Chapter 169: Nana's Plea, Summoning Nymph
Nana's whole body was trembling. The moment she heard the part about the little bird being torn apart, her eyes widened, filled with fury.
Off to the side, Momo looked as though she wanted to say something but held back. She hadn't expected Franklin to describe the situation that severely; it was far beyond what she had imagined. Seeing Franklin's serious expression—so serious it didn't look like he was exaggerating at all—Momo suddenly didn't know what to do.
Nana took two deep breaths to calm herself, then glared angrily at Franklin.
"Beast, I want you to swear you didn't lie to me!"
"Lie to you? What do you mean? Are you saying I lied about what happened to Nymph?"
Seeing Franklin deliberately play dumb with that infuriating expression, Nana marched right up to him and glared directly into his eyes.
"That's right. I want you to say it to my face—you weren't lying just now."
Franklin forced himself not to laugh at the tiny Nana whose head barely reached his shoulder but who was acting so serious. He kept his expression tight and responded just as seriously:
"You already know that the things I know are events that will happen in that world's future. But when it comes to things or people I summon here, I don't know when they're from. So all I can say is that everything I told you was true."
Once she saw Franklin's serious expression, Nana's own stern look completely collapsed. Her entire body softened, and her face turned pleading.
"Beast… no, Franklin… please. Please let Nymph leave that place right now."
Her hands tightened around his arm as she shook him gently. Seeing her desperate expression, Franklin froze for a moment, unable to react.
"Franklin, please. As long as you agree to this, I'll… I'll… I'll never call you 'beast' again."
Franklin stared wide-eyed. Then a grin spread across his face. He reached out and rubbed the little head right in front of him.
Watching Nana bare her fang-like canine tooth yet still try to smile, Franklin suddenly got playful.
"That's the minimum requirement. Anything else you can offer me?"
Nana's eyes showed pure despair, like someone about to sell her soul to a demon.
"Then you say it, Franklin. Just tell me your condition. As long as you get Nymph out of that place, I… I'll do my best to meet whatever you want."
Franklin didn't care about her tragic expression at all. He continued rubbing her head.
"Well, we're all family. I wouldn't ask for anything excessive. My request is very simple…"
He deliberately dragged the sentence out. Nana's expression slowly returned to normal, even showing a bit of curiosity and anticipation.
Franklin finally spoke:
"From now on, just call me 'Brother Franklin.' Simple, right?"
The next second, Nana bared her fang and bit down on Franklin's arm. And no matter how he flailed, she refused to let go.
It didn't really hurt, but Franklin could tell that if he didn't play along, Nana would be so embarrassed she'd stop speaking to him altogether.
"How is that excessive?! Why are you biting me like this? Fine, I'll change it. Give me one hundred chances. You only have to call me 'Brother Franklin' when I ask—one hundred times."
Only then did Nana let go.
"One time. Only one."
Franklin immediately grabbed her cheeks with both hands and pulled outward.
"Shrinking it to one percent? Why don't you just ascend to heaven? Ikaros, you're in charge of house security tonight. I'm going to play my game."
The moment Nana heard that, her struggle stopped abruptly. Her eyes filled with tears as she stared at him, letting him pull at her face.
"Ten times, beast. Ten chances. And stop pulling my face already… I'll give you ten, no more. Otherwise… I'll follow you everywhere. Every day. No matter what you're doing."
Franklin knew when to stop, so he released her and gently patted her head.
"Good. Then it's settled. Now—use one chance. Call me once. And remember to add: 'Please, Brother Franklin, summon Nymph.'"
Seeing Franklin push his luck again, Nana swallowed her pride. Her lips parted several times before she finally squeezed out a tiny voice:
"Brother Franklin…"
"Huh? What was that? I didn't hear you."
Franklin had never looked this annoyingly smug before. Nana bit her lip hard.
"Brother Franklin…"
"Mm, and then?"
"Please, Brother Franklin, summon Nymph!"
Franklin leaned in—and instantly his ears rang. He rubbed his ear with a sigh.
"Great. You were too loud. I'm deaf now. Didn't hear a word."
Nana launched at him and sank her teeth into his shoulder. Her speed startled him. He could dodge, but he didn't want to—this level of force felt no different from her giving him a harmless nip.
He stopped teasing her, letting her hang from his shoulder, and exhaled softly. His consciousness entered his spiritual sea.
The Dimensional Tome flipped open to the dimensional summoning page. Franklin silently said "Nymph" in his mind and activated the summoning.
[Dimensional Summon Trial Successful]
[Age: 30/1052]
In the real world, a rainbow vortex appeared. Nana, who had been biting Franklin's shoulder, let go and hopped back.
Her eyes shined with anticipation as the vortex spun and tightened. Franklin opened his eyes just in time to see a tiny blue object fall out—then the vortex vanished.
Frozen on the spot, Franklin stared. Curious, Nana bent down and picked up what appeared to be an eldritch-style Nymph figurine.
The figurine's appearance was… indescribable. Even Nana—who had seen countless bizarre creatures—looked slightly repulsed.
"This is Nymph?"
All three girls looked at Franklin. After wasting eighty years of lifespan for this, Franklin was completely speechless.
No wonder the Tome required a "direction" rather than the exact person. Compared to summoning the real one, the multiverse's figurines were like grains of sand on a beach.
"Uh… wrong pull. This is…"
Franklin didn't even want to explain. He began calculating: artificial angel… electronic warfare specialist… flat-chested original body…
Then he activated dimensional summoning again.
[Dimensional Summon Successful]
[Age: 30/972]
A rainbow vortex formed once more. Franklin widened his eyes. So did the others.