Jugemu (寿限無) is the seventy-ninth chapter of the Overlord: The Undead Oh! series.
Summary[]
Albedo notes that the Pleiades are all working hard for the Sorcerer Kingdom. From Yuri attending to the orphans to Narberal as Nabe the adventurer. For Solution she has a special project she would like to entrust. Solution is eager to serve, but is lambasted when she hears that Albedo wants her to create an undead theatre troupe.
The Overseer Guardian explains that having such a troupe would provide many benefits. One being its is part of the Sorcerer Kingdom's image strategy to reduce the fear of undead. While the people living in the Sorcerer Kingdom see the advantages of using the undead, there are still other countries that resist to the idea of joining hands with the undead as they are considered the enemy of the living.
Solution now understanding her superior's reasons thinks that having an undead do performance shows would cast the undead in the Sorcerer Kingdom as harmless. Albedo wants to push that image further so that undead could be rented out more by others. In Albedo's vision of the new era, she even hopes that a skeleton would eventually act as a nanny for a family once fear of the undead is eliminated. Their target audience as Solution understands it is to the common people. Albedo wants to create a performance that commoners can easily enjoy and relate to. From what she heard the theater is reserved for the nobility.
Albedo then shows Solution a glow stick, an item from the outside world, which Albedo hopes the people in the audience could use to write words in light. This is a sensational idea to Solution, thinking that the items would be a huge hit at performances. Albedo hopes that the glowsticks could be mass produced but looks like that won't be a problem as they are sold cheaply. But for their theatre project, Albedo believes that the items should be included along with the admission fee to see the show. If the undead drama becomes a success Albedo envisions more specialty products being produced by the Sorcerer Kingdom to serve as merchandise. Even the stars in the theatre troupe would be idolized and fans will want to have portraits of them. Though Solution wonders if humans could really distinguish between elder liches. Albedo wants the production be made soon, one that has story that has characters that are easy to understand. To assist Solution in her assignment, she recommends the Pleiades maid head to the library.
Once at the library, Solution tells the staff at reception desk, Librarian C and two other elder liches about her assignment. The liches have a story to suggestion with easily understood characters, Red Chanchanko vs. Purple Hag, but its from a horror short story and the content would be detrimental when promoting the safety of the undead. Other than that the liches only know of familiar works where people die.
Solution goes into the stacks to find something herself, but finds nothing appealing. She later hears a voice in the library, one thanking the Chief Librarian for helping her find the book. Solution heads over and sees Lupusregina with Titus. Lupusregina greets Solution and tells the other Pleiades that she is doing a little investigation at the request of Ainz. It concerns the goblins in Carne Village that Enri had named. It seems Ainz was interested in the origins of the names given to the Goblin Troop.
Supposedly the names are taken from a character in a folktale of a goblin hero named Jugem Juugem. However Ainz has a hunch that their names actually originate from a story listed in a book she found in the library...Jugemu. From the content the names used in the story are the same ones used by the goblins that Enri had given them. Solution seeing this wonders if the author of the fairy tale in the New World was aware of the story Jugemu. Due to this she suspects the author may have been a transferee to the New World. Lupusregina though thinks it could just be a coincidence but Solution thinks otherwise.
Solutions asks Lupusregina if there the book she has any good stories for the undead theatre troupe. Lupusregina thinks that the book, Rakugo Script Collection has a great a collection of stage plays. To add more substance, Titus explains that rakugo is a form of one-man show that was conducted in theatre performances using storytelling. It sounds perfect to Solution who asks to be lent the book for her project in making undead rakugo.
Later at the Theatre, Ainz s sitting in the audience section with Solution, having heard of the project to promote a positive image of the undead through Albedo. Solution confesses she got an idea from the book that he was reading. Before showing it at E-Rantel Solution hopes this early showing that he can provide his input for improvements. While Ainz has no idea what book she is talking at first, when she mentions that the show will be a rakugo he realizes that the book was Jugemu found by Lupusregina.
The show will be played by an elder lich, one of many that were created by Pandora's Actor who ranked well in Pandora's Actor Acting School. The show starts with entrance music. When Ainz comments on it, Solution explains that the audio data was in the library's collection and was reproduced for the showing.
A set containing a sign stand, screen divider and a pedestal with a cushion are on the stage. A calligraphic writing of "Elder" is on the signage and a elder lich garbed in a yellow and flashing kimono appears with a folding hand fan appears. Though Ainz raises a question on why Solution has brought out a pair of glow sticks. Solution explains that Albedo told her to do this. Initially wanted fans to be provided glow sticks to wave in the crowd, with a new color symbolizing each new character in the show, but due to the complexities of switching the colors, settled for having them wave the glow sticks in four different colors for the single character in the show.
This makes Ainz remembers this is what Peroroncino said the same thing when at a movie screening using pen lights. And while Solution is enthusiastic to wave her sticks, Ainz wonders if there are really any scenes in this rakugo show that warrant such encouragement. The lich then speaks that naming a child is a difficult question. In regards to naming he brings up the name Jugemu. This brings Ainz back to mind of Lupusregina's investigative report on her story of Jugemu. It's about a story of how a oshō gives people lucky names and hen strings them together to give their children names that are just too long.
However in the New World there are no oshōs , so he assumes the equivalent profession used are priests. The lich play acting calls out to Momon on what is a good name, asking if Jugemu is good. From here it's clear to Ainz using his adventurer name in the play is to appeal to the commoner masses. By heart and memory the lich recites several names to suggest. Though in the end, all the names are included in Jugemu's full name. And then says that one day the child Jugemu friend is hit. When Momon asks what happened, the child tries to tell him that it was Jugemu who gave him the bump but takes a long time due to the length of Jugemu's name, creating a gag scene. The lich then states its hard to ignore the assault and that he must be punished as according to Lord Ainz.
The child cries that there is no evidence, but the lich assures that there is mind control magic to make the criminal confess. And declares that this is how law and order is maintained in E-Rantel before shouting out "Long live the Sorcerer Kingdom," with a punchline. This shocks Ainz as in the original work the punchline was that the bump on the kid's head vanished after reporting the assault. Solution adds some things were changed such as the setting being altered from Edo to E-Rantel to make sense to the audience. This play is to be a story in which the perpetrators whose crimes are left unpunished due to passing time are not tolerated and punished sternly in the Sorcerer Kingdom,
The next scene occurs which Solution advises Ainz to raise his blue glow sticks to show his passion. The next play is titled "Rich" and the lich about the story of the "Okiku Plate". Once upon a time in a noble's mansion, a beautiful working maid named Okiku was entrusted with the management of ten heirloom plates. However one was lost and she was blamed for it and was killed. Her body was thrown in a well, never to be mourned, but she came back as an undead. And every night continued counting plates. It is said when someone hears the ninth count that person will die. However men heard that if they only heard around the sixth count and escape they will be fine. And so they head to the well to get a glimpse of the beautiful undead maid. Okiku became very popular and visitors to her well kept increasing becoming a big success with shops selling bento boxes. And even Okiku coming out of her well to thank her fans for coming.
To Ainz it is a heartwarming comedy about an undead that blends into everyday life. He considers this play to be the best and wonders what the punchline will be. The lich the orates that Ainz came calling out to Okiku on her popularity and then flatly telling her to come with him to the Sorcerer Kingdom for a bigger stage at E-Rantel. And so Okiku spent fulfilling days in E-Rantel a place where undead and humans live in harmony. The lich ends by praising Ainz Ooal Gown's name and the Sorcerer Kingdom. Before ending with a lame punchline of "the rest is good."
The show ends, leaving Solution asking what Ainz thinks about the Undead Rakugo. To which Ainz answers that he will have to cancel it. All due to the last play lacking an appropriate punchline. Solution though thinks it's just an oversight and provides her master one, telling the audience that "[she] hopes [they] have a great day." Though Ainz blankly states that the effort was good.
Character Appearance[]
In Order of Appearance[]
- Demiurge
- Shalltear Bloodfallen
- Aura Bella Fiora
- Albedo
- Solution Epsilon
- Librarian C
- Lupusregina Beta
- Titus Annaeus Secundus
- Enri Emmot (Cameo)
- Jugem (Cameo)
- Gokou (Cameo)
- Kaijali (Cameo)
- Paipo (Cameo)
- Suigyo (Cameo)
- Jugem Juugem
- Shuringan (Cameo)
- Gurindai (Cameo)
- Ainz Ooal Gown
- Peroroncino (Cameo)
- Lilynette Piani (Cameo)
Locations[]
Chapter Notes[]
- This chapter first appears in Monthly Comp Ace October 2024 Issue.
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| Overlord: The Undead Oh! Chapters | |
|---|---|
| Volume 1 | |
| Volume 2 | |
| Volume 3 | |
| Volume 4 | |
| Volume 5 | |
| Volume 6 | |
| Volume 7 | |
| Volume 8 | |
| Volume 9 | |
| Volume 10 | |
| Volume 11 | |
| Volume 12 | |
| Volume 13 | |
| Not in a Volume | |