Cleanliness is next to Godliness

Yara was honestly tired of chasing after the so-called demon. He wanted to be stationary and live his life comfortably. He didn't want to be on the road investigating cold trails and getting dirty. Cleanliness was next to godliness—that was Yara's core belief. He believed that humans had transcended mindless behavior and were closer to the realm of gods.

Humans were capable of complex thought, thus they knew they had to be clean. In this village, however, it was a dump. Yara was disgusted to even talk to these people; they were worse than animals. At least animals didn't know better, but these humans were dirty by choice. Well, maybe they couldn't afford soap or waste water, but Yara didn't want any excuses.

Being clean was the first thing one had to think about upon waking, and they should consider cleaning throughout the day, sleeping with the knowledge that the world is clean. Yara hated peasants for this reason, and he didn't mind wiping out such filth from the earth. Looking at the village, even the smell was horrible; the air was not fit to breathe. Yara couldn't help but look at the chief of the village talking, trying to kiss ass.

"We are honored to have you in our village, Valiant Priest Yara. Allow me to lead you to a place where you can dwell," the chief said, bowing deeply.

Yara's face frowned as he surveyed the village, wanting to throw up.

"I want all your people to be bathed and fresh by sundown, and I want everything clean and the smell gone," Yara demanded, his voice stern and uncompromising.

Chief Atlas' face frowned in response. "But Valiant Priest, we barely have anything to drink ourselves."

"The Lord provides for those who have faith. Show your faith by being clean, and the Lord will not allow you to suffer."

"But Priest, we have children to think about. We can barely live on the water we have, let alone have the luxury to bathe," Atlas tried to make him see reason.

"Just do as you are told. You are nothing but a filthy rodent, and while I am here, so I don't catch any disease, you will all bathe. Even if you have to die of thirst."

The chief's face twisted in anger. The church always treated them like this, taking everything from them in the name of their god and leaving them to die of starvation and thirst. The village was having a few bad years; drought and famine had plagued them, and all they could do to stay alive was hunt and gather water. Sometimes the young ones would go look for water or hunt in dangerous places and not return.

In this world, death was around every corner, but Gaton Village had it rougher than anyone else. The population of the village used to be 104 a few years ago, but now it was almost half that. Hunting in the wilderness was dangerous; even a Class I evolved deer could kill a man with bad weapons, and God knew they didn't have any good ones. The only reason the village had not yet been wiped from the face of the earth was because of their well-kept secret.

"Understood, your holiness," Atlas said, walking away. He was dissatisfied, but there was nothing he could do. The force of a priest was mighty, and to the church, their lives were like grass—a thing they could cut down anytime they wanted. Maybe in a few days, the youth who went out to find food and water would come back victorious. They were set to return soon, and Atlas was just hoping they could bring their salvation since they would be wasting water they didn't have. The water of the village was already being regulated: one tall glass a day to drink for an adult, half a glass for a child, and for a teen, they would get a 70% full glass, the glass was usual one Liter.

Most of the water they would get was not clean and had to be boiled, losing some amount of water as steam. For cooking, they usually ate together, making the hunted meat into a stew. Without the water, even their meals would be affected.

When Atlas informed the villagers, they were in an uproar. Bathing was the least of their worries; most of them were thirsty and hungry. This made them angry hearing about a rich priest who wanted them to prioritize washing their bodies over drinking water and being healthy.

"We will not do it, Atlas. Soso and the others might not come back with water or food. We cannot waste water on non-essential things. We have accepted our way of life, and who are they to dictate to us what we must do with our resources?" Leken spoke up, one of the members of the council.

"Leken is right. We are barely alive as it is. If he doesn't want to see us, then he should stay in his dwellings and not come out. If we smell bad to him, he should stay indoors," Faraday added, supporting Leken.

"It would be impossible to defy the church. What they say goes. The church is ruthless and would kill us if we defied them. They have two commanders; we stand no chance," Atlas spoke, trying to reason with the villagers.

"Let them kill us. We can't live a life of fear forever. We have been terrorized by the church for as long as I can remember. It's time to fight," Msomi, a young hunter of the village, shouted. He was very strong and had a big stature.

The crowd cheered for Msomi, but Atlas frowned. "Are you idiots? The village is made up of women and children. How can we endanger their lives?"

The crowd grew quiet. They knew Atlas was right, but they just wanted to vent their anger. They longed for the day the church got what was coming to it. They had no choice but to bathe, but before that, everyone drank their fill. The villagers knew they might have to go days without water, so they made sure everyone drank their fill. It was weird to drink so much water; most of them had forgotten what it felt like. It was heaven, and they all had one thought in mind: "Do rich people get to drink water like this every day?"

Drinking water to one's satisfaction was now a foreign concept to the villagers. Whether it was food or water, they were always rationed. For the first time in a while, the villagers felt refreshed. Those who were fatigued before were now in good health, and those who had been experiencing migraines were feeling a lot better.

After drinking their fill, they went to wash themselves. Another luxury they had forgotten about. The experience was good, but none of the villagers could enjoy it. How could they? As water dripped from their bodies and reached the ground, it was being wasted. They knew soon enough they would suffer from thirst. Hatred for the church rose from these villagers, and they couldn't help it.

After getting washed, the villagers felt good, lighter. There was no more grime on their skin or odor on their bodies. This was obviously temporary; in a few days, they would be dirty again. As time went by, the villagers took care of their waste as Yara had told them to clean. The village was looking good, better than before, but the villagers were not happy at all. Days went by, and the village had a makeover because of Yara's order.

In the past few days, Yara had ordered them to do many things. The village was now livable according to his lowest standards, but the villagers were dying of thirst.

"Valiant Priest Yara, we have done what you asked of us. We bathed with our last water, we cleaned the village, and we made the roads, but the people are dying, and they need water," Atlas pleaded.

"Man must not live by bread alone. As long as your people have faith in the Lord, they will be rewarded," Yara replied with indifference. Atlas was claiming they had bathed, but now he stood in front of Yara, dirty and smelly again. Yara was displeased.

"But Valiant Priest, we have children. Without water, we cannot survive."

"Not that it is any of my concern. What do you expect me to do in this matter?"

"You have two commanders with you and multiple Enforcers. Helping the village get water would be easy. We only ask that you provide protection while some of our villagers fetch water since the wilderness is dangerous."

"Hahahahaha!" Yara couldn't hold back his laughter. "You want my Guardians to help you get water? You are very funny. That won't be happening because we are leaving tomorrow. I can't wait any longer."

"But Pries-"

"The church doesn't work for you. I am on a mission. Normally, I would make sure filth like you get water to wash your dirty bodies, but I have no time anymore."

Atlas was hoping the priest would be willing to help a bit. The situation was bad; people were starting to get ill, and most couldn't even stand.

The next day came, and the people were beyond mad, but they had no power to fight or even interest in speaking. Yara and his men were geared up to leave, and the villagers were about to see them off when a weak youth came rushing to Atlas.

"Chief, chief! Soso is back! Soso and the others have returned!"

Atlas couldn't help but be happy to hear it. He was hoping they would come bearing gifts. Yara found interest in this and waited at the gate as a few young men and women approached. They had a few wild animals with them, and they were carrying some water.

"The Lord provides indeed," Yara said to the village chief.

The chief remained quiet, tired of Yara's nonsense. Seeing Soso and the others coming home with delicacies, he was happy. Although the water they had was not much, it would help the suffering villagers survive.

Soso and the other youths arrived to a scene they didn't expect. The village looked clean, and there were people from the church. Upon closer inspection, the villagers looked ill and could barely stand.

"Did we take too long that people started to fall ill from being dehydrated? The water was supposed to at least last them this long," Soso wondered aloud, approaching the chief and Yara.

"Greetings, Valiant Priest," Soso showed his respects.

"Greetings, young man," Yara replied.

"Greetings, chief. I see the situation is bad. Did we take too long?" Soso inquired, seeing the people in this state.

"No, everything is fine," Atlas said to Soso. "Well then, goodbye, Valiant Priest. It was nice having you."

"Likewise," Yara smiled, preparing to leave.

"The church made us bathe with the last of our water and let us go without water for days!" someone shouted from the villagers.

"I was merely helping you to be clean. Cleanliness is next to godliness. You should be thanking me. I made you get rid of filth, although temporarily," Yara casually replied.

"What?" Soso's face twisted in disbelief.

"Forget about it. You are here now with water. Everything is good," Atlas tried to calm Soso down.

"You made people bathe with drinking water and made them go without water for days?" Soso felt rage boil within him.

"I guess I did. Well, goodbye."

Soso grabbed Yara by the sleeve tightly. Yara looked at the hand that grabbed him—it was extremely dirty. He was wearing an expensive white robe, and this total stranger was touching him. Even a Guardian commander wouldn't dare touch him. He hated being touched, especially by dirty hands. Yara's face twisted with anger.