Overlord: The Undead Oh! Chapter 39

Mare In Wonderland (不思議の国のマーレ) is the thirty-ninth chapter of the Overlord: The Undead Oh! series.

Summary
While brushing Fenn's fur, Aura Bella Fiora is humming to herself a tune. When Mare Bello Fiore asks why she is so happy, the Beast Tamer replies that she had a dream of Bukubukuchagama. The dream itself was messy, but she could clearly recall that she and her creator were negotiating with a collection of bubbles over the price of a house.

Mare goes to Ashurbanipal seeking a book on dreams. There he meets Librarian J, thinking Mare wants a type of specific genre tries to recommend a book where a murderer kills people in their dream. However, Mare isn't interested as he wants to learn how to dream. Librarian J realizes that Mare wants to learn about lucid dreaming. Since he is a race that doesn't require sleep, he is not very familiar with the condition, but understand that lucid dreaming is a state of mind where a dreamer can take control of their dream as they wish. Mare wants to learn how to achieve this to control his dream so he can see Bukubukuchagama freely and enjoy the experience as reality. The librarian has a book that might just help and presents "Your Ally Glitter ★ Magic Book". From this book, the elder lich explains that it describes a way to meet the object of your desire by placing something related to it underneath a pillow and sleeping with it. Despite what he says, the librarian warns him that the content of the book happens to be unreliable. Mare though is excited to hear of such method and wants to try it out for himself.

Later on, Mare collects a picture of Bukubukuchagama and the clothes he received from her and places it beneath his pillow in his bed. Mare wonders if he could use this method to dream of Ainz Ooal Gown using his Ring of Ainz Ooal Gown, but gets bashfully at the idea and tries to go to sleep. Mare awakens to his surprise finding himself in a grassland area. Thinking he is outside Nazarick, he tries to contact Aura but is shocked that his communication necklace is gone and that he is wearing a dress. He finds Narberal Gamma dressed in a bunnygirl suit, who doesn't seem to recognize him. Narberal tells him that she is the White Rabbit and is in a hurry as she is going to be late to the Queen's croquet match. The dark elf tries to catch up to her and ask her what is going on, only to fall down a hole. Landing safely on a pile of pillows, he finds himself in a hall full of doors. Unable to use his magic, Mare spots a key atop a table. Using it, he opens a small door and through the portal spots Narberal passing by. Calling out to her, Mare is unable to fit through the door. Seeing that he needs to be smaller to get through, Mare looks for anything to help his situation. Finding a plate of pudding on the table and a note with Shalltear Bloodfallen's handwriting, Mare hopes it to be a magic item and tries it. Mare experiences what he felt was discomfort and soon a [Gate] appears above his head. From out of the gate, he finds himself in a forest where everything is bigger than him.

A familiar sound and white breath reaches Mare and he finds to his relief it to be Cocytus atop a giant mushroom. But like Narberal, Cocytus doesn't seem to recognize him. Cocytus introduces himself as the Green Caterpillar. Mare tells Cocytus that he is chasing after someone, but seems like he has to get bigger to get out of this forest first and then smaller to go through a door in the hallway. Cocytus offers Mare advice to use the mushrooms to help him change size which the dark elf then places in his inventory.

Walking through the woods, Mare encounters Lupusregina Beta, calling herself the Cheshire Cat. Lupusregina asks if Mare is a participant of the Queen's croquet tournament. Mare remembering Narberal's words, states that's where he wants to go. Lupusregina then vanishes but promises to meet the dark elf there. Mare tries to tell her to wait and is disappointed that she left, only for him be be shocked when she reappears behind him warning him to be careful as there are some crazy people having tea parties nearby. The Cheshire Cat names the tea partiers as Pandora's Actor, Pulcinella, and Hamsuke before vanishing with a smile yet again. When Mare meets the tea party members, Pandora's Actor and Pulcinella recognize him. Mare is relieved that there are people who know him in this strange land, but then wonders where Hamsuke is. Pandora's Actor then shows a shrunken Hamsuke sleeping in a teapot.

Mare going back to his situation asks the two what they are doing, which they answer that they are having tea. The dark elf cannot understand the abnormality of the situation so he tries to get more information on the croquet game. Pulcinella tells him that characters like Narberal and Lupusregina will be there, but most importantly Bukubukuchagama will be present, exciting Mare who begs them to help him get there. He then drags the three with him to get to the tournament.

They lead him to a door in a tree which they claim is a shortcut to the venue. Mare then opens it and finds himself in a garden where several Manservants are busying themselves in painting some white roses red for the Queen. This mysterious Queen is believed by Mare to be Bukubukuchagama, but to his utter shock was none other than his sister Aura all along!

Aura seeing the state of her roses is enraged and orders the Manservants to be beheaded. She then takes notice of Mare and demands to know who he is. After hesitantly giving Aura his name, the Queen invites him to play croquet with her which he accepts seeing it as an opportunity to see his creator. Aura gives him the basic rules of the game and provides him a "croquet stick" to use, which to his utter horror is Bukubukuchagama. Not only that he notices several Bukubukuchagamas being used as "croquet sticks" by the participants. The Bukubukuchagama he has thought speaks to him, saying hello, bringing him to tears and embraces the slime. Bukubukuchagama thinking that Mare is crying because he is a beginner at the game provides him a ball to hit, which Mare sees as the orb in Ainz Ooal Gown's chest.

Mare spends the majority of the time to play croquet with the other participants, using Bukubukuchagama as catch and lob balls through gates made by the Manservants. Despite it being a truly strange game, he found it to be fun which Bukubukuchagama declares they should aim to win.

Slowly awakening to reality, Mare found that what he experienced was a dream. It seems that the book he read before going to bed laid below his head when he fell asleep. The title being "Alice In Wonderland", Mare thinks that explains why he had such a convoluted dream, but smiles as he is glad to have experienced. Mare then hears his sister coming and quickly tells her that he dreamed.

Eventually, Mare's dream experience has spread throughout Nazarick. Several characters like Demiurge are spending more time sleeping to dream to meet their creators. In Ainz Ooal Gown's office, Albedo informs him of this, and Ainz unaware of the true reasons for his subordinates interest in sleeping believes that maybe there is perhaps a sleeping epidemic happening.

Character Appearance

 * Mare Bello Fiore
 * Aura Bella Fiora
 * Fenn
 * Bukubukuchagama
 * Herohero
 * Librarian J
 * Ainz Ooal Gown
 * Narberal Gamma
 * Cocytus
 * Lupusregina Beta
 * Pandora's Actor
 * Pulcinella
 * Hamsuke
 * Albedo

Known Locations

 * Great Tomb of Nazarick
 * Ashurbanipal

Chapter Notes

 * This chapter first appears in the Monthly Comp Ace August 2020 Issue.