As he followed the guard through a side corridor of the palace, Renato deliberately slowed his steps, but his eyes never stopped moving.
He memorized the rooms along the way, the general areas the branching passages led to, and the layout. So far, he had found no trace of anything that might be an entrance to the White Tower, but the trip had not been fruitless. Renato had already checked part of the outer area and worked out most of the dead ends and which corridors looped back into one another.
Once he returned to Klauthsura, the two of them could compile this information into a map and gradually narrow down the suspicious locations by elimination, then investigate them specifically.
After the guard led him into a corridor in the side hall, the surroundings changed.
The crowded bustle of the main hall vanished entirely, replaced by a quiet passage lined on both sides with wooden doors of similar size. Exquisite carvings decorated the doors, with brass nameplates set into their tops.
Renato guessed that these rooms had once served as temporary lodgings for courtiers and visiting nobles. He could imagine servants weaving through the corridor with silver trays while richly dressed guests exchanged greetings and bows outside their doors, back before Nittel III had left.
The side hall was so quiet it felt almost deserted. He passed three corners and saw only one sentry, standing in the shadows at the second turn. The man's helmet lay at his feet; he had clearly been idle for a long time.
The guard stopped before an ordinary-looking door and raised a hand to signal Renato to halt.
"Sir Renato, this is the identity verification room. A Royal Mage inside handles registration. He will tell you what you need to do."
As soon as