A Zoologist’s Guide to Surviving Magical Creatures

Then, the buggy's system suddenly chimed:

"You have arrived."

I scoffed. "Yeah, this thing is definitely malfunctioning after that giant rooster attacked it."

Arrived? Arrived where?

For a second, I was confused—until it hit me. Trauco. This must be the place where he's supposed to be. I brought the buggy to a stop.

The woman riding Arion dismounted with ease and strode toward us. She had long, dark hair tied into a ponytail and was dressed entirely in leather—jacket, pants, boots, even gloves. A bow and quiver rested on her back, and a holster for a gun was strapped to her belt.

She leaned slightly to the side of the buggy, bringing herself face to face with me.

Whoa. Up close, she was stunning—flawless skin, sharp features, and a set of commercial-white teeth when she smiled.

"Glad I caught up with you guys," she said. "We've been expecting you. That giant draconic chicken? That's this city's guardian, Zilant. You're safe now. Welcome to the Ancient city of Kazan."

I blinked. "Wait—that thing is the city's protector?"

Eva nodded.

"Wow," Amaterasu mused. "Good thing you stopped Jiuge from killing it, Carl. Who knows what disaster that could've triggered?"

I exhaled, relieved. Dodged a catastrophe there.

Jiuge just crossed her arms. "Well, we didn't kill it. Let's move on."

I turned back to Eva. "You said you've been expecting us? How do you know who we are?"

"Of course. You're Carl, right? From MECCP?"

I nodded cautiously.

"Yeah, we've been waiting forever for MECCP to respond. We sent a complaint about people messing with this place. There have been too many strange occurrences lately."

Strange occurrences? This was Mythica. The land of the bizarre. Weird was the baseline here.

I narrowed my eyes. "What exactly do you mean by 'strange'?"

"Creatures and people have been disappearing. And the ones that remain—monsters that were normally docile—have suddenly started attacking like they've gone berserk."

I frowned. "Wait—you're saying the creatures here, in the Forest of Forgotten Tales, are the ones disappearing and turning violent? Not the people who enter it?"

Eva crossed her arms. "Yeah. Why?"

I exchanged glances with Agnos and Jiuge. Their expressions had shifted from relaxed to serious.

I hesitated. This wasn't adding up.

"We received reports that anyone who enters the forest never returns. And those who do… well, they go AWOL—unless they followed the warnings of the forest druids."

Eva's brows furrowed. "What? No, that's not right at all."

She folded her arms tighter, frustration creeping into her voice. "The ones missing, the ones going berserk—they're the creatures of the Forest of Forgotten Tales. I wrote that report myself."

The uneasy silence that followed made one thing painfully clear:

Something was very, very wrong.

I turned to Agnos. "Agnos, you read it. Did it mention anything like what Eva said?"

Agnos frowned, his eyes narrowing as he recalled the details. "No. I have a good memory. It was the exact opposite. The file specifically warned that the forest is dangerous and that no creatures or beings of any kind should enter it. It was given to us to investigate what caused the disappearances and all the disturbances."

"But I entered it. Nothing was wrong with me though," Amaterasu quipped, clearly unbothered.

Jiuge rolled her eyes. "Did you forget? You were reported missing for two months by your husband."

I nodded, adding, "Jiuge's right. We only came to the Forest of Forgotten Tales because the clue to find you led us here. Investigating the forest just happened to overlap with our mission."

Eva straightened up. "Well, since you guys are already here, might as well help us figure it out. It's getting worse by the day."

"Right," I agreed, then hesitated before asking, "We also have something else we need to do. It's urgent. We're looking for a fairy named Trauco. Do you know where he is?"

Eva's face softened. "Trauco? Oh yeah, I know where he is. He's in jail now."

"W-what? In jail? Why? Is he some kind of criminal?" I asked, completely thrown off guard.

"No, he's treating people in jail. Some of the inmates caught a Bi-blouk disease." Eva paused before narrowing her eyes. "Wait… don't tell me you guys caught it too?"

The three gods shook their heads. But then their hands pointed directly at me.

"Yeah… Not us. Him," Agnos said with a dry tone.

I gave a sheepish smile and raised my hands in mock surrender. "I got it."

Eva looked flustered. "Crap. How long have you had it?"

"Erm… about two days," I said, feeling a little guilty.

She let out a sigh of relief. "Oh good. It's still at a controlled state. Come on. I'll bring you to meet Trauco. He's this city's medical practitioner. You can park your buggy over there." Eva motioned toward a large parking area filled with various modes of transport and carriages.

"Oh, nice. It even has parking space," I said with a relieved grin.

Eva nodded, then turned toward the area as I parked the buggy. "I'll wait for you guys here."

*********

The prison was not what I expected.

It didn't look like a prison at all. More like a dormitory.

It was hard to believe that the inmates here were being treated as well as they were.

There were no cells, no barred windows, no signs of a torture room—just wide, clean halls and open spaces. It felt more like entering a boarding school than a place for punishment.

I looked around, half-expecting some hidden dungeon or secretive prison ward. But instead, everything seemed so… normal. Even the atmosphere was unusually calm.

I couldn't help it. I had to ask. "So, this is a prison?" I asked, still looking around at the spacious, almost welcoming atmosphere. "It doesn't look like one."

Eva shrugged, unbothered by my surprise. "It's not a traditional prison. We don't believe in punishment through isolation. This is more of a rehabilitation center."

"Rehabilitation?" I repeated, raising an eyebrow. "For who, exactly?"

She motioned to the people walking around, some of them wearing medical scrubs, others just looking like regular folks.

"For anyone who's committed a crime or has been affected by something—like magical imbalance. Some need treatment, some need guidance. It's a place where people can heal."

I couldn't help but glance around again, still skeptical. "So, no cells? No bars? Not even a single chain?"

Eva chuckled lightly. "No. We don't do that here. The goal is to understand and help people and the creatures, not lock them up. We focus on healing, not punishment. It's more of a care facility, really."

I frowned, still processing. "So, this is supposed to be a prison?"

She gave me a side-eye. "This is how we do things here. We don't believe in conventional punishment. Here, it's about restoring balance—both for the person and the world around them. The goal is to help them return to their habitat, not just throw them away."

I was quiet for a moment, taking in the clean halls and the relaxed vibe. I wasn't used to this kind of approach, especially not for criminals.

But... maybe there was something to it. I took a deep breath, trying to wrap my head around the idea.

"So, this place works? They actually get better here?" I asked.

Eva nodded, her expression serious. "It works better than the systems in most realms. It's not perfect, but it's better than just locking someone up and throwing away the key. The inmates get a chance to heal, and if they're ready, they can go back out there and be productive members of the realm's ecosystem."

I glanced at the inmates I could see, some still walking casually down the hall, others reading in their rooms. It definitely seemed different from what I was used to.

"I'll admit, I've never seen anything like this. Back home, prisons were... a lot less welcoming."

Eva smiled slightly, as if she had expected that reaction. "Yeah, I bet. But here? We focus on balance, on magic, on the idea that everyone and every creature has a chance to turn things around if they're given the right environment."

I nodded slowly, still processing the shift in perspective. "Alright, I get it. It's unconventional. But if it works, then... maybe it's worth a shot."

Eva gave a sharp nod. "Exactly. Now, let's get you to Trauco. He's the one who's been helping people recover from Bi-blouk disease, and I'm guessing you could use a little of that help yourself."