The afternoon sunlight slanted across the empty main road, warming the stone paving until it was faintly hot. The horseshoes of two warhorses rang against it in a crisp, steady rhythm.
Renato and Novak rode side by side. The old knight was clearly in a good mood today. Renato could tell that Novak felt they had hit it off; despite barely having rested all day, he still held the reins with vigor, talking cheerfully about the local scenery and harvests.
Renato, however, had little interest in chatting anymore. He kept the conversation going with halfhearted replies while quietly tightening his legs around his horse, pressing the insides of his knees against its flanks to urge it into a slightly faster pace.
Today's visit to the Royal Palace had been a complete success. Luck had been on his side: he had happened to meet Rafada, a young Royal Mage, and learned a great deal of crucial information about this demiplane from him.
Feeling the weight of the stack of parchment stored in his Space Ring, Renato organized the information he had gathered that afternoon in his mind.
First, based on the information provided by the [Guide] and the white-haired boy, he could be reasonably certain that Pure White was in poor condition, or had already died. In any case, the legendary mage most likely no longer had the independent awareness needed to obstruct their plan to enter the White Tower.
For Renato, this was the most important piece of good news for now. At least he no longer had to worry about how to deal with an eccentric legendary mage.
Second, he had learned where the White Tower's entrance was and gained a rough understanding of the Mage Tower's internal structure and layout. Though the information was fragmentary, once he took