Seeing that they were surrounded on all sides by that terrifying army in black armor, which had previously massacred the camp, the soldiers protecting Sextus turned pale with fear. Just minutes earlier, they had been resting in preparation for the next day's siege, and now they found themselves encircled by enemies on all sides, having witnessed all their comrades being slaughtered.
The dozen soldiers who were with Sextus dropped their weapons to the ground, overcome by persistent fear. They had watched their companions be killed by those demons and were already terrified, which is why they abandoned their arms, unwilling to die.
As Sextus watched his soldiers throw down their weapons, he felt relieved inside. He had witnessed the infernal scene in the camp and was well aware that his poorly equipped, terrified men would be of little help. He also did not want to die, and he could not surrender easily; he had to maintain the dignity of a Roman noble.
The clone soldiers approached cautiously in groups and disarmed all of Sextus's men, binding their hands with improvised ropes.
Septimus, from his residence in the villa, was being served by two beautiful slave girls while he observed everything happening on the battlefield. His soldiers began to clean up the field, collecting anything of value from the enemy soldiers and burning the corpses.
Ever since he had killed the prefect of Capua, Septimus had expanded the villa's forge with the intention of equipping more legions, but he still lacked weapons and armor. For that reason, the arms and armor of the dead would be useful to his clones.
Although Septimus did not fear Rome, if he were to face it, he would need at least ten legions just to defend himself and more than fifteen legions to counterattack the Roman legions.
The private clone army split into small groups to deal with clearing the ravaged camp, searching the bodies and extinguishing the occasional fires from the destroyed tents.
One centurion commanded one hundred clone soldiers to escort Sextus and the captured soldiers to the villa, while the others carried out different tasks.
As the clone soldiers performed their duties, Sextus and his men, their hands bound, were taken before Septimus.
Along the way, Sextus observed these enemy soldiers more closely. Their combat skill was proven, and the discipline in their movements was remarkable. He could see that these men were veterans, trained and hardened on the battlefield.
"Are you Sulla's soldiers?" Sextus asked his captors with curiosity.
He could only think that these men were soldiers Sulla had left in Rome with the purpose of destabilizing the situation in the Campania region.
Sextus could not understand the origin of such a large number of veteran soldiers and could only conclude that they belonged to Sulla's faction, which explained their audacity in killing a prefect and attacking Roman soldiers.
All of Rome understood the hostility between the current consuls, Marius and Cinna, and Sulla, who was far away suppressing rebels in Greece.
Since Sulla had departed on his military campaign, his supporters in Rome had been attacked, including the families of legionaries taken to Greece by Cinna and Marius.
The clone soldiers paid no attention and dragged Sextus away, separating him from his men.
Sextus's soldiers were taken and locked inside a small hut, guarded by ten clone sentries.
Sextus, on the other hand, was led to the villa's residence. Along the way, he saw only slaves and guards carrying banners bearing three severed heads impaled on stakes.
For the first time since arriving in Capua, Sextus began to feel afraid of being drawn into the conflict between the consuls and Sulla. As a Roman noble who wished to remain neutral, he valued his life greatly.
He was a Roman noble, and he did not want to die.
By the time Sextus was brought before Septimus, his state of mind had changed noticeably.
The guards released Sextus, and before Septimus could say a word, Sextus knelt humbly on the floor.
"Spare my life. I will swear loyalty to Sulla, I beg you. My family will pay my ransom, and I will be a loyal servant," Sextus pleaded in a humble voice, showing none of his former arrogance.
Septimus was somewhat surprised, as he did not understand Sextus's reasoning or why he considered him a supporter of Sulla.
Septimus looked at Sextus with inquisitive eyes.
"Stand up and explain why you consider me part of Sulla's faction," Septimus said calmly, reclining lazily on a Roman piece of furniture.
Sextus raised his head and looked at the young man. He knew this was Septimus from the reports, yet he still seemed far too young. Slowly rising to his feet, he began to explain his reasoning.
Septimus listened to Sextus's explanation and could not help but smile.
"Hahaha. I regret to inform you that I am not on Sulla's side," Septimus said with amusement.
"Impossible. If you are not part of Sulla's faction, how do you explain the veteran legionaries in black armor under your command?" Sextus replied humbly.
"You are a prisoner, and I am not required to explain anything to you," Septimus said with a smile, refusing to answer the question.
Hearing this response, Sextus lowered his head humbly, not daring to look Septimus in the eyes. He was right; he was now a prisoner, and even his life was not guaranteed, let alone an explanation.
"How many troops will Rome send once it learns of your defeat?" Septimus asked seriously.
"They would probably send two or three legions," Sextus replied honestly. He was a noble and did not want to be tortured for information; the most sensible course was to abandon pride and answer truthfully.
Septimus frowned.
"How long will it take them to reach my villa?" Septimus asked again, his expression serious.
In two days, Septimus could generate enough clones to form another legion, but facing two or three legions would put him under pressure and result in clone casualties.
If Rome kept sending troops, he would be fighting a war of attrition at a disadvantage and would have to flee far from Rome to recover and later seek revenge.
But Septimus did not want to flee. If he did, he would have to abandon his villa, and his slave girls might die along the escape route for various reasons, given the harsh environment of the era.
"To reach this place, it would take them nine to twelve days. If we add the time it would take for news of my defeat to reach them, it would likely take more than two weeks," Sextus replied with a distressed expression as he recalled his tragic defeat.
Septimus sighed in relief. With more than two weeks, he could generate enough clones to form four full legions.
Having obtained the information he needed, Septimus gave a slight gesture, ordering his clone guards to take Sextus away.
As the guards grabbed him, Sextus panicked and began to struggle.
"I beg you, don't kill me. My family will pay my ransom, I beg you," Sextus shouted desperately. He had only been asked two questions, and they had not mentioned ransom money, which made him panic.
If he showed no value, Sextus could be killed by these ruthless soldiers.
Septimus remained unmoved. He would not kill Sextus, given how honestly he had answered his questions, and he was not interested in the small sum of ransom money, which was why he had not asked.
The clone guards dragged Sextus away.
"I know Senator Scipio, and if I send him a letter, he can speak on your behalf, as long as you are not part of Sulla's faction," Sextus shouted urgently.
Sextus was gambling. Septimus had no reason to lie to a prisoner when he said he was not part of Sulla's faction, and now Sextus no longer cared where that black-armored army came from. He only cared about saving his life.
Upon hearing the name Scipio, Septimus thoughtfully ordered his guards to stop.
He knew a bit about the situation of the Scipio family at that time. They belonged to the neutral faction and stayed on the sidelines of the current disputes in Rome.
The prestige of the Scipio family came from their ancestor Publius Cornelius Scipio, known as Scipio Africanus, who gained fame throughout Rome for defeating Hannibal Barca.
They were a respected military family in Rome. If Septimus could get this renowned family to speak on his behalf and resolve the incident of killing a prefect, he could avoid direct conflict with Rome.
Make no mistake, Septimus did not fear war, but rather than becoming the center of political struggles, he preferred to build his own territory and spend time with beautiful slave girls in his villa.
Septimus stopped the clone guards.
"I hope you prove useful to me. What is your relationship with Senator Scipio?" Septimus asked, fixing him with an inquisitive gaze.