The air vibrates harshly as the power of the bomb shakes the whole place. Layla could feel the magic trying to reach her and warp around her body before the bomb went off. It made her realize what was happening beforehand.

Because Layla realized the danger she was in, it was instinctual for her to create a shield to protect herself and Raziel.

She was a little late in her actions, which caused Raziel's back to become charred. But no real harm was done; the damage was just cosmetic and on the outer surface.

"Ahhh, G-Get away from here…"

"There's a blast! If we get caught in the range, then we will die."

"Hurry and run away."

The plaza where the bomb went off was a well-respected establishment where people gathered to talk with each other and socialize. While it was not overcrowded, there was enough crowd to make it feel crowded.

And now, because of this bombing, almost a dozen people have died.

"Lady Layla, this bombing felt intentional. Do you think someone was targeting you and attacked the plaza because they could not get you alone?"

Raziel asked in a tense voice.

Layla was about to deny this accusation, but then she rethought what had happened, and she could no longer confidently say that it was not the case.

As arrogant as it sounded, Layla had many enemies that wanted to get rid of her. As such, they would not be too farfetched to attack this plaza.

However, this theory had one problem: Little was known about Layla's awakening. As far as most people knew, Layla was still in a deep sleep, and an unknown person had kidnapped her.

Her presence in this plaza was a secret that no one except her, Raziel, and Mary knew.

"I doubt that is the case. We should not jump to conclusions so quickly. For now, why don't we head back home? We also need to call the imperial police and hand over this case to them.

It would be best not to get ourselves involved in this any longer…."

As Layla said, she felt a presence looking at her from afar. She turned to look at that presence, and her eyes met a startled pair.

The owner of those eyes panicked as soon as he realized that Layla was also looking at him, and he clutched the bag in his hand before he tried to run away.

Layla's instincts tingled as soon as she went after that man, and she gestured for Raziel to follow her.

Raziel looked at Layla with certainty and did not ask her any questions; instead, he followed after her.

The hooded figure was fast, and for a second, it felt as if Layla lost that person. She was about to give up when she had the sudden urge to use her magic to track that guy down.

As soon as she did that, the path that the likely bomber had taken became apparent, and Layla and Raziel followed the man into a narrow alley.

Raziel was about to confront this man when Layla grabbed his hand and forced him to stay down.

"Shh, don't speak much. I feel we are about to witness something dangerous right now."

Layla spoke softly, her voice just masked enough not to be heard by the guy she was following.

Hearing what Layla had to say about the situation also calmed Raziel down, and he quickly hid behind the wall.

The hooded figure looked around as if nervous before he knocked at the door to be let in.

The door opened, and a commoner opened it. He had a smooth face, and his clothes were a little dirty from work.

But despite all this, the worker looked fit and active. He was also vigilant, moving his eyes around the surroundings to see if his acquaintance was followed here by anyone else or not.

"I-I did it. That bomb went off without a hitch, and I caused panic. Do you think I have earned a spot at the party yet? I did as I was asked to."

The bomber admitted to being the one who caused that attack, and he sounded proud of what he had done.

Layla noticed how calmly Raziel approached this situation. The older man did not let any of what was said get to his head and did not make a foolish decision.

"I see! It seems as if you are not as useless as you think you are. Since you completed your task, you should come inside and rest. Our master has planned to stop by this establishment sometime next week. I will introduce you to him then."

The well-kept commoner spoke, and his voice sounded deep. Something about this commoner struck Layla as familiar, and her senses told her that she should recognize this person.

But her memory was a little disoriented, so Layla was unsure if his man was familiar because she knew him or because she knew of him.

Whatever the case, this man had now painted himself as a target for Layla, and she needed to take him down.

She marked this place with a surveillance spell before heading back home. She needed to discuss what happened here with Mary.

Layla stepped to get away, but something gripped her arm and kept her standing in place. She looked back, only to see a tight expression on Raziel's face as he faced this establishment. It seemed he wanted to say something, but he was holding back his words.

Finally, the older man decided to say what he wanted to say.

"Miss, do you need me to monitor this establishment? Or better yet, head inside right now and take care of it? You have more important things to do with your precious time than waste it on this place."

Raziel sounded annoyed, and for a good reason. He did not want Layla to waste her time unnecessarily.

It was a good thought but not one Layla could have appreciated.