When the plot-skips players into the game world

Chapter 762: Chapter 145 Bird·James Thus Spoke Chapter 762: Chapter 145 Bird·James Thus Spoke When Aiwass realized that the cake cart beneath him had begun to slow down, he knew they were nearing their destination.

Thus, the rhythm of his piano playing also gradually slowed until, after opening the final door, it came to a stop right in front of the ice throne.

The piano in front of Aiwass turned into sparkling dust and returned to its original form as the blue-haired fairy named Liya.

She was clearly dizzy from the transformation, thus when she reverted to her original form, she flopped down onto Aiwass’s lap.

Aiwass picked her up and pocketed her, then respectfully saluted the Fairy Queen:

“May you be joyful forever, Her Majesty Titania.”

“Nice to meet you, Aiwass.”

Titania spoke with an elegant and sensible voice, “I’ve heard of your stories for a long time, and I’ve been quite curious about you.”

Though still a girlish voice, it felt at least a decade older than the playful fairies’, just by listening to that calm tone.

——Aiwass finally laid eyes on the Fairy Queen Titania.

The true form of a great being worthy of Celestial Marshal rank…not a dream, nor the Dream Realm, but appearing right before his eyes…not more than five or six meters away.

A massive fairy of three to four meters tall, with beauty that surpassed any other being in the world.

She had caramel-like ivory curls that reached her waist, voluminous beyond belief.

Her pupils were amber, and she had those pointed elf ears.

She was wearing a pure white high-collar dress with a heart-shaped cutout at the chest, showing off her towering and pale bosom, adorned with a blue ice crystal necklace.

She donned white over-the-knee Elven Style stockings, with intricately detailed patterns that were too delicate to discern.

She wore crystal high heels — with terrifyingly sharp spinning heels shaped like ice crystals, continuously rotating like a slowly halting drill.

Assuming the height of an average human female at about 1.6 meters, her high heels were at least six centimeters tall.

And at that moment, she was lounging lazily with her leg propped up on the throne.

She looked exactly like the Titania in Aiwass’s memory.

But there was one difference.

Aiwass noticed that Titania was holding an unusual scepter.

Atop the scepter was a silver birdcage, within which sat a small blue jewel thrush with an orange-red face and belly, resembling a mature gentleman with a napkin tied around its neck.

It was a mockingbird – the very one from the nursery rhyme “Who Killed the Mockingbird.”

However, Aiwass remembered that in the game, Titania’s birdcage was supposed to be empty.

Although Titania had never been brought to the Material Realm by the Ring of Ouroboros ritual by the time she resigned, she did participate once in the main game — during a limited holiday event for children’s day.

That event was essentially her playing along with the players and not taking it seriously.

But because the event offered a costume of her white dress, white silk, and high heels as a reward…

it was practically a must-play.

The coolest part was that this dress and stockings weren’t limited to female characters only.

It was the only dress in the Game of the Ring of Ouroboros that wasn’t gender-locked.

One could even create a character with chest muscles like a double-door refrigerator, dress them in Titania’s outfit, put on cat ears, and run around the streets.

If it burned the eyes of other players, you won.

During that event, Titania would use her birdcage to trap a player, then pose a series of logic problems and riddles.

The players had to dodge other mechanics while stepping on one of four randomly appearing floor tiles to answer her questions, ensuring everyone landed on the same tile to submit their answer.

If they failed to answer enough questions within the time limit, the player trapped in the birdcage would turn into a fairy — of course, only temporarily within the event.

But it also meant that there was no way to revive from this out-of-combat state, and the opposing force would grow stronger.

Hence, despite being a holiday event, it was considered quite a tough mechanic.

With that in mind, Aiwass turned his attention to the birdcage.

…Had Titania already caught someone?

Aiwass thought: I wonder who the unlucky one is…

The jewel thrush inside the cage, as if sensing Aiwass’s thoughts, turned its adorable little head to look back at him with a human-like expression.

——He could even see a calm, knowing look in the bird’s eyes!

It was as if inside the soul of this bird was a mature gentleman — akin to the type who would wear a sophisticated jacket, puff on a cigar, and mix drinks in a bar in silence.

“Do you like it?”

Titania, noticing Aiwass’s gaze, suddenly spoke with a twinkling smile, dimples showing on her face.

“If you say ‘I want it,’ I’ll give it to you.”

This startled Aiwass — he wouldn’t dare accept anything from Titania!

Titania might seem mature and composed, but she was essentially a “joyful is good” fairy at heart.

Inside, she was still a little girl.

She could offer politely, but Aiwass couldn’t seriously accept.

Otherwise, if she became upset, there might soon be a new companion inside the birdcage.

“You are too kind, Your Majesty.”

Aiwass promptly refused.

“You’ll regret it if you refuse,”

Titania said merrily with a cute smile and dimples showing.

Curiously, she extended the birdcage toward Aiwass, letting the bird and him lock eyes: “This might be your only chance…

Are you sure you don’t want it?”

“I already have a pet,”

Aiwass explained: “It’s a raven.”

“You mean that Night Fiend?”

Titania suddenly spoke, “It’s quite a cute pet, although too dark for my liking.

I don’t like it.”

Aiwass was momentarily taken aback.

To minimize variables and prevent other fairies from coveting his two adorable charges, he had specifically not summoned Little Butterfly and Little Raven this time.

Yet even so, Her Majesty Titania saw right through Aiwass’s abilities—her insight was even sharper than that of Bear Celestial Marshal!

To a real ancient Celestial Marshal, did Aiwass have nearly no secrets…

Her Majesty Titania glanced at the two fairies in Aiwass’s pocket and collar, drowsy and unconscious, then suddenly spoke, “Do you like them?”

“…What?”

“Those two kids.

If you like them, take them, they’re yours.”

“…They both have independent wills; I think I’ll wait for them to wake up and ask them.”

Aiwass still dared not accept, but also dared not refuse again, only delaying the matter in a more circumvent way.

Her Majesty Titania laughed, “You’re too cautious, Aiwass.

Why not speak your mind directly?

You Moriartys really are like…

truly magical.

No blood relation, yet so alike.

Why is that I wonder?”

“…What?”

“Like ‘I really can’t take them, fairies are too troublesome to raise’ or ‘Are fairies like pets in her eyes, to be given away like this?'”

Her Majesty Titania said with a smile, “You really could say that directly—fairies are my children, they are also a part of me.

I am the tree, and they are the flowers.

Of course I can give them away.”

——Oh crap.

——She can read minds!

Aiwass was shocked all of a sudden.

He saw Her Majesty Titania extend a hand and gesture to Aiwass to come closer.

Aiwass felt his body shrinking, along with the cake cart he was on, both being confined and uncontrollably flying towards her.

Her Majesty Titania pinched Aiwass, holding him as though he was a fork, and sent the piece of cake he was on directly into her mouth.

Then she licked the cream left on Aiwass’s body.

“Tastes good, you’re forgiven.”

She stretched out her finger and gently touched the head of the now miniaturized Aiwass.

Being held in the hand of Her Majesty Titania, Aiwass after regaining his composure, stated firmly, “Your Majesty, I came here for…

”

“I know.”

Her Majesty Titania spoke cheerily, and tossed Aiwass into a birdcage.

Aiwass was flabbergasted right away.

——What does this mean?

Have I been captured too?

Then, Her Majesty Titania placed the birdcage to the side, and yawned, “Have a good chat, call me when you’ve finished talking.

I’m going to take a nap…”

With that, she immediately curled up and fell asleep on the throne.

Did Her Majesty Titania mean…

Aiwass realized, and turned to look at the Mockingbird beside him.

“Not too slow.”

The Mockingbird, roughly the same height as him, spoke in an aged yet steady voice from within the cage, “Long time no see, Aiwass.”

“There’s no need to act all high and mighty in this state,” Aiwass retorted.

He recognized who the bird was in an instant by the sound of the voice.

——It was none other than his foster father, James Moriarty!

“Long time no see, Father,” Aiwass greeted, steadying his heart.

And Bird·James nodded—or rather, pecked at Aiwass.

“You’re overthinking it, Aiwass.

I’m not locked up…@@novelbin@@

Her Majesty’s cage doesn’t lock anyone up.

This is not a prison, it’s a paradise.

Come if you want, leave if you wish…

Just like the Fairy Kingdom, this place is free.”

Bird·James said firmly, “I’m not always here either.

In fact, I’ve only just returned a few days ago.”

“…Were you waiting for me?” Aiwass understood.

“I was waiting for you.

And you have come here—it’s all destiny.”

Bird·James said so.