Overlord: The Undead Oh! Chapter 10

Hamsuke's Mate (ハムスケのつがい) is the tenth chapter of the Overlord: The Undead Oh! series.

Summary
Ainz Ooal Gown and Aura Bella Fiora wonder if perhaps they could pair a Spear Needle on the 6th Floor with Hamsuke as her mate. While the creatures are similar, Aura points out that they are still different species and may not be able to breed. Having no hamsters in Nazarick, Aura believes they will need to look outside the dungeon. Aura finds it strange that Hamsuke never met any of her kind before. Since she belongs to the mammal family, in nature there should be many siblings. Ainz takes out a book, "Living With Hamu-chan! An Encyclopedia For Raising Hamsters" that he got from Ashurbanipal. According to the book hamsters birth between five to ten children, however, the mother under stress may devour the children which horrifies Ainz. Only hearing the first part, Aura believes others of Hamsuke's kind exist. She asks how long is a hamster's gestation period which Ainz confirms a mother hamster's period to be two to three weeks with the potential to breed again. Though Aura ponders if hamsters are big breeders why isn't the world overrun by them? Ainz deduces that this is due to the size of the hamsters in the New World, and the strength of the species. The lack of predators may have made constant reproduction unnecessary. Aura still wishes to breed Hamsuke so she could gain a few of the babies which she plans to skin.

To Ainz if Hamsuke were to find a mate and have children then she would need to retire as a mount. If the time comes, he would need to look for a replacement mount. This thinking makes Ainz recall a colleague who took maternity leave in his previous world. He could always just separate the two hamsters before they mate, however that train of thought brings out a question of where Hamsuke goes to when in heat. He then chides himself of thinking such sexual thoughts that border on harassment of his subordinate. The Overlord goes to Albedo and asks where Hamsuke falls in the hierarchy of Nazarick, which the Overseer declares it to be above regular minions equaling alongside her as Ainz's pets.

Ainz decides to reevaluate everything about the hamster not as a pet but as an employee. Borrowing another book, "Being A Boss For Dummies: Tips And Tricks On Becoming A Respectable Boss Book." Putting in a scenario in his head where Hamsuke is a girl named Hamuyama Sueki who wishes to find a boyfriend. As her boss, he needs to help her find a good work balance and assists her by bringing candidates. However, he takes into account that none may be her taste and she might only accept one of them out of respect to him. Seeing too much uncertainty Ainz thinks of Herohero who once told him that his boss organized a party for all the employees. The result was that many couples were formed from that party. Having a plausible plan, Ainz realizes he doesn't need the same species as Hamsuke, only something that looks like her.

Meeting Pandora's Actor Ainz plans to introduce Hamsuke with the Doppelgänger who will use his ability to turn into a hamster like her. This way she can be in the company of her own kind. Pandora's Actor points out that if he turns into Hamsuke he will be the same sex as her and will not be able to breed. Ainz is fine with the homosexual relationship. However, Pandora's Actor is not comfortable with the idea with starting a relationship. Realizing his error Ainz realizes that he failed to take into account Pandora's Actor's feelings as well as Hamsuke's.

Going to Hamsuke Ainz asks what she would do if she encounters another of her kind who doesn't wish to mate. Hamsuke happily states that she would use [Charm Species]. She looks forward to the day when she finds her mate and wishes to have her master embrace her children. Ainz however politely refuses, in fear of the possibility of inducing stress to the hamster that might, in turn, cause her to eat the children.

Character Appearance

 * Narberal Gamma
 * Hamsuke
 * Ainz Ooal Gown
 * Aura Bella Fiora
 * Albedo
 * Herohero
 * Pandora's Actor
 * Peroroncino

Known Locations

 * Great Tomb of Nazarick

Chapter Notes

 * This chapter first appeared in the Monthly Comp Ace January 2018 Issue.