Chapter 587
The 2D Version of Eivass
Two AM.
Madam Grace carried Eivass onto the courtyard swing. Sherlock, Lily, and Maxim watched from the side.
Madam Grace’s appearance and attire made her look younger. Although her exact age was indistinguishable, she appeared to be a university student. This was why Eivass had previously had no concept of Madam Grace’s height—especially since she seemed petite next to Maxim, who stood two meters fifty tall.
However, now that Madam Grace held him, Eivass finally realized she was a pure-blooded Fey. As she held Eivass, she grasped him by the ribs, her grip as light as if she were holding a small cat or dog. Eivass noticed that she instinctively curled her pinky fingers. Her ring fingers also didn’t seem to exert much force.
She sat on the swing, placing Eivass on her lap. Then, she took out a small bottle from her chest and fed the liquid within to Eivass. She whispered softly, “There, drink it all in one go. Drink quickly.”
“Mmmph.” Eivass muffled in response, reaching out to steady the bottle himself.
The drink—or rather, beverage—tasted quite pleasant. It was like an apple-flavored champagne. It had a wine-like aroma, but not strong; it was sweet, with abundant bubbles… It was truly unforgettable, much like the other drinks from the Church, all of which tasted pretty good. Except for the first sip that almost choked Eivass… After that, Eivass simply held the bottle and chugged it down.
This bottle was about six hundred milliliters. After finishing it, Eivass let out a burp.
But as he burped, he suddenly felt the entire world become bizarre and fantastical. Time seemed to stretch—his burp distorted and warped, like a slowed-down recording. Under the moonlight, the already dim courtyard instantly turned a jaundiced yellow.
Then, Madam Grace began to swing. The moment the swing rose, Eivass felt as if his body had taken flight.
“My body feels so light…” The peculiar sensation made Eivass involuntarily widen his eyes. He felt as if the gas in the sparkling wine had inflated him into a large balloon; if Madam Grace hadn’t held him, he would have floated away directly.
As the swing reached its apex for the second time, the sensation of rising momentarily balanced with the descent. He felt as if he had solidified mid-air, to float like this for eternity. But the next moment, Eivass felt himself begin to “leak air.” He abruptly opened his eyes, only to find himself in another world.
It was a world with incredibly vibrant colors, like a cartoon drawing—in short, like entering a 2D world. The art style was completely different from the previous world. This was Eivass’s first time entering the Fey Kingdom.
It was not night, but noon. The sunlight was so bright it was almost blinding, with very few shadows visible at a glance. It was a verdant world, not appearing particularly large, resembling a garden. On one side of the street stood an extremely ornate, golden crystal house. The house wasn’t large; it could even be considered small—perhaps less than thirty square meters. The clean path in the grass by the entrance was so narrow it seemed comfortable only for children to walk on. If an adult were to move there, they would likely step on both dirt and grass, or have to walk with tiny steps.
Eivass floated in the air, slowly losing air and descending. His entire body was like a balloon, with white mist constantly hissing out from his mouth and nose.
*Perhaps like this…* A thought suddenly occurred to him, and he reached out to cover his mouth. Eivass then gradually began to swell, as if turning into a large, fat person. Eivass, who had been descending slowly, suddenly swayed slightly and floated stably in the air.
From his aerial vantage point, Eivass carefully examined the surroundings before realizing it was a candy house! The dark gold, crystal-like exterior walls were made of some kind of syrup, the floor inside was made of wafer cookies, and the bed was soft white bread. Its roof was a thick layer of chocolate cake, and a few fairies were flying above the roof, patiently drizzling syrup.
Spotting the balloon-like Eivass floating in the sky from afar, they were instantly invigorated and flew over.
“It’s a human balloon!”
“Such a big human!”
“Will it explode if we poke it?”
“So fat, like bread.”
“Can’t he talk?”
The fairies chirped excitedly, while Eivass, covering his mouth, looked down at the ground, slowly releasing gas to lower his altitude.
Just then, a crisp voice rang out: “He’s my friend!”
Eivass and the fairies looked towards the voice. Madam Grace had flown out from somewhere. Two dried leaf butterfly wings were on her back, making her resemble a larger fairy. She had even become younger—she now looked like a twelve or thirteen-year-old little girl, and her height was now shorter than Eivass’s. She seemed to be wearing an unreal filter, giving her the appearance of a “high-quality cosplayer in a photograph.” But since the surroundings were a “2D world,” her presence became surprisingly natural. Even her rather peculiar, ill-fitting clothes from before now looked normal. They were clothes that normal people would find difficult to wear, but in the Fey Kingdom, they were just right.
“—Grace!” A blue fairy flew over, speaking bluntly: “Your new wings are so ugly!”
“They look like leaves!”
“And they’re all dried up!”
The other fairies also chirped away. But a very small minority disagreed: “I think these are quite nice.”
“Exactly! Wings that don’t glow, I’ve never seen that before!”
Humans understood politeness, tact, and courtesy—but fairies had no such concepts. If something was beautiful, it was beautiful; if it wasn’t, it wasn’t.
Eivass slowly released all his air and landed safely on the grass. The gardener fairy who had been tending to the grass wasn’t angry, but rather flew over in surprise: “What a beautiful human!”
Instantly, the other fairies abandoned the child-like Grace and swarmed over.
“Indeed!”
“Okay, he’s my friend, you’re not allowed to snatch him!”
“Your say doesn’t count, my say counts!”
“Your say doesn’t count at all!”
The fairies immediately began to squabble, repeating themselves endlessly. Eivass tentatively reached out and grasped the air—as expected, a mirror immediately appeared in his hand. This indicated that he wasn’t an illegal immigrant from the Fey Caves, but a guest invited by the Fey, thus possessing a certain degree of wish-granting ability!
Eivass held the mirror up to his face, curious to see what his “2D appearance” was like, and if it was identical to Eivass in the game— He looked into the mirror, and his expression became rather subtle. The answer was, not quite the same.
“But this face… it doesn’t look like a good person.” Eivass muttered. Perhaps it was because Eivass in the game didn’t have the Path of Devotion level, but back then, Eivass had not looked nearly as “handsome” as he did now. He was now beautiful to the point of being extravagant. To describe it, the game version of Eivass was suited to wearing rimless glasses and had the artistic temperament of a scholar; whereas the Archbishop Eivass in the Fey Kingdom, if he narrowed his eyes, would give off the impression of an enigmatic old schemer who wouldn’t speak coherently. He was the type who would slack off in the Allies’ ranks early on, only to betray them later with a conspiracy. Eivass even felt that if a game were to feature a final boss, having his current face wouldn’t feel out of place at all.
For a moment, Eivass even felt a trace of self-doubt—was he really that villainous-looking?
Seeing Eivass examining himself in the mirror, Grace looked at him with some surprise. She seemed astonished that he had adapted so quickly to the unique rules of the Fey Kingdom.
Innocence.
Beauty.
Fun.
—Satisfying these three conditions would make a wish come true.
Eivass snapped his fingers, and the solemn, deep red Archbishop’s robe he was wearing vanished. New clothes appeared with a flash of light; he had changed back into the priest’s uniform he had worn while still a student. Eivass snapped his fingers again, and that outfit also disappeared. He changed into a more approachable, neighborly casual outfit—a low-key yet luxurious reddish-brown shirt underneath a sleeveless sweater woven by the Queen. Eivass looked in the mirror again and smiled with satisfaction. He indeed looked much gentler now. It must have been the Archbishop’s robe!
The fairies showed no surprise at Eivass’s new outfit, but instead commented: “It doesn’t seem as pretty as before.”
“Pretty, but ordinary! I still want to be friends with you!”
“My name is Lilya, what’s your name, human!”
“My name is Eivass…”
As Eivass was speaking, a golden meteor suddenly flew from a distance—it hit Eivass behind him with a formidable momentum but was surprisingly light, causing him to stagger slightly.
“He’s my friend!” Fey Nilim flew over, perching on Eivass’s shoulder and baring her teeth at the others: “You’re not allowed to be his friend!”
“You’re too young, Nilim.”
“How do you know Eivass?”
“Did you sneak out to play?”
“Her Majesty said that underage fairies aren’t allowed to go out and play!”
The adult fairies were unafraid and immediately united, pointing fingers righteously. Being among these fairies, Eivass felt as if his mood had greatly improved. His face was now covered in smiles.
“Everyone!” Grace raised her hand, interrupting the fairies’ quarrel: “We’re here to find Her Majesty the Queen! Who can give us a ride!”
“Me!” “Me!” The fairies were instantly excited, as if considering it a sacred mission. But then, they said in unison: “Let’s all go together!”
“This way!”
The next moment, a crystal-clear rainbow bridge appeared from beneath Eivass’s feet, arching towards the clouds. Eivass soberly crouched down, touching the ephemeral rainbow bridge. Just as Grace was about to earnestly explain that one could walk on it by emptying one’s mind and that there was nothing to fear… Eivass suddenly reached out, twisted the rainbow bridge, and then put it in his mouth to taste. He raised his hand and declared loudly: “It’s sweet!”
“Sweet!”
“Watch me make it sour!”
“How dare you!”
The fairies immediately descended into chaos. Watching Eivass’s behavior, Grace was momentarily stunned. Her mind was filled with Eivass’s former composed, wise, and imposing demeanor… But now, Eivass was like a child.
…Even more like a child than herself, the inheritor of Fey magic. She had merely spaced out for a moment and nearly stumbled, almost falling through the rainbow bridge. Those whose minds were too heavy and realistic, who didn’t believe in miracles, could not walk on this rainbow bridge. She herself had to rely on inherited spells to maintain a childlike heart, lest she incur the hostility and dislike of the fairies.
But… watching Eivass stride onto the rainbow bridge with the fairies surrounding him, she widened her eyes in astonishment. Archbishop Eivass… he should be an adult human, right?
…How could such a grown man still believe in fairy tales and miracles?
(End of Chapter)
