You can't just abandon us like this!
The dragon lifted its leg off Scarlet's head, eliciting the happiest sobs the adventurers had ever heard in their entire lives. Scarlet continued to cry tears of gratitude, her voice trembling as she repeated, "Thank you, oh, thank you!"
Her tears streamed down her face, mingling with the dirt beneath her as she remained kneeling, her hands clasped tightly together. Each "thank you" carried overwhelming relief and joy, a stark contrast to her usual somber demeanor.
Scarlet's sobs gradually subsided into quiet sniffles after a few minutes. Though she still maintained her kowtowing position, she was no longer frozen. The dragon gently placed a talon under her chin and lifted her head, signaling that she should rise. She nuzzled her cheek against the dragon's extended talon for a few seconds, holding it reverently with both hands. The gentle contact seemed to calm her further, her tears of joy slowly drying up.
Scarlet slowly got to her feet, her eyes still brimming with gratitude and reverence as she looked at the dragon. She cast a healing spell on him, though he wasn't particularly injured, ensuring his minor bruises were tended to.
Tramil, who had been standing in stunned silence, finally snapped out of his stupor. His expression darkened with anger as he stepped forward, pointing an accusatory finger at Scarlet. "What?! Scarlet, you are our teammate!" he shouted, frustration evident in his voice. "You can't just abandon us like this! We won't serve a dragon either. We have a holy mission to fulfill!"
She released the dragon's claw and turned to face her teammates. "Naturally, I'm not expecting any of you to serve him; in fact, none of you are worthy of this sacred duty. You simply don't understand the majesty of true dragons."
Her eyes narrowed at the Chosen Knight. "And you, you utter disgrace of a man. In case your dense head hasn't noticed, I worship the Great Mother, one of the first and only Ascendant Dragons. I couldn't care less about your flimsy and whimsical gods. In fact, 'Lord Darius' can drink my month-old piss. Just let me know, and I will store it in a vial for him to let it 'mature.' Oh wait, I bet the Fish Fucker would absolutely love it, so I take that back."
The three looked at her with absolute bewilderment in their eyes. Scum burst into uproarious laughter, slapping his thighs repeatedly. "Damn Scaly, you should've opened your pretty little mouth more. Our tiresome journey would've been a lot more amusing!"
Valla couldn't help but smile at Scarlet's remark, but she cast a worried glance at Tramil, who shuddered at the sacrilegious comment. None of them had been particularly reverential toward the gods before, and the other two were merely following their chosen teammate, but he had become much more devout since receiving his blessing.
"H-how dare you speak like that about Lord Darius?! We took you in, protected you for months!"
Scarlet sneered in reply. "And I saved your lives on multiple occasions in return. What, joining your party is a lifelong commitment? That wasn't stated in your terms when I applied. The only reason I joined you is because I felt a sudden impulse, as if The Great Mother herself guided me. And now I finally understand why. Consider this my resignation, or do you need it in writing? You can report me dead if it saves you face in the guild. I couldn't care less now that I've found my place in the World." She glanced back at her newfound master with eyes brimming with gratitude.
Before the young chosen could retort, Valla, the valiant defender, spoke up, her voice shaky from the accumulated battle damage. "Let it go, leader. She obviously doesn't want to be with us. Forcing Scarlet away from her dragon would be akin to enslaving her. Let's also not forget that the dragon saved our skins."
Scum calmed down and clicked his tongue. "So no dragon materials to sell? Well, it would've been a real pain to drag the corpse back from bumfuck nowhere anyway to civilization anyways." He sheathed his weapon and began searching for valuables to scavenge.
Tramil scoffed at the situation. He wasn't too injured to take down both the infant dragon and healer at once, but with Valla taking their side, it was impossible. Besides, losing their stalwart defender would be a much bigger blow than their depressive healer objectively speaking. Not many front-liners could stare death in the eyes and smile valiantly while doing so.
Being spat on and berated earlier had also finally opened his eyes to the reality that his feelings for Scarlet would never be reciprocated, especially now knowing her reverence for dragons over gods.
A sudden low growl sounded from behind Scarlet, a warning from the black dragon before it turned around and started walking away from the rest. A warning towards the three humans not to follow.
The fiery redhead quickly looked towards the tall woman, "Valla, although I hated every second of being in your party I recognize that you are a rare nice person. I heavily recommend you change parties as soon as you get back to the guild. We both know that almost any party below a certain level would love to have you."
She turned her head to the male party members but could only scoff and shake her head disappointedly upon seeing their image. Scum was neck deep in some filthy orc bin or something while Tramil was looking at her with equal fury and pain in his expression. Although he completed his divine mission and would be recognized as an official chosen upon his triumphant return to the Aqua God's temple, he felt betrayed on multiple levels.
"Thanks, I hope you've found what you were looking for, Scarlet. I would say Gods be with you, but I guess I would be insulting you, huh?" She chuckled awkwardly. "The Great Mother be with you?"
"I appreciate the thought. Then, farewell." She turned around and gasped when she saw how quickly the dragon's form was retreating into the bushy forest. "Ah! Please wait My Lord, this lowly one only has two legs!" She cried and rushed to follow her master.