With the Night's Guard established, Vinya now has its own semblance of a militia. Still, it wouldn't be a proper military force without the presence of proper training.
For that, Alexis, as the de facto Commander-in-Chief of Vinya, stepped forward and declared, "Night's Guard!"
"Yes, My Lord!"
"As of right now, I speak not as the ruler of Vinya or the Representative of the Goddess. Right now, I am your Commander, your trainer!" Alexis shouted with a full voice. "As of today, the only routine you will have is WEPT!"
"Wept? What do you mean, My Lord?" Karsi asked on behalf of his fellow Night's Guard, confused by what he said.
"Wake, Eat, Pray, and Train! That will be the only four things that you will do in the span of your training to become disciplined men of the Goddess! There is no turning back now, so let us begin." With palms joint together, Alexis began to lead. "Great Goddess, guide us to attain perfection to become your most faithful servants. Allow us to let the skies forge our wills so that we can stand with you and look down on those who dare speak ill of your glory. Praise be to the Goddess!"
"Praise to the Goddess!" The men repeated as they felt the gaze of heaven fall upon them. When they did, their will to train swelled.
With Alexis' lead, the group went to the southern part of the town and began doing military drills. It was the best place to do so since that part of the town still hasn't been developed that much. Still, with the trees cleared out, it allowed them to train to the fullest. From jogging, to push ups, to crunches, and many more. Alexis even made makeshift dumbbells and barbells for them to do dead weights, bench presses, and even spear thrusting motions using hard wood embedded into big stones.
To motivate the men, Alexis also joined the fun. When the day ended, every single one of them was exhausted to the bones. Even Alexis was panting. Still, the fact that Alexis was only panting after doing the same things they did made the mouths of the thirty men lying on the ground gaping.
"H-How?" Bertolto, one of the men, squinted his eyes in absolute shock. For that question, Alexis just laughed awkwardly. After harvesting and eating countless Kalenberries, he later found out that his stamina and strength grew without any physical stimulation needed from him.
After a while of resting, Alexis heard something coming from the direction of the town. Looking there, he saw his wife, together with the wives and children of the men walking towards them with huge pots. Despite being tired, the men swiftly stood up and hurried to help their wives in carrying those pots.
Alexis, also surprised by their arrival, went and walked toward Leisandra, "My wife, what is this?" Smiling, Leisandra replied, "All of you are training hard for the security of Vinya. The least we can do is fill your bellies."
"Meat!" Suddenly, one of the men shouted as soon as he opened one of the pots. Wide-eyed, everyone ran towards their comrade. Alexis also looked back with a keen light in his eyes. Patting his back, Leisandra said, "Go on, My husband. The foods here are prepared for all of you. We made sure that it will be energizing for everyone."
Like a child given permission to play, Alexis hopped right with the men. The rich aroma of the venison stew permeated the cold night air. Seeing their husbands salivating, Leisandra and the other women started giving out bowls filled with the stew.
When Alexis scooped some of the stew into his mouth, his eyebrows rose. It wasn't as flavorful as the stews made in his old world. Still, the stew that was made by Leisandra and the others tasted savory and deep. He figured that there was some Kalenberry in the stew, but he can't tell what the other flavors were.
Seeing his speculative face, Leisandra chuckled, "It's Kairen Root." When she said that, something clicked in Alexis' mind. "Kairen Root!"
It was a reward given to him in one of his Picking Kalenberry tasks. When he planted it, it swiftly grew into a root system, allowing him to harvest some every now and then. According to the system, it was a medicinal root that tasted earthy on its own but has a characteristic of enhancing all flavors when placed in soups and stews.
Not only that, Kairen Root also strengthens the body of its consumer periodically. Coupled with the training they were doing, the prowess of these warriors will definitely have the potential to go beyond the average elite troops in the continent.
Brimming with excitement for the future, Alexis ate to his fill before letting the men return to their homes.
Upon stepping foot in his cottage, Alexis relaxed, his body falling to the weight of tiredness. Leisandra, supporting his body, asked worriedly, "Are you really okay, my husband?" With a satisfied yet unenergetic smile, he replied, "I am. I guess my body just got pushed to its limits today."
Upon standing steadily, he added, "But with the venison stew that the women of Vinya cooked for us, I doubt this soreness will last." He grinned meaningfully.
Leisandra waved her hand and replied, "Sigh. You and your cheesy flatteries. Just go to bed and sleep." Responding to that, Alexis just laughed gleefully as he walked to the bed. Just seconds later, he was fast asleep. Seeing that, Leisandra walked towards the bed, sitting on it, before softly stroking her husband's head as she laid her soft, admiring eyes on his features.
When the birds cawed the next day, Alexis opened his eyes to a well-prepared table. It was filled with meat, fruits, berries, and vegetables harvested. Leisandra came in from outside, with her hair braided around her head. Seeing him awake, she greeted, "Good morning, my husband. I've prepared your meal before you return to training with the Night's Guard."
"Thank you for this, my wife." He walked towards her, hugged, and said to her with a smile on his face. Leisandra visibly reddened before replying, "No need to worry about that. You need to have your fill in order for you to better serve the people."
[Wife Satisfaction Rate: 93% - 95%.]
Alexis grinned upon seeing that she liked it. What made him happy even more was the next notification that came up.