Analysis

“Troublemaker? Lord Owl, what do you mean?” Nura Rihyon frowned, asking Miketsu with considerable curiosity. The Tanuki and Yamausagi beside him also cast curious glances.

“Because there are simply too many unusual aspects to this matter…” Miketsu said with a profound smile, beginning to explain her analysis to Nura Rihyon and the others.

…

When Miketsu saw the box containing the young Tengu, a pile of questions arose in her heart; there were simply too many unreasonable points.

The rumors circulating about the Onmyo Clans transporting a secret treasure, the escort team's overly unclear situation, the low-level Onmyojutsu seal on the box, the sleeping young Tengu inside, and the hidden Minamoto Clan crest… all these fragmented pieces of information were filled with various suspicious points. However, Miketsu lacked the crucial link to connect them all until Aoi appeared with the Karasu-tengu. Miketsu then connected their presence to what Yura had told her previously, and all these clues finally came together for Miketsu. A bold idea surfaced in Miketsu's mind.

Why were the Minamoto Clan's actions so unconcealed and full of flaws? Why was the box's seal only at the level of an Onmyo-sei? Why did the escort team know nothing and were so weak? The reason for all this was simple: it was a trap, a trap specifically designed for someone to fall into!

The young Tengu being transported was placed there from the beginning specifically for someone to rescue him, but the one who was supposed to rescue him was not Miketsu, but his kin, Aoi!

The purpose of all this was to confirm that human Onmyo Clans had attacked Sugo Unten and extensively captured Tengu! It was to further escalate the conflict between Heian-kyo and Sugo Unten!

Firstly, the incident began when Sugo Unten was attacked by an unknown force, resulting in the death or disappearance of many Tengu. Traces of spiritual power and talismans were left at the scene. As a result, the Great Tengu Kakuhanbo, the Yokai Lord, dispatched envoys to Heian-kyo to question the Onmyoryo directly and even demanded to search the Onmyo Clans. After being rejected by Kamo no Tadayuki and others, the Tengu envoys were expelled from Heian-kyo city, but they did not return to Sugo Unten. Instead, they continued searching for traces of their companions near Heian-kyo.

Consequently, someone decided to exploit this point by specifically orchestrating a “Tengu rescuing their kin captured by human Onmyoji” drama.

“yokai hunters from Echizen are secretly escorting a secret treasure for a prominent figure in Heian-kyo.” This rumor was deliberately spread to attract Aoi, who was searching for her companions, to come and rescue.

Why did the escort team know nothing and were so weak? The reason was that they were originally scapegoats picked at random, cannon fodder destined to die.

Why was the Onmyojutsu seal on the box so low-level? That's because the seal was meant to be easily broken by force. Its purpose was to make the rescuing Tengu feel the traces of Onmyojutsu on the box, thereby further confirming that an Onmyoji had done all this.

The Minamoto Clan crest inside the box was a further misdirection, making the Tengu who opened the box believe that the Minamoto Clan, one of the human Three Great Clans, was behind it all. After all, their reputation in this regard was already terrible, making it easy for them to take the blame.

…

Therefore, it is highly likely that all these events were pre-arranged. It can be said that anyone who rescued this young Tengu would cast suspicious glances at the Minamoto Clan, at the Onmyo Clans, wondering if they were behind it all.

Except for Miketsu.

Firstly, Miketsu possessed much information unknown to ordinary people. She had learned beforehand from Yura about the various changes occurring in Sugo Unten, which led her to connect the events in this way.

Secondly, Miketsu herself had a certain foundation in Onmyojutsu. She could discern the overly simple nature of the Onmyojutsu seal on the box. If it were Aoi, a Yokai completely ignorant of Onmyojutsu, she would probably only know in the end that the box had human Onmyojutsu on it that she had broken, but she wouldn't know that the seal was only at the level of an Onmyo-sei, which was highly illogical.

Then, there was the Minamoto Clan crest inside the box. The Minamoto Clan was extremely hated in the demon realm and had a terrible reputation. Any Yokai seeing this crest would instinctively associate it with the Minamoto Clan as the mastermind behind everything. However, Miketsu, who had dealt with the Minamoto Clan several times, knew the extent of their stealth when operating in secret; they would not make such a low-level mistake as accidentally exposing their crest.

Considering all these points, Miketsu believed that this incident was a trap, one specifically aimed at Heian-kyo by Sugo Unten, with the goal of escalating the conflict between these two factions. What would happen if the relationship between Sugo Unten and the Onmyoryo continued to deteriorate was completely unknown, but it certainly wouldn't be anything good. This was why Miketsu deceived Aoi; she could not simply hand over the young Tengu.

When Miketsu gradually explained her thoughts to Nura Rihyon and the others, expressions of disbelief appeared on their faces. They all felt that the matter was far too outlandish.

Miketsu could understand Nura Rihyon's and the others' thoughts, as all of this was her own subjective speculation from beginning to end, without any concrete evidence. On this point, Miketsu indeed needed confirmation.

Upon arriving at Choyo-machi, Miketsu entrusted the young Tengu to Nura Rihyon and the others for safekeeping. She then rode Konkiku back to Mount Inari. Returning to the Secret Realm, as soon as Miketsu changed her clothes, she called Tsuruha over. After Tsuruha transformed into her human form, the two quickly set up the ritual, preparing to use the Planchette for divination and confirmation.

After everything was ready and two or three vengeful spirits were sacrificed, Miketsu successfully possessed the Planchette and began to ask her first question.

“Planchette, Planchette, please tell me, is the secret cargo in the Echizen Yokai Hunter team a trap?”

The Thread of Causality moved the brush in Miketsu's hand, drawing a circle over the “yes” position.

“It is a trap, indeed,” Miketsu thought, her expression hardening. She then asked the next question: “Planchette, Planchette, please tell me, is the trap set by the Echizen Yokai Hunter team targeting Heian-kyo and Sugo Unten?”

The hands that Miketsu and Tsuruha held together began to move again, drawing another circle over the “yes” position.

At this point, Miketsu had largely confirmed her suspicions. Now, based on the confirmed previous conjectures, she had some other ideas.

“Planchette, Planchette, please tell me, are there disloyal traitors within Sugo Unten?”

The brush in Miketsu's hand moved once more, circling the “yes” position to confirm Miketsu's thought. Seeing this, Miketsu took a deep breath.

Although Miketsu still didn't know who the mastermind behind this incident was, it was clear that they had a deep understanding of both the Onmyo Clans and Sugo Unten. Otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to attack so many Tengu at once, leaving talismans and spiritual power traces to frame Heian-kyo, nor would they have such a good grasp of Aoi's movements in Heian-kyo, being able to predict that she would come to rescue the young Tengu.

To have such clear control over the Tengu's actions, the possibility of internal issues within Sugo Unten is extremely high. Conversely, the same applies to the Onmyo Clans' side. After all, whether it's spiritual power traces, spell talismans, Onmyojutsu seals, the Minamoto Clan crest… these various things could not have been created solely by Tengu, who are Yokai. There must certainly be human collaborators skilled in Onmyodo involved.

With this thought, Miketsu planned to perform a similar divination for the Three Great Clans, and her first chosen target was the Minamoto Clan.

“Planchette, Planchette, please tell me, are there disloyal traitors within the Minamoto Clan…”

The upright brush continued to draw another circle over the “yes” position.