me, I do not open my mouth and wait for her patience to run out, as I know the word scientist would catch her interest. After 5 minutes pouting she relents.

"What is a scientist?"

"A person whose occupation is science."

"What is science?"

As I do not answer immediately so I am pinched yet again.

"I am gathering words."

She looks at me strangely, hey at least I understand science and can define what is science.

"Science is the systematic study of the structure and behaviour of the surrounding world through observation and experimentation." She pauses for a few minute.

"Study of the world?" If you had to sum it up in 4 words, that be a good choice.

"Yes."

"Knowledgeable?"

"Very."

"Powerful mage?"

"My home has no magic or mana."

Aelynthi stares wide eyed, this is not simple to comprehend when something from her perspective seems to be the pillar of your civilization is not needed at all. Ah, I had this conversation with Kate.

"How do you live?"

"The peoples average quality of life in the country I live in is on par with royalty here."

She is stunned, this is beyond her ability to understand, the same can be said for many people on this planet. This is like living in the 1800s and predicting the 21st centuries technology.

"Of course we do not have servants, but the functionality and quality of everything in almost all aspects of life is better than being royalty here, if the information that Kathorrunth gave me is to believed."

As Aelynthi is not strong enough to read image based intent, I can only say: "Maybe someday I will show you."

Aelynthi nods happily and leans her head against me and surprisingly falls asleep. This princess acts like a princess...

As the sun is rising I nudge Aelynthi awake as we need to get some distance from the bear corpse. I set her down on her feet, and give her a round cut diamond about half a palm size. This sobers her mind from sleep as she takes the diamond into her hand whilst it is sparkling in the rising sun and stares wide eyed at it. Looks like a diamond is rare here after all.

I teasingly say: "Usually a woman kisses a man when he gives her a diamond." I wanted to use the diamond as an example of knowledge gained thanks to science but nevermind, this works too.

I do get a kiss but not before a kick to the leg. "Is it an elven custom to beat up the one you love or just your peculiarity?"

"When we need to discipline men we do so." That goes both ways.

"I am not convinced by your excuse, as I do not see the reason you beat me up all the time. I believe it is just your peculiarity."

"Do you enjoy bullying me?"

"As much as you enjoy beating me up."

"That is a yes then, I will tell your mother you bully me." I stop and think for a moment.

"You win princess, I shall not bully you anymore and worship the ground you walk on."

Aelynthi smiles: "Interesting phrase, does that mean you will worship me?"

I say playfully: "No, just the ground as you are too spoiled."

Aelynthi is confused: "Spoiled?"

"Overindulged, narcissistic self-centered" This grants me the expected reaction, I am knocked down onto the floor with Aelynthi on top disciplining me.

She pauses her playful beating.

"You think I am self-centered?" Oh great... I reverse the position with me on top.

"No you are not, I am more self-centered than you." and proceed to kiss her. Can everything be solved with a kiss? By her reaction, yes it can.

I break the kiss, she is lost in her own world, I smirk at her "Am I such a good kisser?" She does not appreciate me teasing her and I am bitten yet again. I have to stop bullying her, my mother would not be happy with me. I help her up and we continue walking hand in hand.