Overlord: The Undead Oh! Chapter 64

Teaching Acting At The Treasury (宝物殿で演技指導) is the sixty-fourth chapter of the Overlord: The Undead Oh! series

Summary
At the Treasury, Ainz Ooal Gown calls forth a kneeling Pandora's Actor to display his acting skills for which he is named for. For this time to Pandora's Actor's shock he will play the role as a friendly Ainz Ooal Gown. Though the Area Guardian accepts the role, he questions his master why must he act like that? Ainz states that while it will be easy for Pandora's Actor to act as the target, he wants to see how the doppelgänger will act out of character under one of his guises. Simply put he wants to see how his creation can handle this new challenge performing as him as a friendly Overlord to serve as his Kagemusha or political decoy.

The truth is Ainz wants Pandora's Actor to act out as him because he is mentally exhausted and uncomfortable of the tense atmosphere he must always work in. Such as the constant staring he experiences from the Homunculus Maids when he is working. Needing some reprieve and also to avoid losing his dignity of his façade being found by the other NPCs in the Great Tomb of Nazarick Ainz hopes Pandora's Actor can act as his friendly substitute for awhile.

Before committing to the mission, Pandora's Actor requests some time to practice out before his master. Turning into the Overlord the Area Guardian begins acting out in a number of friendly scenarios. Thinking that he is ready, Pandora's Actor suddenly collapses on his knees mumbling his performance is no good as he is acting just as his creator. With some coaching from Ainz, using his own identity of Momon as an approach, Pandora's Actor tries again pantomiming a situation of where he as Ainz asks the maid Cixous what's on today's menu. To Ainz it is almost reminiscent of how a superior forces himself into a conversation with his employees. Knowing how Cixous will probably react, with a fake smile which is a given in the workplace,

He tries another approach by demonstrating of sweet talking to the maids, but it ends badly when Pandora's Actor acts out like he is flirting drawing red flags. Ainz asks Pandora's Actor to avoid acting so dramatically next time. So Pandora's Actor then tries a more passive style, by humming a tune, which he explains will be used to attract the attention of others as an icebreaker when performing as Ainz.

Though is Ainz's experience, no one likes to act as a stick in the mud to the boss and advises against it. Ainz wonders that such a tactic will not work with the general maids since his and their status's are too great, though it could work with the Floor Guardians. He asks Pandora's Actor to greet Albedo, but the Area Guardian uses the "Bedo-chan" suffix, much to Ainz's dismay as it's too casual. When asked on how he should address Albedo, Ainz recalls in his former life that his boss only called his employees by nicknames. Plus Pandora's Actor notes that Ainz should have a close relationship with Albedo given his standing, While that is the truth, with Albedo it will be received badly if Albedo is only given a nickname due to her possessiveness which Pandora's summarily agrees.

Trying out another exercise, Ainz lets Pandora's Actor make up a nickname for Demiurge which he decides to be Demdemi using Nurunuru's name as a reference. Next Shalltear as Sharu-chan, Aura as Ah-chan, and Mare as Mare Mare-kun. For other like Cocytus and Kyouhukou, Pandora's Actors thinks Cucumbuer and Kyouhukou-kun will suffice. But Ainz feels some variation is required. Thinking a moment Pandora's Actor draws on Hamsuke for inspiration coming out with Kokyusuke for Cocytus and Sebasque for Sebas Tian. When they are just about done with nicknames, Pandora's Actor gives himself one: Ta-bo.

Wanting to hear an expression of love from his creator, the Treasurer asks Ainz to say his nickname. While feeling a chunk of his black past is now coming back to haunt him, Ainz relents. After he uses Pandora's Actor preferred nickname the doppelgänger momentarily pauses as if processing the action before he commits himself to playing Ainz Ooal Gown this time with more gusto and passion. The performance does leave Ainz speechless and feels that maybe his creation is ready for the real thing. To make sure, Pandora's Actor invites his creator to shadow him when he interacts with the other members of the dungeon.

Later Ainz in [Perfect Unknowable] observes Pandora's Actor is his form interacting with Cixous. However it ended up with Cixous fainting after hearing Pandora's Actor words. Pestonya Shortcake Wanko arrived and Pandora's Actor dropped his transformation begging forgiveness, explaining it was Kagemusha training. Creator and creation then return to the Treasury to review their failure, though Ainz feels that it was not so much a failure and believes that maybe in a hundred years they can get it right. For the maids they found Cixous's to be the source of envy as Pandora's Actor's acting was convincing to them that it was actually the real thing.

In Order of Appearance

 * Pandora's Actor
 * Ainz Ooal Gown
 * Aura Bella Fiora (Cameo)
 * Yuri Alpha (Cameo)
 * Cixous
 * Cocytus (Cameo)
 * Albedo (Cameo)
 * Yamaguchi (Flashback)
 * Nurunuru (Cameo)
 * Demiurge (Cameo)
 * Shalltear Bloodfallen (Cameo)
 * Hamsuke
 * Cocytus (Cameo)
 * Sebas Tian
 * Pestonya Shortcake Wanko
 * Foire

Locations

 * Great Tomb of Nazarick
 * Treasury

Chapter Notes

 * This chapter first appears in Monthly Comp Ace December 2022 Issue.
 * The tune Pandora's Actor is humming is HOLLOW HUNGER.