Very simple but light and probably fast 2D array. C++17. Version 6. Types left in here, from std lib are in just for testing code. Used Visual Studio 2019 and clang-cl .

modern_matrix

#define DBJ_MTX_TESTING

// (c) 2019-2021 by dbj@dbj.org
// License: CC BY SA 4.0

#include <assert.h>
#include <stdlib.h> 
#include <string.h> // memcpy

namespace dbj::mtx {

	enum class version { major = 6, minor = 1, patch = 0 };

    // the limits
    constexpr auto MAX_STACK_BLOCK = 0xFF;
    constexpr auto MAX_HEAP_BLOCK = 0xFFFF;

	// we do not need std::array
	template< typename T, size_t N >
	inline auto simple_stack() noexcept {
		static_assert(N < MAX_STACK_BLOCK, "max stack block is 0xFF");
		T buff_[N]{};
		return[buff_, size = N](size_t const& idx) mutable->T& {
			assert(idx < size);
			return buff_[idx];
		};
	}

    // and we do not need std::vector too
	template< typename T, size_t N >
	inline auto simple_heap() noexcept
	{
		static_assert(N < MAX_HEAP_BLOCK, "max heap_block_type block is 0xFFFF");

        // Q: is this machinery really needed?
		// A: yes it is, proper copy and move struct with pointer member is the only way
		//    also the destructor in here is the only way this is free'd
		struct heap_block_type
		{
			size_t size{ N };
			// this has to be proper copy/move able struct
			// seeing bellow compiler does not know the block size
			T* block{};

			heap_block_type() noexcept : block((T*)calloc(N, sizeof(T))) { assert(block); }
			~heap_block_type() noexcept { if (block) { free(block); block = nullptr; } }

			void copy(heap_block_type & left, heap_block_type const& right) noexcept {
				assert(left.block);
				assert(left.size == right.size);
				::memcpy(left.block, right.block, left.size);
			}
			heap_block_type(heap_block_type const& other_) noexcept : block((T*)calloc(N, sizeof(T))) {
				copy(*this, other_);
			}
			heap_block_type & operator = (heap_block_type const& other_) noexcept {
				copy(*this, other_); return *this;
			}

			void swap(heap_block_type & left, heap_block_type & right) noexcept {
				using namespace std;
				left.size = right.size;
				left.block = right.block;
				right.block = nullptr;
			}
			heap_block_type(heap_block_type&& other_) noexcept {
				swap(*this, other_);
			}
			heap_block_type& operator = (heap_block_type && other_) noexcept {
				swap(*this, other_); return *this;
			}
		};

		return[heap_instance_ = heap_block_type{}, size = N](size_t const& idx) mutable->T& {
			assert(idx < size);
			return heap_instance_.block[idx];
		};
	} // simple_heap()

	template< typename T, size_t rows, size_t cols, typename F >
	inline constexpr auto mx(F source_)
	{
        // source_ has to be callable
        // lambda is local class
        // arry will be a member of that class
		return[arry = source_()]
        // and this will be a function call operator on that class
		(size_t row_, size_t col_) mutable->T&
		{
			assert(row_ < rows); // from here we reach the template args
			assert(col_ < cols); // of the immediate closure
			return 	arry(row_ * rows + col_);
		};
	} // mx()

#undef dbj_mx_make
#undef dbj_mx_make_heap
#undef dbj_mx_make_stack

#define dbj_mx_make(T, R, C, K) dbj::mtx::mx<T, R, C>(dbj::mtx::K<T, (R+1) * (C+1)>)
#define dbj_mx_make_heap(T,R,C) dbj_mx_make(T, R, C, simple_heap)
#define dbj_mx_make_stack(T,R,C) dbj_mx_make(T, R, C, simple_stack)

} // dbj::mtx

	///
	/// Testing
	///
#ifdef DBJ_MTX_TESTING 

#include <iomanip> // setw
#include <sstream> 
#include <iostream>


namespace dbj::mtx {


	inline auto changer = [](auto matrix_, size_t row_, size_t col_, auto value_) {
		matrix_(row_, col_) = value_;
		return matrix_;
	};

	// print to buffer
    // NOTE: compared to C, this is almost tragi-comical code
	inline auto
		printer = [](auto matrix_, size_t width_, size_t height_)
		-> std::string {
		using namespace std;
		std::ostringstream rez_;
			rez_ << std::boolalpha  ;
		for (size_t row_ = 0; row_ < width_; row_++) {
			rez_ << "\n";
			for (size_t col_ = 0; col_ < height_; col_++) {
				rez_ << setw(3) << matrix_(row_, col_) << " ";
			}
		}
		rez_ << "\n";
		return rez_.str();
	};

	///
	/// log callback signature:
	/// void (*)( std::string_view  )
	///
	template<
		typename log_callback,
		typename value_type ,
		size_t width_ = 3, // 0,1,2
		size_t height_ = 3, // 0,1,2
		size_t last_col_ = width_ - 1, // 0,1,2
		size_t last_row_ = height_ - 1 // 0,1,2
	>
		inline void test_dbj_matrix_creation(log_callback log, value_type const& val_)
	{
		using namespace dbj::mtx;
		using namespace std;

		// test move in, move out and the rest
		auto reporter = [&](auto matrix_, const char* prompt_) {
			string report = prompt_ +
				printer(changer(matrix_, last_col_, last_row_, val_), width_, height_);
			log(report);
			return matrix_;
		};

		auto stack_mx_ = reporter(dbj_mx_make_stack(value_type, width_, height_),
			"\n matrix_on_stack \n");

		auto heap_mx_ = reporter(dbj_mx_make_heap(value_type, width_, height_),
			"\n matrix_on_heap \n");
	}

} // dbj::mtx

// log callback signature: void (*)( std::string_view  )
void log_(std::string_view sv)
{
	printf("%s", sv.data());
}

int main(void)
{
	dbj::mtx::test_dbj_matrix_creation(log_, 42);
	dbj::mtx::test_dbj_matrix_creation(log_, true);

	return 42;
}
#endif // DBJ_MTX_TESTING 

Copied over the source from: https://godbolt.org/z/v1zhb7Er8

6.1 -- testing completely decoupled

Godbolt