Overlord: The Undead Oh! Chapter 29

Nazarick Theater〜Stage Taking Story〜 (劇団ナザリック〜タゲ取り物語) is the twenty-ninth chapter of the Overlord: The Undead Oh! series.

Summary
Ainz Ooal Gown appears at Nazarick Theater at the invitation of Solution Epsilon to see a new production directed by her. For the script, Solution admits that she based it off a book written by Luci★Fer that she found in Ashurbanipal. After they take their seats in the theater, Solution orders the play to commence.

Albedo serving as the narrator speaks of an old couple who lived in the bamboo forest, which causes Ainz to realize the play is The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, but with a Western-style ambient. Sebas Tian and Yuri Alpha play as the old couple in the story, but acting as a tank and healer respectively as they go into the forest to do a target removal and chop down the bamboo stalks. In addition game concepts like Damage Per Second bleed into the story-line to the confusion of Ainz.

The couple come across a big shinning bamboo shoot at their usual chopping ground. The two then proceed to cut the bamboo as Ainz ponders the plot of the play with the original Japanese folktale that Luci★Fer based his novel on. The bamboo is cut vertically spilling out bamboo fluid and a young girl in a pink dress played by Aura Bella Fiora. The couple then take her home and decide to raise her as their own, giving her the name Nayotake no Kaguya-hime or Shining Princess of the Young Bamboo. For short she was called Chagamahime after their heirloom teapot. Ainz sees that the name is a reference to Bukubukuchagama and that the dress Aura is wearing was once owned by her. He remembers that the book Luci★Fer wrote was mentioned to him by Yamaiko and Peroroncino. It was said to be a form of princess play by the eccentric player, though it drew an allusion to Bukubukuchagama, who after hearing about its existence swore to beat the author up.

Chagamahime's beauty spreads and she receives many proposals from suitors. However, the maiden has no interest in marriage and thus with her adopted parents, she is forced to fight and drive away the suitors. The number of wooers eventually decreased until only three persistent ones remained. Bored, Chagamahime decided to offer the three, Cocytus, Mare Bello Fiore, and Demiurge, a contest to decide who will marry her. The contest being that whoever brings her back a World Item would earn her hand. The three accept the challenge and thus set out to acquire a World Item for her hand in marriage. Having no clue where to start looking Demiurge decides to check it in Nyaru. Opening up his inventory he takes out a book. Solution having no familiarity with Nyaru or its reference as a website instead converted it as a technical book for the play. Using the information on the book from a source known as Seraphim, the trio track the locations of the World Item to a dungeon. The three form a temporary truce to conquer the dungeon and acquire the World Item, each assigning them roles in their party. Reaching the end of the dungeon they find a treasure chest where the alleged World Item is said to be, but it turns out to be false as the chest was a monster imitating an object. Though the trio was killed, they were later revived, but due to the experience of leveling down and losing rare equipment decided to give up on pursuing Chagamahime's love. This part in the play serves as a cautionary tale and reflects the author of the script's grudge against Nyaru and Seraphim.

The next scene shows that a new suitor has taken interest in Chagamahime, an emperor being played by none other than Pandora's Actor in Ainz Ooal Gown's form. Seeking to make Chagamahime his concubine he first tries to convince her adoptive father to give his daughter to him by offering him a high position. The old man refuses, and is met with a knife thrown by the emperor. To the emperor's surprise the old man catches it, displaying his skills as a former World Champion. Seeing his skills the emperor tries again to offer the man to lead his army but is once again declined as the latter is content to be retired. The emperor manages to arrange a meeting with Chagamahime, but the maiden in unimpressed refusing to become his concubine infuriating the sovereign. The two remaing in contact however, exchanging diaries.

Three years later, Chagamahime sees the moon and begins to cry to the confusion of her adoptive parents. When her parents ask her why she is so sad, Chagamahime tells them that she is sad because she does not want to say goodbye. Chagamahime explains that she was originally from the Moon server before she came to the Earth server and the GM is coming to bring her back. Refusing to let their daughter be taken, the couple have placed some of the emperor's soldiers around their home and prepare to confront the GM, though Chagamahime pleads that if they do fight the GM, they will place a "ban" on them. At midnight the GM comes, as Shalltear Bloodfallen, in a regal winged costume with the intent to return Chagamahime home. The couple and soldiers cannot go against the divine powers of the GM and are helpless to stop the being. Chagamahime says her farewell to her adoptive parents. Before leaving, she gives them a piece of her, some slime, to help them remember her. In addition she asks her father to pass an item to the emperor.

Before the emperor's throne, the old bamboo cutter presents the emperor a bracelet that has the voice of Chagamahime. The play ends with all the cast taking a bow before Ainz and Solution. Solution believed that the performance was gorgeous and inspiring, though Ainz found it to lack originality. It was however a good distraction and he tells his subjects that he was pleased by the play, convincing them it will help in their plans for negotiation and infiltration in the New World.

Character Appearance

 * Solution Epsilon
 * Ainz Ooal Gown
 * Albedo
 * Sebas Tian
 * Yuri Alpha
 * Aura Bella Fiora
 * Bukubukuchagama
 * Yamaiko
 * Peroroncino
 * Cocytus
 * Mare Bello Fiore
 * Demiurge
 * Pandora's Actor
 * Hamsuke
 * Shalltear Bloodfallen

Known Locations

 * Great Tomb of Nazarick

Chapter Notes

 * This chapter first appears in the Monthly Comp Ace August 2019 Issue.