The Two-Dimensional Version of Iver

Two o'clock in the morning.

Madam Grace lifted Iver onto the swing in the yard. Sherlock, Lily, and Maxim watched from the sidelines.

Madam Grace's appearance and clothing made her look young. Although it was impossible to tell her exact age, she looked like a college student.

That's why Iver had never really grasped Madam Grace's height before—especially since she looked so petite next to Maxim, who was 2.5 meters tall.

But now Iver, as Mrs. Grace embraced him, Iver suddenly realized that she was indeed a Pure-Blood Elf. She held Iver by the ribs, as lightly as if she were holding a small cat or dog.

Iver noticed that she was even subconsciously sticking out her little fingers. She wasn't putting much force into her Nameless either.

She sat on the swing and placed Iver on her lap. Then she took a small bottle from her chest and fed Iver the liquid inside.

She whispered, "Sweetie, drink it all in one go. Drink it quickly."

"Mmm."

Iver responded in a muffled voice, reaching out to steady the bottle himself.

The wine—or rather, the beverage—tasted quite well. It tasted like an apple-flavored champagne.

It had a wine flavor, but not overpowering; it was very sweet and had plenty of bubbles... It was truly unforgettable, just like other wines from the Theocracy, all of which tasted quite good. Except for the first sip which almost made Iver choke... Iver simply chug the rest of the bottle down his throat.

This bottle contains about 600 milliliters. After drinking it, Iver burped.

But just as he was hiccuping, he suddenly felt that the whole world had become Lu Li.

Time seemed to stretch out—his hiccups sounded distorted and warped, like a recording slowed down several times. Under the moonlight, the already dim courtyard suddenly turned a yellowish-brown.

Then, Madam Grace began to swing on the swing.

The moment the swing rose, Iver felt as if his body was flying.

"My body feels so light..."

That strange feeling made Iver open his eyes wide.

He felt as if the gas in the sparkling wine had inflated him into a giant balloon, and if Madam Grace hadn't grabbed him, he probably would have floated away.

As the swing passed its highest point for the second time, the feeling of rising balanced with the feeling of falling for a moment. He felt as if he were frozen in mid-air, floating there forever.

But the next moment, Iver felt himself starting to "leak."

He suddenly opened his eyes and found himself in another world.

It was a world with unusually vibrant colors, like something out of a cartoon—simply put, it was like stepping into a two-dimensional world. The art style was completely different from the world before.

This was Iver's first time entering the Fairy Country.

It wasn't nighttime here, but midday. The sunlight was so bright it was almost blinding, and there were hardly any shadows in sight.

This is a verdant world, not very large, just like a garden.

On one side of the street stood an extremely ornate, golden crystal house. The house wasn't large, in fact, it was quite small—probably less than thirty square meters. The clean path in the grass in front of the house was so narrow that it seemed only a child could walk comfortably. If an adult were to walk here, they would probably have to stumble between the ground and the grass, or walk like Cat Steps.

Iver was floating in the air, deflating as he fell. He was like a balloon, with white steam constantly escaping from his mouth and nose.

In that case, perhaps...

A thought suddenly occurred to him, and he covered his mouth with his hand. Then, Iver gradually swelled up, as if he had become a large, fat man. Iver had been slowly descending, suddenly swayed slightly and floated steadily in the air.

From his vantage point overlooking the building, Iver took a closer look and realized it was a candy house! The dark gold, crystal-like exterior walls were made of some kind of syrup, the floor was made of wafer biscuits, and the beds were made of soft white bread. Its roof was a thick layer of chocolate cake, and several fairies were patiently pouring syrup onto it.

Upon seeing the Iver floating in the air like a balloon from afar, they immediately perked up and flew over.

"It's a human balloon!"

"What a huge human!"

Will it explode if I poke it?

"So fat, it looks like a loaf of bread."

"Can't he speak?"

The fairies chattered away, while Iver covered his mouth, looked down at the ground, and slowly exhaled gas to descend.

Just then, a clear voice rang out. "He is my friend!"

Iver and the fairies looked over.

Suddenly, Madam Grace appeared out of nowhere. She had a pair of Dryleaf Butterfly butterfly wings on her back, making her look like a larger fairy.

She even looked younger—like a twelve or thirteen-year-old girl, and shorter than Iver. She seemed to be enveloped in an unreal filter, giving her the appearance of a "high-quality cosplayer in a photograph." But since she was surrounded by the "anime world," her existence actually made sense.

Even the clothes she had previously worn, which had looked rather oddly small, now appeared normal. Those were clothes that normal people would find difficult to wear in public, but they fit perfectly in the Fairy Kingdom.

" —Grace!"

A blue fairy flew over and bluntly said, "Your new wings are ugly!"

"Like a leaf!"

"It's withered!"

The other fairies were also chattering away.

However, a very small number of fairies disagreed with the opinions of the other fairies. "I think this is fine."

"Exactly! I've never seen wings that don't glow before!"

Humans understand what politeness, tact, and courtesy mean—but fairies don't have these concepts.

Good looks are good looks, and bad looks are bad looks.

Iver slowly deflated and landed safely on the grass.

The gardener fairy who had been tending the lawn wasn't angry at all; he just flew over in surprise and exclaimed, "What a beautiful human!"

Immediately, the other fairies abandoned the infantified Grace and flew over in a chaotic scramble.

"It really is true!"

"Okay, this is my friend, you're not allowed to take him!"

"You don't get to decide, I do!"

"Your word doesn't count!"

The fairies immediately started fighting and began repeating the same phrase endlessly.

Iver tentatively reached out and grabbed at the air—and sure enough, a mirror immediately appeared in his hand.

This means that he was not someone who smuggled himself into the Fairy Hole, but rather a guest invited in by the fairies, and therefore he also has a certain degree of ability to make his wishes come true!

Iver looked at himself in the mirror, genuinely curious about what his "anime/manga image" looked like, and whether it was exactly the same as Iver in the game.

He looked in the mirror, and his expression immediately became somewhat subtle.

The answer is, Tai Yi.

"But this face... doesn't look like that of a good person."

"Iver murmured."

Perhaps it's because Iver in the game didn't have the level to Dedication Path of Devotion, but Iver didn't look nearly as "good-looking" back then as he does now. Now he's so beautiful he's almost flamboyant.

To describe him, the game version of Iver is well-suited to wearing frameless glasses, giving him a scholarly and artistic air; while the Fairy Kingdom version of Archbishop Iver, if he squints, gives off the vibe of a cunning, enigmatic old man who doesn't speak human language. He's the type who initially coasts along with allies, but later betrays them with treacherous schemes.

Iver even felt that if a game were to create a final villain, it wouldn't feel out of place to use his own face.

For a moment, Iver even had a slight doubt about himself—did I really look that much like a villain?

When Grace saw Iver looking in the mirror, Grace looked at Iver with some surprise. She seemed somewhat astonished that he had adapted to the unique rules of the Fairy Kingdom so quickly.

Childlike innocence.

good.

interesting.

—If you meet these three conditions, your wishes will come true.

With a snap of his fingers, Iver's solemn crimson archbishop's robes vanished. New clothes appeared amidst the light, and he was once again dressed in his Clerical Robe from his school days.

Then Iver snapped his fingers again, and the clothes disappeared. He changed into a more approachable, neighborly everyday outfit—a russet, understated yet luxurious shirt underneath, and a sleeveless sweater knitted by the Queen over it.

Iver looked in the mirror again and smiled with satisfaction.

This makes it look much gentler.

It really was the bishop's robes that were the problem! As for the new clothes that Iver conjured up, the fairies weren't surprised at all. Instead, they commented, "They don't seem as pretty as before."

"You're pretty to an average degree! I still want to be your friend!"

"My name is Lilia. What's your name, human?"

"My name is Iver..."

As Iver was speaking, a golden meteor suddenly flew from afar—it seemed fierce but actually struck Iver very lightly behind him, causing him to sway slightly.

He is my friend!

The fairy Neelim flew over, perched on Iver's shoulder, and bared her teeth at the others. "You're not allowed to be his friends!"

"You're still too young, Neelim."

How do you know Iver?

Did you sneak out to play?

"His Majesty said that fairies who are not yet of age are not allowed to go out to play!"

The adult fairies were not afraid at all; instead, they immediately united and issued righteous pronouncements.

Being with these fairies made Iver feel like his mood had improved a lot.

His face was now full of smiles.

"Everyone!"

Grace interrupted the fairies' argument by raising her hand, "We're here to see Her Majesty the Queen! Who can give us a ride?"

"I'll do it!" "I'll do it!"

The fairies were immediately excited, as if it were a sacred mission.

But then, they all said in unison, "Let's do it together!"

"This way!"

The next moment, a crystal-clear Rainbow Bridge appeared beneath Iver's feet, stretching into the clouds in an arc.

Iver solemnly crouched down and touched the extremely illusory Rainbow Bridge.

Just as Grace was about to come over and explain that as long as you empty your mind, you can walk on this thing and there's nothing to be afraid of... Iver suddenly reached out and twisted the Rainbow Bridge, then put it in his mouth and tasted it.

He raised his hand and proclaimed loudly, "Sweet!"

"Sweet!"

"Watch me turn it into something sour!"

"You dare!"

The fairies immediately erupted into chaos.

Grace was momentarily stunned by Iver's expression.

Her mind was filled with the image of Iver as composed, intelligent, and imposing in the past... but now, Iver was like a child.

... She was even more like a child than she, the Inheritors of fairy magic, herself.

She was just distracted for a moment, and she almost slipped and fell into the Rainbow Bridge.

If one's mind is too heavy and realistic, and one doesn't believe in miracles, then one will never be able to cross this Rainbow Bridge. She was able to maintain a childlike heart and avoid incurring the hostility and resentment of the fairies by passing down her magic.

But...

She watched as Iver strode up the Rainbow Bridge, surrounded by fairies, and her eyes widened in astonishment.

Archbishop Iver... he should be an adult human, right?

... At such an advanced age, do you still believe in fairy tales and miracles?