The Trap

Owl is Tsuruha? The leader of the Fushimi foxes, a spirit beast? The powerful yokai Owl, who shook the Onmyoryo, is actually a spirit fox!

Minamoto no Yorimasa carefully pondered the speculation provided by Ishikawa. Although this guess seemed quite absurd, upon closer reflection, it held a certain amount of logic.

For instance, Kamo no Yasunori had once fought Owl. He had used numerous spells to subdue demons and suppress evil against Owl, but none had worked. At the time, his judgment was that Owl was too powerful and could forcibly break the spells and seals meant to suppress him. However, if Owl were actually Tsuruha, there would be a more reasonable explanation: spells targeting yokai are ineffective against spirit beasts.

“But if Tsuruha really is Owl, where did that massive demonic energy come from? Spirit beasts cannot emit demonic energy. Furthermore, as a divine messenger and a spirit beast, why would Tsuruha pretend to be a yokai? What is her motive?” Regarding this speculation, Minamoto no Yorimasa once again raised points of doubt, but Ishikawa was already prepared with an answer.

“Regarding the first point of why Tsuruha can use demonic energy, I suspect she might have accidentally obtained some secret method to convert power, though the specifics are unknown. As for the second point of why she would disguise herself as a yokai, it's simple: it's to deal with us.” Carrying confidence in his own deduction, Ishikawa slowly continued.

“The foxes of Fushimi cannot kill us. We exploited this to hunt them, so Tsuruha thought of borrowing the power of yokai from the demon realm, using their hands to kill us. To protect her clan, she has gone as far as falling into the demon realm and defiling her status as a divine messenger.”

Listening to Ishikawa's supplementary explanation, Minamoto no Yorimasa nodded in understanding. This indeed made sense.

“But so far, everything you've said is just speculation. You want to deal with Owl based solely on a guess? That seems a bit inappropriate.”

“Hehe, it's not just a guess... I have already conducted verification and obtained results.”

“Verification?”

“Early this morning, I sent a lone fox-hunting team up the mountain, but there was no word from them. Just now, I received news that the team I sent out was completely slaughtered in the mountains. Blood was everywhere, many of the bodies had been eaten, and there was residual demonic energy. It was certainly the work of yokai.” Ishikawa spoke unhurriedly about the information he had just received. His face remained as usual, showing no regret for the deaths of his subordinates, as if this were only to be expected.

“All dead? That means...”

“Exactly. Tsuruha transformed into Owl and led the yokai to kill the hunting team. This has never happened in all the years of fox hunting. Lord Yorimasa... you understand what I mean, don't you?” With a smile on his lips, Ishikawa spoke to Minamoto no Yorimasa.

“Heh... based on what you've said, the possibility of Owl being Tsuruha is indeed very high. So, you're preparing to deal with Owl next? But I must remind you, she is not easy to handle. Even Kamo no Tadayuki's son and the Taira clan samurai were no match for her. Your small group of people is far from being able to face her.” Minamoto no Yorimasa said, not quite believing that the fox hunter before him could truly stand against Owl.

“Please rest assured, Lord Yorimasa. I already have a plan for dealing with Tsuruha alone, but the group of yokai she commands is indeed a trouble. For them, I must request the assistance of the Minamoto clan.” As he spoke, Ishikawa bowed to Minamoto no Yorimasa.

Minamoto no Yorimasa smiled slightly after a moment of thought and then spoke.

“As for dealing with Owl... the Minamoto clan can help you, but what do we get in return?”

“Itsumaden—doesn't Owl know the whereabouts of Itsumaden? Once successful, I only want Tsuruha, while Itsumaden will belong to the Minamoto clan. In addition, I will offer a batch of high-quality foxes that can serve as shikigami.” Ishikawa tried his best to make himself appear more sincere.

Facing the conditions proposed by Ishikawa, Minamoto no Yorimasa thought it over carefully and then said,

“Very well... if things are as you say, this is a good opportunity to catch Owl. The Minamoto clan can assist you to a certain extent, provided the reward afterward is as you promised.”

Minamoto no Yorimasa felt very bitter about Itsumaden, the target he had failed to capture last time. Therefore, seeing an opportunity to find Owl, he did not want to let it pass.

“Then I shall thank Lord Yorimasa in advance... Also, there is one more thing: please do not inform the Onmyoryo. If they find out about this, they will certainly intervene, and it will be uncertain whether we can claim the final spoils.”

“Humph, you certainly think ahead. Rest assured, I will not tell anyone unnecessary about this.”

“Then... that is excellent...”

...

The Ishikawa family was originally a peripheral noble family in Heian-kyo. A hundred years ago, after Inari Okami fell into a deep slumber and the Inari foxes lost their protection, humans, driven by greed, began a large-scale hunt for them. The noble Ishikawa family saw an opportunity at that time and quickly joined the hunt.

Since the Ishikawa family were originally nobles with a certain amount of influence and wealth, they recruited a large number of fox hunters and colluded with Onmyoji families. They soon became the main force in hunting Inari foxes and could be considered the primary culprits behind the decline of the Inari fox population.

However, the Inari foxes were always divine messengers, and the Imperial Court officially prohibited their capture and killing. For the Ishikawa family to hunt divine messengers was a crime of sacrilege. Yet, because they used the vast wealth gained from fox hunting to bribe numerous officials, their ultimate punishment was merely being banished from Heian-kyo. Even so, they continued to organize fox hunters to come to Fushimi every year to hunt Inari foxes, a practice that has persisted to this day.

On Inari Mountain, Miketsu, still dressed in black robes, walked through the woods of the Secret Realm, discussing matters regarding Ishikawa with her divine messenger, Tsuruha. The focus was on the information recently obtained from a wild fox within the fox-hunting team.

“Lady Uka... do you really plan to act so soon?”

“There is no time to lose. Delaying will only give them time to relocate; we must act tonight.” Facing the words of her divine messenger, Miketsu spoke decisively.

“But that is clearly a trap set for you.” Tsuruha said worriedly. Just now, they had performed a divination regarding the unexpectedly obtained intelligence, and the results showed that it was a trap—a trap specifically designed for her!

Facing Tsuruha's words, Miketsu smiled slightly and then spoke.

“Is a trap that is known to exist still a trap?”