I Don't Need To Log Out-Chapter 178: Esia (2)

Before the banter could continue into another round of Zack vs. Osgar nonsense, Arlon stepped in.

"Sir," he said, his tone shifting to something more serious, "we were sent by Lord Zephyrion."

At the mention of Zephyrion’s name, Osgar’s expression immediately changed. His playful arrogance faded, replaced with mild intrigue.

"Ah! I see." The Dwarf stroked his soot-covered beard, nodding. "I was told some saviors would come looking for me. That must be you lot, then."

He glanced over the group before crossing his arms. "So? Do you need anything from me?"

Arlon shook his head. "No. We’re only here to inform you that we’ll be fighting Keldars in the area."

The words wiped away any remaining amusement on Osgar’s face.

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Arlon didn’t pause.

He continued, explaining the full scope of their mission. Explore stories on novelbuddy

The battles wouldn’t just be small skirmishes—the players were preparing to fight Demons, and if their plan failed, Esia would be the first town to suffer the consequences.

Zephyrion had sent them here not just to inform, but to ensure that Esia was prepared—even if the worst happened.

By the time Arlon finished, Osgar was silent.

The Dwarf stood still for a moment, then let out a long, thoughtful hum.

"Will we need to be careful?" he finally asked, his voice steady, but carrying a meaningful smirk.

Arlon met his gaze, matching the expression with one of his own.

"Not at all."

For a beat, there was silence.

Then, Osgar let out a booming laugh, slapping his knee. "HAH! I like you, lad! That’s the kind of confidence I can get behind!"

He grinned, looking around at the others. "Well then! If you saviors are gonna stir up some trouble, I suppose I’d best stay on alert anyway."

"Appreciated," Arlon replied.

With that, the atmosphere shifted back, the group relaxing once more.

But beneath the casual conversation, one thing was clear—Esia wouldn’t be caught off guard.

---

After leaving Osgar’s workshop, the players followed Arlon as he led them up a narrow dirt trail that wound toward a small peak outside of town.

The climb wasn’t particularly difficult, but it was long enough to leave some of them wondering where exactly he was taking them.

"Are we about to fight something?" Zack asked, stretching his arms.

June, walking beside him, raised an eyebrow. "What, are you getting scared already?"

"No, I just don’t like climbing for no reason," Zack muttered. "If there’s no boss fight at the top, I’m suing."

"You can’t sue anyone," Lei deadpanned.

"Then I’ll complain really loudly."

Ignoring them, Arlon continued forward. He had been here once before—in his past timeline, when he had come to fight the Demons.

Even now, despite everything, the sight that greeted him at the top took his breath away.

A vast, endless ocean stretched beyond the horizon, shimmering under the midday sun.

The waves rippled gently against the distant coastline, their rhythmic movement strangely calming.

In front of it, a lush, sprawling forest extended far beyond the edge of the cliff, its vibrant green canopy swaying with the wind.

For a moment, Arlon let himself admire it.

Even after all this time… it was still beautiful.

The others took a moment to appreciate the view as well.

"Wow…" Maria murmured, taking in the scenery. "I didn’t expect this."

"It’s kind of relaxing," Carole admitted.

"Yeah, yeah," Zack waved them off. "But there’s still no boss fight, so I’m giving this place a two-star rating."

"Shh," June said, nudging him. "Let people enjoy things, Zack."

Arlon, however, didn’t linger on the moment for long.

"Wait here," he said, before walking off.

The players exchanged glances but didn’t question it.

A minute later, Arlon returned.

But this time, he wasn’t alone.

Standing beside him was… another Arlon.

The first was the familiar Arlon—the one they had gotten used to after their time at the academy. He hadn’t worn his mask since the banquet.

But the second Arlon…

Was the old Arlon.

The one with the mask.

A heavy silence fell over the group as they stared at the two identical figures.

Then—

"…Okay, who’s the imposter?" Zack asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Zack," June sighed. "They’re both Arlon."

"Exactly. One of them’s sus."

"I swear, if you say ’vote him out’—"

"Just saying," Zack continued, crossing his arms, "I’ve seen this happen in every horror movie ever. One of them is going to turn evil and kill us all."

"Wow. That’s a lot of faith in Arlon," Pierre said sarcastically.

"Not my fault he’s standing next to himself looking like a final boss," Zack shot back.

Maria tilted her head. "Are we sure one of them isn’t just a fanboy that’s really committed?"

"Guys," Lei said, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Arlon, explain."

Arlon sighed, rubbing his temple.

"It’s a doppelganger spell," he finally said. "I can make a copy of myself, and I use it when necessary. That’s all."

The group blinked.

Zack frowned. "Wait. So you’re telling me… that for the past however long we’ve known you, there were actually two of you?"

"Sometimes, yes," Arlon said simply.

Silence.

Then Zack pointed dramatically. "I KNEW SOMETHING WAS WEIRD ABOUT YOU!"

"Zack, no one is surprised you’re suspicious of Arlon," Carole said.

Pierre raised an eyebrow. "So… which one of you is the real Arlon?"

Both Arlons turned to look at him at the exact same time.

Pierre took a step back. "…I hate that."

June exhaled. "The masked one is fake."

Arlon was surprised when she understood which one, but she was also a mage.

He lowered his arms and got to the point.

"He will infiltrate first." He didn’t need to tell anything else.

With that, everyone understood why Arlon decided to show one of his spells.

The copy jumped from the cliff’s high end, but before falling too much, he bounced in the air.

It would be more correct to say that he stepped on something invisible and jumped into a hole inside the cliff.

The players were scared when they saw him jump down, but surprised when they saw him jumped on the air.