I still feel dizzy.
After consuming the fine wine gifted by the imperial family, I even went so far as to buy and guzzle down vodka with an alcohol content of 95%.
Considering that drinking multiple bowls of what was essentially poison capable of burning one’s insides was the same as committing self-harm, it would have been strange if my body remained unharmed.
The world continues to spin around me.
It’s a miracle that I didn’t end up babbling incoherently in some nonsensical baby talk.
But somehow, I gather my wits and try to think.
Even in my half-asleep state, assaulted by the flash of cameras, I hastily begin piecing together what happened to land me in this situation.
Surprisingly, it wasn’t that hard.
The clues were blatant—almost laughably so.
‘Did I really go and do that under the influence of alcohol…?’
One of the secret techniques I devised to escape from the academy.
A forbidden strategy that I ultimately buried and abandoned to protect both my dignity and my social standing.
…Public indecency.
‘No wonder my shirt disappeared.’
It wasn’t that I took it off before bed because it was uncomfortable.
No, it seems I had been walking around shirtless from the start.
My drunken impulses tend to bypass all filters, acting out immediately.
Fueled by baseless confidence derived from alcohol, I must have gained the courage to break my own taboo.
Even with my pounding headache, I could feel the creeping shame.
I couldn’t help but doubt myself—’had I truly stooped so low, even in a drunken state?’
“Why on earth did you decide to expose something like that to your students?! Please, explain yourself!”
The reporter’s exclamation confirmed my worst suspicions.
It seems I really did cause a massive incident.
My face burned with embarrassment, but spilled water cannot be retrieved.
I might as well make the best of this.
Forcing a calm and composed expression, I feigned ignorance.
I asked in return, as if baffled, “I should be the one asking. Why do you think something like this should be hidden in the first place?”
A sudden declaration of nudism.
Even seasoned reporters who’ve seen it all seemed shocked by the absurdity of this lunatic.
But without hesitation, I pressed on with my argument.
“This kind of repressive attitude is what hinders humanity’s progress. I have no intention of adhering to such narrow-minded, outdated ideologies.”
If you listened to my words alone, they might sound profound.
But when examined closely, it was just the ranting of a deranged exhibitionist.
The reporters’ jaws dropped in collective disbelief.
Though visibly shaken, they were professionals.
‘How could any reporter resist such tantalizing material for a headline?’
They all began scribbling furiously, jotting down what I imagined to be the titles for their articles.
[The New Professor Condemns the Vile Attitude of Knowledge Hoarding. Magic Development Above All.]
[A Thrilling Blow to the Closed-Off Magical Society!]
Though my already spinning vision prevented me from seeing the small print they wrote, I could predict it well enough.
‘They’re probably detailing every ounce of my shamelessness under the guise of a scathing exposé. It’s almost amusing.’
I suppressed a chuckle.
The wind was finally blowing in my favor.
Such an opportunity might never arise again—I had to seize the moment.
Straightening my back, I boldly addressed the crowd.
“I still find it difficult to understand.”
Journalists always hunger for scandals.
Sure enough, everyone present gazed at me with eyes full of anticipation, practically begging for an even juicier statement.
‘Don’t worry,’ I thought. ‘I’m dying to utter something historically outrageous.’
“Why is everyone overreacting? I honestly can’t understand why you’re making such a fuss over nothing.”
It was an utterly shameless statement, despite the mess I’d caused.
Naturally, those who heard my words were left speechless, their eyes bulging in disbelief.
The reporters scribbled even faster.
[Runic Translation Deemed “Nothing Special.” How Far Does This Genius Professor’s Talent Extend?]
[To Advance Magic, This Was the Only Right Thing to Do. The New Professor’s Selfless Dedication Shocks Everyone!]
[Useful Knowledge Should Be Shared for the Public Good, Right? The Question That Left Everyone Ashamed.]
By this point, even I was getting excited.
‘What ridiculous remark should I make next to dominate tomorrow’s headlines?’
Suppressing my laughter, I pondered gleefully.
***
It was at that moment—
…The sound of hurried footsteps reached my ears.
Ahead of me were the reporters grinning as they scribbled down my every word.
Through them pushed a middle-aged man with brown hair, his expression one of desperation.
He stopped before me, his voice trembling as he cried out.
“I was wrong, Riyan! I can’t live without you. Driving you away has been my lifelong regret!”
Everyone was stunned, attempting to stop the man, but his strength was overwhelming.
Brushing past those in his way, he collapsed onto the floor before me.
“Please, I beg you, come back to the White Tower!”
The middle-aged man clung to the hem of my pants.
He asked if I remembered him, claiming with utmost sincerity to be the former master of the White Tower whom I had met once as a child.
The bizarre sight filled my head with bewilderment.
Unconsciously, a question escaped my lips.
“…The White Tower Master? You?”
A figure I once admired in my childhood.
Though he didn’t believe in my words back then, he hadn’t driven me away from the filthy slums either.
Instead, he offered practical advice and even slipped me a gold coin—a gesture I’d always been grateful for.
Of course, I remembered his face.
I remembered it vividly.
But still…
The idea that the towering magician I revered and this middle-aged man weathered by society were the same person—it was simply unbelievable.
Time may be cruel, but this was far too extreme.
“I am no longer the Tower Master!”
And yet, the man didn’t deny my question.
Approaching uncomfortably close, he shouted, “Someone like me has no right to be the Tower Master! If anything, it is you who should claim the title of White Tower Master!”
What they seek is magic itself.
To explore its essence and grasp its full understanding.
For centuries since the White Tower’s establishment, countless individuals have desperately strived to fulfill that dream.
But every attempt ended in failure.
The White Tower, having challenged the impossible, is now in decline, with most having abandoned that dream.
In such a state of resignation, you appeared.
The middle-aged man’s eyes gleamed as he spoke, telling his story.
“You, who deciphered runes on your own, are the only hope to achieve our dream! I know it’s shameless to ask now, but please, take the Tower Master’s position!”
For a moment, my head spun.
I wanted to believe this was just a fraud spouting nonsense, but the magical energy emanating from the man in front of me was real.
Overwhelming, even terrifyingly so.
Even in his emotionally unstable state of near madness, he unconsciously maintained countless layers of defensive magic at all times.
This middle-aged man really was Merlin himself.
The man synonymous with genius.
A figure every child once admired.
The magician who once shook the world with superhuman prowess.
And now, this legendary figure was speaking to me.
Telling me he was wrong.
Begging me to return and take the position of Tower Master.
Swearing that he now believed I had deciphered the runes.
Cold sweat ran down my back.
My hangover-addled mind, sluggish until now, suddenly kicked into gear, presenting me with the worst-case scenario.
‘Could I have misunderstood something?
Was the incident I caused truly the naked spectacle I thought it was?’
What if…
And this was a big if…
If the hypothesis forming in my mind was correct, what kind of colossal disaster had I drunkenly unleashed?
“If you won’t take the position of Tower Master, then at least accept me as your disciple!”
But regardless of my inner turmoil, the middle-aged Tower Master sobbed loudly, tears streaming down his face.
Then came the sound of a click.
I couldn’t ignore that sound.
…It confirmed beyond doubt that the situation had escalated beyond any hope of reversal.
***
[The Genius Professor Deciphers the Language of the Gods?!]
[Breaking News: Not Just Nine Runes—He’s Decoded Thousands!]
[White Tower Master, Tearfully Clinging to His Pants, Begs to Be Accepted as a Disciple.]
[From Adventurers’ Guild Leader to the Second Sword Saint, and Now Even the Tower Master? Just How Far Will the New Professor Rise?]
I stared at the newspaper with a vacant expression.
In that moment, I swore never to touch alcohol again.