After a short walk they've arrived before an inconspicuous building built into the base of the mountain.
At its entrance stood two people in suits.
They warily eyed the group of students that approached.
"This is a no visitors zone. Please turn back."
Cedric glanced at Cyril's group, gave a thumbs-up, and quickly approached the guards.
He talked to them, pulling out some token from his pocket.
At the sight of it, the guard's attitude quickly shifted, becoming much more polite.
"Please, come right this way. Apologies for the inconvenience."
The men stood aside, leaving the way open.
Cyril walked in through the entrance. The others followed him close behind.
Without being asked, Cedric smiled and whispered an explanation.
"Some time ago I saved the owner of this zoo from a few ruffians. He gave me this token and explained a few things!"
Cyril only nodded and continued walking, his face calm.
"Lucky bastard."
They passed an elaborate hallway, filled with various vases and animal statues. The zoo outside appeared lively and exciting, but here the atmosphere became secretive, almost somber.
At the end of the hallway stood a woman in a dress, her hands in front of her.
"Welcome. The show is about to begin. Please come this way." She motioned towards the door near her.
Inside was a massive stage, its tiered seats vast enough to fit thousands of people. It wasn't as big as the training hall in their academy, but the size was still impressive.
There were even private booths placed at certain intervals. The visible seats around them were only partially filled, and all the visitors kept a certain distance from each other.
A man in a colorful costume stood in the middle of the arena-like stage, his back straight.
Edmund's eyes sparkled at the sight of private booths, waiters going around, and security at every step.
"How about I try negotiating? Maybe they'll let us have a private booth!"
"We'll be fine without it."
Cyril doused cold water on his excitement and sat down on the nearest available seat.
The others casually joined him, ignoring Edmund's disappointment.
"I hope this won't take too long. In an hour they are going to be showing flying wyverns in the jungle…" Rose readied her notebook, her eyes glued to the stage.
"We still have tomorrow if there's no time today."
"True."
After a short wait, the man on stage moved, spreading his hands to the sides.
"Welcome, everyone! To the very first Spectacle of Exotic Animals!"
Despite the distance, his voice was loud and clear.
"Our company worked hard to procure these magic creatures, and you'll be the first ones to witness them! I promise some of the creatures here will definitely surprise you!"
The man in a colorful suit stood sideways, pointing at a large curtain opening up, revealing darkness.
"Let's not waste any precious time and begin. We'll start big, with a creature that inspired the zoo's mascot, the Tyrant!
The very ground trembled as a gigantic beast walked out from the darkness.
"Meow?"
It was a tiger of a massive size. A single paw of his was already enough to completely cover the man on stage.
Tigris lowered his body, hiding himself in Cyril's arms as his blue eyes timidly observed the hulking beast.
Cyril petted the kitten sitting on his lap to calm him down.
"The Tyrant was first discovered in the Deathseeker Jungle. Back then it even managed to kill a knight!"
The tiger opened its maw, revealing frightening claws. It raised its head high.
After the man in a colorful costume clapped his hands, the beast roared.
There was a barrier on stage that weakened the roar's effects significantly, but some spectators still closed their ears on reflex.
Cyril held his head, the sound ringing in his ears for some time.
At the same time, in the air around the tiger appeared spheres of fire, pulsating with heat.
On another signal from the man, the Tyrant hurled the spell at the prepared target on stage.
An impressive booming sound was heard, and the target completely disappeared, scorched metal and ashes in its place.
The crowd clapped at this sight in awe. The man on stage bowed as if it was his own effort that destroyed the target.
Rose was scribbling excitedly in her notebook as usual, Edmund's disappointment was replaced by a childish awe, and Myra only had her brow raised, otherwise unimpressed.
For Cyril, the same uncomfortable feeling from before prevented him from enjoying the show. There was a slight frown on his face.
"Do you dislike it too...?" Suddenly a quiet voice called out to Cyril.
Cyril turned to its source and noticed Anna staring at him with an uncertain gaze.
"It's a bit boring," Cyril casually replied with a nod.
"These animals lead a sad life, locked up, stripped of their freedom." Anna gazed at the tiger on stage with pity. "They shouldn't be like this."
"I don't remember you asking about her opinion."
When she was finished, Anna turned her face away from him, turning a bit red.
Cedric's supportive whisper came from a neighboring seat.
"Good job. It's small steps. You can do it."
"And what are they planning?"
Ignoring their conspiracies, Cyril looked away, back towards the Tyrant, who was now standing on its forelegs.
Its orange eyes appeared fierce at first glance, but deeper was a certain helplessness that somehow appeared familiar to him.
Do I also feel sad for these creatures?
"Do you? I don't. I think it's funny that these 'majestic' beasts behave like circus animals."
...Right. Maybe you are onto something.
"Really!?"
Cyril seriously considered her words, as Rhamn's red eyes widened with joy and surprise.
Throughout the zoo he saw many beasts with sharp fangs and limbs hiding great power.
There were also animals who used stealth, speed, unique abilities, and even tactics, but they all carried the same tranquil expression.
The tiger should be filled with hatred for being treated like a toy. The beast should've tried to defend itself, to hunt down the cocky humans.
They have so many abilities, but they don't use them to their fullest... These 'majestic' beasts are reduced to a spectacle.
…They would've looked a lot more beautiful free.
"You are right! You are a genius!" Rhamn's face became more excited the more she spoke.
"Just imagine the chaos if the animals here were freed! Maybe we can ask Cosmas!? Or hopefully whatever incident the knights here are for will lead to that!"
"…"
He ignored her, focusing back on the show.
The tiger was jumping around through obstacles and showcased its strength by destroying steel plates.
All kinds of tricks were shown on stage for the sake of entertainment.
And when the crowd was bored of the tiger, another magic creature took its place, and then another.
The zoo was able to acquire a surprising number of different magic creatures.
From those slithering on their bellies to ones walking on four legs and everything in between.
"Now, please witness a fight between our brave Sir Frank and the fearsome Canine."
A man in enchanted plate armor appeared on stage, a sword and shield in its hand. Opposite him stood a dog of an average size, but with exaggerated claws and fangs.Its maw was elongated, its eyes narrow and sharp.
After a bit more fanfare, the two began fighting, though Cyril didn't want to call that a fight.
As he observed, his feelings of frustration only grew. The man expertly weaved around the dog's attacks, casting spells and blocking its breath.
Seemingly it was a good fight, but he could tell something was wrong.
The dog's expression, despite the frightening features, bore the same tranquil expression most other animals did in this zoo.
It attacked but without the desire to win.
That's it!
The familiar feeling he was getting from their eyes snapped into place as Cyril remembered where it came from.
He glanced to his side, where Myra sat, boredly observing the stage.
It reminds me of her...
"Ha! She is indeed like a dog, overly loyal for no good reason... Dog-like Myra, the more I think about it, the more it fits." Rhamn nodded up and down with a grin.
You know what I mean. These magic creatures gave up. That's exactly it.
Cyril relaxed in his chair, understanding bringing him a certain sense of relief, like scratching an itch.
More and more animals appeared on stage. And from each, the only thing that stood out to him was their eyes.
Morpho on his shoulder already began practicing, not paying any attention to the stage.
At least Tigris in his lap was still curiously observing.
"Let's not ruin the trip. We are here to get inspiration and enjoy ourselves, not anything else."
I'll try...
Finally, after some time, the man in a colorful suit returned on stage.
"It's time for our last two exhibits, and don't worry, we've saved the best for last!"
From the darkness emerged another creature.
"...?"
"The hell?"
"Interesting..."
"That's... Is there a mistake...?"
The group showed shock as a single magic creature walked out on stage.
It was standing on two legs, it had two arms, its body was covered with a cloth that obscured its curves, it had a head with long white hair, and it had a face with beautiful refined features.
"I present to you, a vampire!"
The man in a colorful suit dramatically motioned towards a beautiful woman with white hair and red eyes.
The vampire walked around the arena, showcasing her ability to turn into a cloud of black smoke, supernatural strength and speed, and ability to manipulate blood.
All the while her red eyes showed hatred and unwillingness, as if ready to tear the humans in front of her into rags.
"Is this really considered... a magic creature?" Cedric mumbled, his face clearly uncomfortable.
Myra looked unsurprised but had a frown. Edmund showed no emotion other than curiosity.
Anna's face grew strangely calm, staring at the scene unflinchingly. The look in her brown eyes was complex but obviously negative.
Cyril, however, felt strangely relieved at the sight, specifically at the hate-filled red eyes of the vampire.
That's much better.
His earlier conclusion seemed even more certain now.
In a while the vampire was taken off the stage, and a different creature walked out from the darkness.
A completely white horse with a single horn on its head and a lush mane majestically galloped to the stage.
"Here we have something that in the distant past humans worshiped as a deity! The mighty Kirin!"
The horse raised its head and neighed. With that, a few bolts of lightning struck the ground around it, appearing out of thin air.
"Now, as a grand finale we'll-"
Just as the man in a colorful suit began talking, the whole building shook.
Dust fell from the ceilings as the visitors and the guards all tried to keep their footing, panic spreading among them.
After a few seconds the shaking stopped.
Morpho interrupted her training, Tigris hid in his arms, Rose stored away her notebook, and Myra stood up and assumed a fighting stance.
The show paused as everyone warily looked around. Zoo staff and security were running somewhere in the background.
Just as the man on stage wanted to say something, suddenly a transparent wave shot through the building, covering everyone and everything.
Cyril didn't feel anything change when the wave passed through him, but the effects of this event were apparent soon enough.
The horse on stage suddenly neighed, though this time the sound was different.
It was a scream filled with hostility and hatred.
Before anyone was able to realize what was happening, the beast's horn shone, and a lightning bolt struck down upon the man in front of it.
The man in a colorful suit's body fell to the ground, completely charred.
Before anyone had the time to process what happened, Kirin raised its hoofs and stomped on the remains, splattering it all over the empty seats in front.
Only now did screams erupt, and people started running out of the building in a panic.
"Yes! Ha ha! Look, we got what we wished for! How lucky!"
Cyril's face didn't share Rhamn's enthusiasm, a wary frown quickly forming.