In the end, Damon got what he wanted. The vote was heavily in his favor. Only a handful stood against him, and one of them was his grandfather.
The old man held Damon's gaze for a long moment. Then his shoulders sagged and he stepped down from his seat to walk toward him.
Damon was not the hero of the goddess races to him. He was his grandson. If Damon died, the world would lose a hero, but he would lose blood.
Damon did not need to be a hero. The old man could have arranged a quiet military position far from the front lines. Damon would only need to attend a few meetings now and then. He could even have Jarvis attend in his place while he rested safely at home.
But Damon was the sort of person who insisted on handling things himself.
In the end, the old man was forced to accept that his grandson was walking willingly toward a living disaster.
The emperor cleared his throat.
