Chapter 2: The Loosening of the Seal

He immediately moved closer to the crack.

Though an invisible wall blocked him and he could not insert his fingers inside, his chest pounded at the sight of something other than darkness.

Because it was night, he could not see a vivid view, but compared to the darkness that had tormented him for so long, it was bright enough.
Above all, it felt fresh.

Though it was dim, what he saw from there was a grand Japanese-style house.
Good. The villagers still live here.

Warm memories within him, long forgotten, came back to him.

Because he was not human, he could not live together with them in the village.
Even so, he had been glad that they treated him kindly, just as they would a human.

He had heard that a man-eating oni came to that village several times a month.
Yet while he was there, it never once showed itself.
It must have feared me and fled. A wise decision.
As a result, he carried a sense of pride that he had protected the village.

Receiving meat and sake in thanks, and spending whole nights making merry at his dwelling, were also fond memories to him.
A friendship that had crossed the boundary between races—that, too, had been a source of pride for him.

When he thought that the humans who had treated him back then might no longer be alive, he felt a slight sense of loneliness.

As he reflected on the days long past, he sat down and decided to wait for morning.
Before long, the sense of nostalgia faded, and anger welled up within him.

In the first place, that insolent female tengu is to blame.

He also ended up recalling the day he was sealed.

That day, when he arrived at the village, a female tengu stood before him.
The villagers’ faces were dark and downcast.
He sensed something off in their expressions.
The bright and cheerful looks they once wore were nowhere to be seen.

He was quick to reach a conviction.
The tengu before him must have acted as she pleased.
He still remembers the apologetic look in the village leader’s eyes.

He immediately understood the village leader’s feelings.
He did not want to cause trouble, yet he had no choice but to rely on me.

He fought to free the villagers, but in the end, he was sealed away.
If only that woman had not resorted to underhanded means.

With that thought, he could no longer remain still.
Rising to his feet, he began to pound his fists against the crack in an attempt to widen it.

However, with without a body, his fists met with no resistance and had no effect whatsoever.
He himself realized this, gave up, and sat down once more.

It’s all right. There is hope.

This crack must be a sign that the seal is weakening.
Only the method is wrong.