069: Richard, Lead Investigator of the Cultist Case

*Foundations of Runology*. Truly foundational, beginning with a history of its development.

Lichar rather liked this.

What he lacked the most right now was an understanding of all sorts of local matters.

Lichar knew rune knights were powerful.

Mary was also a rune knight, so he had been in close contact with this military branch.

Yet, that was all.

This book, *Foundations of Runology*, supplemented a good deal of related knowledge for him.

Runes could be said to be one of the derivatives of magic.

Since magic originated from gods and dragons, it was hardly surprising that runes were powerful.

......

Maple Leaf Detective Agency.

Seated on a guest sofa in the third-floor office, Lichar held a thick book, occasionally turning to the next page, though he might also flip back a page, before finally nodding.

When it came to reading books, Lichar definitely could not surpass the scholars on the Lorenz Continent.

However, when it came to analyzing article structures, central themes, key sentences, and so on and so forth, Lichar was devilishly skilled.

Had *Foundations of Runology* not belonged to someone else, his pen and ruler would have already been put to work.

Having read through these basic theories,

Lichar finally laid eyes on the first rune diagram, a rune named: [Basic Strength].

The effect was also simple; after activating the rune, strength increased by 10%.

"So this is a tier-one rune. It looks quite pretty."

Perhaps because the Red Priest was also considered a magical profession, Lichar felt that the pale red patterns on the page were filled with aesthetic beauty.

This was a beauty of vision, and also a beauty of magic.

Lichar gently stroked it with his hand. It was merely a drawing, devoid of anything special.

Yet, his subconscious told him that activating this rune would indeed increase his strength.

Lichar asked, "Can mages equip runes?"

Freya, who was working, heard him, put down her pen, and looked up at him.

Lichar asked again, "Sister Freya, can mages equip runes?"

Freya replied, "Of course they can. In the initial stages of runes, consuming a massive amount of mana was the greatest drawback, which is why the first few batches of rune equipment were specialty items exclusively for mages.

Later on, a genius runemaster solved this problem, and runology was able to be fully popularized."

Lichar said, "Oh, I see. Thank you very much. Can I try drawing magic runes now?"

Freya fell silent again.

This woman never missed an opportunity to take advantage.

Thus, Lichar added the title "Sister" once more.

Freya said, "Of course you can. Anyone can. However, I must remind you that even if you use a stone to draw runes on the ground, it will still consume your mana and mental energy.

In other words, even if you are already a qualified runemaster apprentice, you wouldn't be able to draw a complete magic rune."

Lichar understood.

It was still the problem of low level and small mana pool.

Moreover, apprentices had no human rights.

He thanked her again, stopped asking questions, and continued reading *Foundations of Runology*.

......

Perhaps, much as Freya had stated, the subject of runes demanded a great deal of mana and mental energy.

Merely looking at these pictures and the analytical explanations beneath them for a mere half-hour left his head feeling congested.

Then...... forget it.

There was no need to take it too seriously.

Memorizing the page he had reached, Lichar closed the book.

*Ding-dong!*

Prompt: You have come into contact with runology. Proficiency +2. Current [Runology LV0, 2/100].

......

Look at that,

Stopping was not necessarily bad news; it also brought gains.

The current time was 4:40 PM, which meant it was safe to declare today's study session over.

Lichar stretched lazily and was just about to take his leave when he saw Freya raise her gaze once more, her expression shifting slightly.

Freya said, "It seems credit due to you cannot escape. The men below have captured Cabo and Gina's teammates, and there is indeed something wrong with them.

However, those adventurers claim to be rather unclear about Cabo and Gina's backgrounds."

Adventurers were naturally a group of people hailing from all corners, staking their lives on the edge of a sword.

Ordinary families were mostly unwilling to give their daughters in marriage to adventurers precisely because they never knew whether they would return from their next outing.

Back then, it had only cost Lichar a few dozen copper coins in tavern money to become an adventurer.

Afterward, even though Lichar never did anything other than grind collection quests and never once visited the Adventurers' Guild, no one had ever investigated whether the background he registered was true.

Therefore, two cultists blending into a party of adventurers was entirely commonplace.

Others might not know Cabo and Gina's origins, but Lichar did.

Yet Lichar, who had only crossed paths with them once, could not simply say so.

Freya asked, "Which direction do you think we should investigate next?"

Lichar thought for a moment and said, "Those cultists' teammates probably still have some exploitable value.

The Adventurers' Guild lead cannot be abandoned either. As it happens, I have friends inside the guild, so I can give it a try."

Freya said, "Very well. I heard you've been rather short on money lately. Handle this matter well; getting you another promotion right away might be a bit difficult, but I can issue you a bonus."

يكتب "Thank you, boss!... Oh no, I mean, thank you very much, sister."

"Do not call me sister while at work."

"Understood, Major."

Lichar turned and walked out of the office, closing the door behind him. The very first thing he did was raise his middle finger.

A woman who was this unlikable deserved to grow old alone.

......

Returning to Charlie's Psychological Clinic,

Lichar went upstairs first to store *Foundations of Runology* safely away.

His study of runes had not truly begun yet.

The reason was simple: Lichar had not yet invoked [Freya's Time].

Freya had said that even a runemaster apprentice had no possibility of drawing a complete magic rune.

What if Lichar forcefully became a runemaster instead?

[XX's Time]: Equipment and runes belonged to external objects and were excluded; everything else was entirely at Lichar's disposal to experience.

Therefore, the best teacher was neither books nor Freya, but rather [Freya's Time].

"Well, let's secure the credit that is due first; there is no need to rush into cheating."

Roughly twenty minutes later,

Two steadily pacing men found Doctor Lichar, who was drinking tea and reading the newspaper on the first floor of the clinic.

One of the men with rather rough facial features said, "Sir, regarding today's mission, the Major sent us here to await your orders."

Office of Military Intelligence 6 Private First Class Charles, Level 24, Warrior Class.

Office of Military Intelligence 6 Private First Class Luke, Level 23, Hunter Class.

Today, both of them carried handguns and sufficient ammunition.

Lichar put down the newspaper. Being called "Sir" for the very first time in his life felt rather nice.

However, he did not let it get to his head, first asking them for the case's investigative progress.

Luke handed over a small crystal.

A recording stone......

It recorded the entire process and summary of interrogating the cultists' teammates.

By channeling mana into it, one could watch it on fast-forward; quite convenient.

The images inside the recording stone were dripping with blood, even more miserable than the traitorous dwarf Hutton from before.

The underground black prison of the Intelligence Office had always been a place where people entered on their feet and left lying down.

Having briefly reviewed it, Lichar, the officer in charge of the cultist case, nodded and said, "At this hour, the Adventurers' Guild hasn't closed yet. I'll just head over to upgrade my adventurer title."

Lichar had already mapped out his subsequent course of action, changed into ordinary adventurer attire, and set off with his men.