Singularity: Mass Detonation
Teddle understood Marika's floundering — the way she'd been stammering her way through conversations with a crowd of total strangers on Soul Net just to make a single friend. It might have looked foolish to some, but to him it made perfect sense.
After all, I've never really spent time with a woman either.
Teddle was handsome. Plenty of girls in his village had made more than a few advances at him over the years, but almost none of them had ever blossomed into an actual romance. The reason was simple. His parents had passed away suddenly, forcing him to take over their flock and the family business before he was ready, and somewhere in the middle of all that he'd fallen head over heels for composing music. The days stacked up on one another, and before he knew it, a lifetime had gone by without ever once finding a woman to share it with.
Which was exactly why Marika's awkwardness didn't look bad to him at all. It meant she was a woman, just like him, who had no experience with the opposite sex — and was trying her very hardest anyway.
"So, um... a café... no, wait. The famous thing in Valerheim would be taverns... but not a tavern either... no, what I mean is..."
Marika — that is, Gunhild — on the other hand, was suffering a complete brain shutdown.
She was truly grateful to the people of the Social Gallery. They were pouring out advice for her with such passion, all for someone who knew nothing at all.
But when too many captains man the helm, the ship sails straight into the mountains. The gallery's membership had swelled more than tenfold in the blink of an eye, and every single one of them was leaving comments on her post, until she honestly couldn't tell which option to pick anymore.
A café?
A library?
Or, what, a tavern?
Drowning in the flood of suggestions, Gunhild lost her way entirely and could only sigh — and then the problem solved itself in an instant.
"Lady Marika. Where would you like to go?"
Teddle's calm voice reached the ears of a woman who had been frozen between options, and at the sound of it, Gunhild finally managed to drag her mind back from Soul Net into the real world.
"You mean... me?"
"You're the one who lives here, Lady Marika. Then we should do what you want to do. Please take me somewhere you love. If it's a place Lady Marika loves, then I'll love it too."
Marika's mind went blank for a moment.
Of course.
She'd been swept up in an ocean of advice and lost the plot entirely. Wasn't this the most important thing of all?
Meeting a friend was supposed to be fun. It shouldn't be a burden, an annoyance, a source of stress.
"I love the smithy. I adore the sound of hammer striking iron there, and the blacksmiths' roaring voices."
And so she simply, honestly said what she loved. Her companion smiled and wholeheartedly respected that taste.
"Then let's go! Well, that works out perfectly, actually. I'm a shepherd, you see? I've been needing a dagger for self-defense. Would you help me pick one out, Lady Marika?"
Teddle's smile was so very warm.
This was consideration. He wasn't just a handsome face — his character and his conduct were steeped in the habit of putting the other person first.
Without even realizing it, Gunhild clenched her fist tight.
I want to kiss him.
She hastily crammed the thought back down into the depths of her mind, and together the two of them set off toward the smithy. And in that very moment, what she had expected to be a hopelessly complicated ordeal of making a friend began to flow along, soft and warm as anything.
"So who exactly were all these people giving you advice on Soul Net?"
"I asked for a little help on one of the galleries. I've never met a shepherd before, you see, so I didn't know what to do. I've never really made friends or gone out and enjoyed myself either."
"Ah, that would be Valerheim, then. Judging by your build and the calluses on your hands, you're a warrior, I'd guess?"
"That's right."
"I can tell how hard you've worked at your craft. People like you are admirable, young or old, man or woman. I should thank the gallery members on Soul Net — for giving me the chance to spend such a wonderful time like this."
The conversation unspooled, smooth and natural, line after line.
Gunhild's heart grew easy. And so she allowed herself one small indulgence.
"Forgive me, Teddle, but... would it be all right to take photographs of our day today and post them to Soul Net?"
"On Soul Net?"
"I'd like to commemorate meeting my friend. If it's posted to Soul Net as a board entry, it will be preserved forever."
"Oh! Is that really necessary? You could just save them on your Soul World — that place is far better suited for this sort of thing. You can decorate photos, add effects, set music as a background, all of that! Actually, shall I just set it up for you?"
"Then I'd be grateful. I'll tell the gallery members to visit your Soul World, Teddle."
"Thank you. Ah — there's the smithy now!"
The two of them visited the smithy. Photographs were taken. They were uploaded to Soul World. Their cozy, perfectly ordinary little outing was thus preserved, whole and untouched, on Teddle's Soul World.
Teddle's Soul World became a place that an absurd, impossible number of people were now flooding into to see. Teddle himself, absorbed entirely in his lovely time with Gunhild, hadn't read a single comment and had no idea what kind of shockwave his Soul World was sending through the realm.
"Elsie! Elsie Bwenner!"
"I saw it, Tower Master! I saw it! Soul World search volume is exploding! Membership inquiries are skyrocketing too!"
"Bwahahaha! Long live the Monster Princess of Valerheim! Long live the shepherd musician Teddle! So this is how the buried Soul World finally detonates!"
Had Teddle known the truth, he surely wouldn't have been able to spend the day so peacefully. His single day spent with a Soul World friend was rewriting the very structure of Soul Net itself, letter for letter.
The two of them passed the time leisurely and intimately. They bought a dagger at the smithy and took their proof shot. A nearby café... did not exist.
So instead they went to a tavern swarming with rough men and hunters, where they dined on beer while tearing into a whole roasted boar leg. Naturally, a proof shot of that was taken and uploaded to Soul World as well.
After that, they laughed themselves silly watching a hunter perform feats of axe-throwing inside the tavern. Valerheim was a harsh, brusque land, but the people who lived there were weathered and gruff, yes — and at the same time full of warmth and loyalty.
In that respect, it wasn't so different from Quirltere, that tiny backwater of a farming kingdom. Both cultures had that unspoiled, simple-hearted innocence that the wider world had long since squeezed out.
And so a single day in the life of two hopelessly inexperienced-in-love souls — different ranks, different upbringings, both weathered by reality and both from those same unjaded lands — proved more than enough to set the public's curiosity ablaze.
Then, after a day that had set the internet thoroughly ablaze finally drew to a close—
"It's about time I headed back, Lady Marika."
Their date, at long last, came to an end.
At those words, Gunhild looked down at Teddle for a while, dazed.
What a shame.
When had she ever met another person who fit her heart so well and created an atmosphere so comfortable? She had always been the one in the role and the position of shouldering responsibility, holding the line, prevailing. Teddle was the first being who had ever let her live an ordinary day.
"Teddle. I..."
She didn't want to part. She wanted to stay with him a little longer.
Just as friends? No — not that vague, uncertain thing. She wanted something deeper.
But she was a princess. There was the gap in station to consider, and the atmosphere of the Kingdom of Valerheim could be far too harsh and cold for an ordinary shepherd standing before her to bear. Her heart wanted it, but bound by rank and circumstance, she hesitated to reach out her hand — and in that very moment—
"Be honest with me. Lady Marika isn't your real name, is it?"
Teddle asked the question. Gunhild nodded.
"Marika is a pet name from my childhood. I was using it as my Soul World nickname. My true name is... Gunhild."
"That explains it. The name Marika always did seem a bit off for Valerheim. Gunhild, hm? Gunhild. As we walked around today, I couldn't help noticing people sneaking glances at you, Lady Gunhild. You're not an ordinary person, are you?"
At those words, Gunhild clenched her fist. She steadied her breath for a moment, then looked down at Teddle with a solemn expression.
"Have you looked at your Soul World?"
"What? No. Not yet."
"Then look. And see the reaction for yourself."
At her word, Teddle cautiously opened his own Soul World — and his eyes went wide.
He'd uploaded the photos and checked nothing else, but now, looking back at it, an unfathomable number had been racked up, far beyond anything he could have imagined. And every single one of those people was going wild over the posts on his Soul World.
Teddle stood there dumbstruck.
"Wh-what is... then... you're the Crown Princess of Valerheim?"
Gunhild nodded. For the week she had spent preparing to meet him, the socially sharp-eyed noblewoman members of the Social Gallery had seen through her identity long ago — but Teddle still hadn't known who she was.
"First Princess of the kingdom. Gunhild Akana Valerheim. That is who I am."
But now that she'd told him, meeting him face to face, her want only grew stronger. She didn't want this to remain some shallow Soul World friendship. She wanted to build a real, proper human bond with him. And for that, stripping away her disguise was essential.
"N-no, this is... a princess? If I'd known, I would have shown more courtesy— no, why didn't you tell me sooner? I should have at least dressed properly."
Now it was Teddle's turn to scramble — the exact mirror image of Gunhild, who had floundered under the avalanche of gallery advice when they first met.
And Gunhild found that she didn't dislike seeing him this way at all.
"Please just treat me as you have been, Teddle. I prefer it that way. Being a princess — it's a noble role, an honorable duty of mine. But there are times it wears me down, that much is true. You were the first taste of ordinariness I have ever known."
Gunhild carefully took Teddle's hand in her own, callus-covered fingers.
"Will it be possible for us to keep meeting like this? Not as a princess and a shepherd, but just as two friends who met on Soul World. Plainly. Quietly. Could we see each other this often?"
Teddle didn't pull his hand away. His expression was still flustered, still stunned — but before long, he broke into a soft smile.
"I never imagined the princess of the north would love my music. Soul Net, really... it does create the most delightful moments, doesn't it?"
Teddle nodded.
"You've treated me so kindly here in Valerheim today, so next time, come visit Quirltere. I can offer you sheep's milk and cheese. And music."
Looking at Teddle's smile, Gunhild felt that fierce冲动 surge through her once more.
She wanted to kiss him. She wanted to crush him in her arms. How could any man be this lovable?
She forced down the hunting instinct and a woman's raw nature rising instinctively from her gut, and smiled brightly.
"I will certainly come visit. Thank you for today, Teddle. It was wonderful."
"Haha. The honor was all mine, Princess. Though I can't promise I wasn't terribly dull company."
"It was the best. So I hope we'll meet again often."
Because that's how you age the prey slowly. Season it, let the flavors sink in — and then, when it's at its ripest and most delicious...
Gunhild fully intended to devour the man before her one day.
I swear, no matter what it takes, I will seduce you. I will make you mine.
Manfully restraining the wild growl building in her chest, she said—
"Until next time, friend."
And with a smile that looked effortlessly cool, she parted from Teddle.
Then, a few days later—
"Quirlterele... Quirterel... fine. You want to marry some shepherd musician in this Que Kingdom place?! Gunhild! Are you out of your mind! With your standing, far better matches are lined up for you!"
"Father King. Grant me your blessing."
"Denied! Absolutely not! I will not send my eldest daughter off to some absurd backwater like that!"
"Then let us settle it by duel. A formal bout — and the victor's word shall be law."
"So in the end you'd raise a blade against your own father's body!"
"I don't want to do that either! So grant it while I'm still asking nicely! Have I ever been this stubborn in my life?"
"Not happening! ...Grr. That's not the face of a girl about to back down. Fine! A duel it is!"
"Exactly what I hoped to hear!"
Word spread across the entire Wirod Dimension that the King of Valerheim and his First Princess had traded blows in furious combat. And along with it came the tale that in the end, the First Princess had subdued her father and won his blessing for the marriage.
And this story was, quite literally, detonating everything everywhere.
"So this is the smithy the princess-and-shepherd couple visited?"
The smithy where Teddle and Gunhild had gone on their date.
"So this is the tavern! I'll take the set the princess-and-shepherd couple ate!"
The tavern where the two of them had shared a meal.
"Damn it, Teddle, what the hell did you do?! The whole village is filling up with people looking for you!"
Teddle's village.
Everything was exploding. A tender, innocent love story between a princess and a common man — there was simply no way it wouldn't be entertaining.
But there was one explosion that dwarfed all the others into also-rans...
"After watching the princess-and-shepherd couple, Soul World actually looks pretty fun."
"I never used it because the features seemed complicated, but the photo-decorating tools and the personal Soul Page customization they had looked pretty good, didn't they?"
"I think I'll try it too."
"Sharing your daily life — that's a genuinely fascinating feature. I'm in."
Soul World — the platform that had done the most to bring the princess and the shepherd together — was detonating across the realm with utterly overwhelming numbers.
It was the result of a positive chain reaction: one person joins, others want to see that person's daily life, and so everyone joins together. The socially connected were now pouring into Soul Net like a dam breaking loose.