Coma

“Owl? Is that the yokai who dared to recruit forces right under the Onmyoryo’s nose?”

Upon hearing Minamoto no Yorimasa’s words, Roku couldn't help but be startled, his mind recalling various rumors about Owl.

“Indeed, it’s him. I’ve had a few run-ins with him before. I didn’t expect him to stumble upon me and ruin my plans again, tch…” Minamoto no Yorimasa’s voice sounded quite angry. It wasn’t the first time Owl had disrupted his affairs.

“Could this Owl possibly know what we’re planning?” Roku continued, wondering if information had leaked somewhere.

“Probably not. Owl is just doing what he usually does, ridiculous yokai chivalry. He probably doesn’t know anything special about the Tengu he rescued.” Minamoto no Yorimasa continued, not believing that Owl had merely stumbled upon and attacked their trap by chance. He likely still didn’t know the secret hidden within that yokai hunters squad.

“What about that brat then? Will he expose everything?”

“Don’t worry about that. I’ve placed a very powerful spell on that brat. As long as I wish it, he will remain in a comatose state and won’t utter a single word.” Minamoto no Yorimasa’s tone held a hint of a smile as he said this.

“That’s at least Junior Secretary-level Onmyojutsu, not something yokai can easily break.”

“Hmph, let’s hope so. Since this trap went awry, you must quickly prepare the next one. You should know, Onmyoji, our time is limited.” Hearing Minamoto no Yorimasa’s words, Roku breathed a slight sigh of relief, though the seriousness in his eyes had not faded.

“Of course I know. Just wait, things here will be settled soon. Then, all you need to do is provoke Kakuhanbo into giving the order to attack Heian-kyo, and our mission will be complete.” Minamoto no Yorimasa’s words continued to emanate from the crow’s mouth.

…

On Mount Inari, atop the Torii Gate of Inari Shrine, Miketsu sat in her usual spot, stroking her chin, lost in thought.

Through her previous divination, Miketsu clearly realized that a massive conspiracy specifically targeting Heian-kyo was brewing at this very moment, and she herself might already be caught up in it.

Miketsu wasn't sure what the conspiracy specifically entailed. She could only infer from the available clues that the orchestrator of the plot intended to constantly escalate the conflict between Sugo Ungo and Heian-kyo through various means. The ultimate goal of this mastermind was likely to incite a full-scale conflict between Onmyoji and Tengu.

However, why did that shadowy figure want the Tengu and Onmyoji to fight? What benefit would it bring him? What was his motive for doing this? Miketsu knew none of this, but she knew she couldn't let this conspiracy continue. For Heian-kyo, this plot would never lead to a good outcome, and might even result in widespread devastation in the end, which was not something she wished to see.

Having decided to intervene, Miketsu began to ponder where to start. There were two obvious entry points: the Onmyoryo and the Tengu. She could directly warn them, but the problem was that all the clues she possessed were based on speculation and divination, making them very unconvincing. Furthermore, there were traitors within both factions, so direct contact with them would likely arouse suspicion.

Given the current situation, directly contacting either the Onmyoryo or the Tengu was not a good option. To prevent the conflict between the Tengu and the Onmyoryo, Miketsu needed to gather more information and possess compelling evidence.

To achieve this, Miketsu’s only breakthrough point was the young Tengu she had brought back earlier.

Thinking of this, Miketsu brushed the dust off her miko attire, stood up on the Torii Gate, stretched, and then looked up at the sun in the sky. Although it wasn't dark yet, she prepared to make a trip to Choyo-machi.

…

In the desolate Choyo-machi during the day, across the river not far from the Cat Izakaya, stood a three-story building. Even though it was daytime, many yokai were still loitering in front of the building, occasionally peering inside as if wanting to enter, but they were blocked by a burly, long-horned, fierce-looking Red Oni guarding the door.

This was Nura Rihyon and his group's temporary base purchased in Choyo-machi, established as Owl’s main camp. They originally intended to use it for a long time, but to their surprise, due to Miketsu's continuous troublemaking, the accumulated prestige and increasing amount of confiscated money attracted more and more yokai. Even after a large number were weeded out by strict standards, many still remained. The speed of this faction's expansion exceeded everyone's expectations, and soon this building, serving as their headquarters, became insufficient. They were currently looking for a larger place.

Inside one of the rooms in the building, Miketsu, now disguised as Owl, sat with Nura Rihyon, Tanuki, and Konkiku on the tatami floor. Lying on the futon between them was the young Tengu, still in a deep sleep.

“Oh, so this is the Tengu you rescued? He’s really small, much smaller than Slippery Ghost! He’s so cute; he’ll surely be something great when he grows up. Tsk, looking at those wings, he’s a Karasu-tengu, too.” Standing by the young Tengu’s futon, Konkiku curiously examined the sleeping Tengu boy.

“It’s Nura Rihyon, not Slippery Ghost, Miss Fox. Don’t get it wrong next time.” Hearing Konkiku’s words, Nura Rihyon said with a laugh.

“Karasu-tengu? Aren’t Tengu just Tengu?” It was Yamausagi who spoke then, her eyes wide with curiosity, and the Tanuki beside her answered.

“Tengu come in many types, little granny! There are Karasu-tengu… White Wolf Tengu… Long-Nosed Tengu… River Tengu… so many of them. They all live together and are yokai with a lot of rules, sometimes they’re really annoying, hic…”

Listening to the Tanuki’s words, Miketsu nodded slightly in understanding. Not long ago, she had seen books about Tengu in the Onmyoryo’s archives, gaining a basic understanding of this type of yokai.

Unlike most solitary yokai, Tengu are highly social beings. They never act alone but gather in large numbers to form Tengu settlements, dividing their work according to their innate roles.

Tengu society has a strict hierarchy and clear division of labor. Their status and position are determined from birth: River Tengu and Yamabushi Tengu are responsible for production; Karasu-tengu and White Wolf Tengu for vigilance, garrison duty, and combat; Long-Nosed Tengu serve as middle management and knowledge keepers; and the Great Tengu as the supreme ruler. This system of division is somewhat similar to a caste system.

The young Tengu before them had a pair of wide black wings, clearly indicating he belonged to the Karasu-tengu.

Miketsu carefully observed the sleeping young Tengu. He hadn't woken up at all since last night. Miketsu, who had a basic understanding of Onmyojutsu, could tell that he must have been afflicted by some powerful spell, causing him to remain unconscious until now.

Completely different from the Onmyo-sei level restriction on the wooden box before, Miketsu could see that the coma spell on this young Tengu was far from simple, not something she, with her rudimentary Onmyojutsu, could easily break.

Clearly, the masterminds only wanted the young Tengu to be discovered by Aoi to frame the Onmyoryo. They didn't want the young Tengu to say anything; if Aoi and her group had rescued a conscious young Tengu, it would have gone against their wishes.

This indirectly proved that this young Tengu must know something, otherwise, such a powerful spell wouldn't have been placed on him to render him unconscious.

In other words, if Miketsu could find a way to lift the spell on this young Tengu and wake him up, she would not only learn more of the truth but also gain a witness and evidence. All current difficulties would then be easily resolved.

This was a good idea, but the problem Miketsu currently faced was that her actual Onmyojutsu skill level was quite poor. She only knew a few Deity Summoning Spells, and most of the time, she simply used Onmyojutsu as a means to unleash divine power, roughly blasting her way through problems. She knew nothing about sealing, purification, curses, or counter-curses. When encountering barrier seals, she would always break them by force, but she couldn't use such methods against this coma curse.

Now, Miketsu needed to find a way to lift the spell on the young Tengu. If she couldn't do it herself, perhaps she could get someone else to.