Overlord: The Undead Oh! Chapter 21

Step Mother (ステップマザー) is the twenty-first chapter of the Overlord: The Undead Oh! series.

Summary
While having tea with Albedo and Shalltear Bloodfallen, Aura Bella Fiora asks what's the deal with the mobile. Albedo states that it's a handmade mobile that she made depicting Ainz Ooal Gown's skull and bones. There is even a piece that has a heart in reference to Ainz's favorite spell [Hear Grasp]. She made it in preparation for Ainz's successor who she believes will be produced by her. Though Shalltear objects believing herself to be more worthy of being Ainz's bride. Aura points out that it doesn't matter which child of theirs with Ainz will be born first, as Ainz already has a firstborn, Pandora's Actor. When she sees the shocked looks by the other two women, Aura explains that all the NPCs in Nazarick have a creator who was a Supreme Being. Pandora's Actor being a creation of Ainz is therefore Ainz's firstborn son. Any new child or successor born would make Pandora's Actor their older brother. Albedo and Shalltear dread at being related to Pandora' Actor, much to Aura's disgust at their double standard. However Albedo realizes that they found a blind spot to Ainz's heart. If they could convince Pandora's Actor to accept one of them as a step mother would that not lead Ainz to accept either Shalltear of Albedo as a bride? Aura doubts their plan will work, but the other two women are dead set on gaining Pandora's Actor's approval through either his cooperation or blackmail.

At the Treasury, Pandora's Actor welcomes Albedo and Shalltear. To his amazement they refer him as Pan-chan and in a motherly tone. They feign concern for being holed up in the Treasury all alone and offer to help organize the treasures. Despite his polite declines, the two insist and impress themselves to be useful as "mothers." Knowing something is definitely wrong, the Area Guardian asks what did they really come down to his area for. Albedo then searches the treasure hall for an hour for any naughty material but only ends up exhausting herself in finding nothing. Albedo demands to know here he keeps his data crystal containing erotic images to which Pandora's Actor remains oblivious to what she is talking about.

Having a chance to sit down and talk, Pandora's Actor sees that the two were acting out a situation where a mother was looking for erotic material in her son's room. The two Floor Guardians figured that if they found something compromising in Pandora's Actor's room they would gain praise from Ainz. With that option out of the picture, Albedo tries to convince Pandora' Actor to accept her as his "mother" noting that she is good at housework so she can help clean the Treasury, powerful enough to protect him and the area and lastly has the rank of Overseer Guardian to allow whim anything he wants. Shalltear counteroffers listing that she can create two of her, using her Einherjar, plus Pandora's Actor would be gaining a lot of family members through her Vampire Bride mistresses. The two Floor Guardians continue to pressure the Area Guardian for him to decide. Reprieve comes in the form of Ainz who teleports to the Treasury with a list of magic items he needs Pandora's Actor to retrieve.

Ainz seeing the scene of the Albedo and Shalltear pulling Pandora's Actor's arms on the couch, makes him assume that he is interrupting something and he tries to leave. He is stopped when all three NPCs catch him by the tails of his cloak, crying out that it's not what he thinks. Learning that the two women where trying to act as Pandora's Actor's mother, Ainz muses that it wouldn't have worked as his creation never had a mother in the first place. Albedo asks Ainz about his mother, which causes the Overlord to have a flashback of when his mother died from exhaustion when she tried to make his favorite meal. To sate their curiosity he claims that he doesn't remember much. But he tells the three that being a mother means to be willing to do whatever they can to make their children happy. The two female Floor Guardians ask which of them would be best suited as the role of a mother. Ainz wanting to end this fierce battle tells them that the answer to that has remained unanswered for a long time and suggests to find the answer by seeing who can pull Pandora's Actor to their side. Ainz having remembered several dramas where two mothers fought over a child. One of the mothers saw the pain that the child was experiencing and willingly let go and was thus seen as the true parent. Ainz hopes that the solution would apply here as well, but sadly neither woman is willing to let go of Pandora's Actor or realize his pain...literally as the two pull him between them as Ainz watches in regret.

Character Appearance

 * Albedo
 * Shalltear Bloodfallen
 * Aura Bella Fiora
 * Tabula Smaragdina (Cameo)
 * Peroroncino (Cameo)
 * Ainz Ooal Gown
 * Peroroncino (Cameo)
 * Pandora's Actor
 * Bukubukuchagama (Cameo)
 * Clementine (Cameo)
 * Nigredo (Cameo)
 * Mare Bello Fiore

Known Locations

 * Great Tomb of Nazarick
 * Treasury

Chapter Notes

 * This chapter first appears in the Monthly Comp Ace December 2018 Issue.