Seeing that they were surrounded on all sides by that terrifying army in black armor that had previously massacred the camp, the soldiers protecting Sextus turned pale with fear. Minutes earlier they had been regaining their strength for tomorrow's siege, and now they were surrounded by enemies on all sides, having witnessed how all their companions were killed.
The dozen soldiers who were with Sextus dropped their weapons to the ground with lingering fear; they had watched their companions being killed by those demons and were already terrified, which is why they let go of their weapons, not wanting to die.
Sextus, upon seeing how his soldiers abandoned their weapons, felt relieved inside; he had witnessed the infernal scene of the camp and was aware that his poorly equipped and terrified men would not be of much 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 in groups cautiously and disarmed all of Sextus's soldiers, binding their hands with improvised ropes.
Septimus, from his residence in the villa, was being served by two beautiful slaves while observing everything that was happening on the battlefield. His soldiers began to clean the battlefield, collecting everything of value from the enemy soldiers and burning the corpses.
Since he killed the prefect of Capua, Septimus had expanded the villa's smithy with the intention of equipping more legions, but he still lacked weapons and armor, which is why the weapons and armor of the dead would serve his clones.
Although Septimus did not fear Rome, if he were to face it, he would need at least 10 legions to be able to protect himself, and more than 15 legions to be able to counterattack the Roman legions.
The private clone army split into small groups to take charge of cleaning the devastated camp, checking the corpses and putting out the occasional fires of the destroyed tents.
A centurion commanded 100 clone soldiers to take Sextus and the captured soldiers to the villa, while the others carried out different tasks.
While the clone soldiers carried out their tasks, Sextus and his soldiers, with their hands tied, were taken before Septimus.
On 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 curiously.
He could only think that these men were soldiers that Sulla had left in Rome with the purpose of destabilizing the situation in the region of Campania.
Sextus could not understand the origin of such a large number of veteran soldiers and could only conclude that they were from Sulla's faction, hence their courage to dare to kill a prefect and attack Roman soldiers.
All of Rome understood the enmity that existed between the current consuls Marius and Cinna and Sulla, who was far away suppressing rebels in Greece.
Since Sulla left on campaign, his supporters in Rome had been attacked, including the families of the legionaries who were taken to Greece by Cinna and Marius.
The clone soldiers paid him no attention and dragged Sextus separately from his men.
Sextus's soldiers were taken and locked in a small hut and guarded by ten clone guards.
Meanwhile, Sextus was taken to the villa's residence; along the way he saw only slaves and guards carrying the standard with three severed heads impaled.
For the first time since he arrived in Capua, Sextus began to feel fear of becoming involved in the conflict between the consuls and Sulla; as a Roman noble who wished to remain on the sidelines, he valued his life greatly.
He was a Roman noble, and he did not want to die.
When Sextus arrived before Septimus, his mood had changed notably.
Sextus was released by the guards, and before Septimus said a word, he knelt humbly on the ground.
"Spare my life, I will swear loyalty to Sulla, I beg you, my family will pay for my ransom, and I will be a loyal servant," Sextus pleaded in a humble voice, showing none of his previous arrogance.
Septimus was somewhat surprised, because he did not understand Sextus's reasoning or why he was being considered a supporter of Sulla.
Septimus looked at Sextus with inquisitive eyes.
"Stand up and explain to me why you consider me part of Sulla's faction," Septimus said slowly as he lazily adjusted himself on a Roman couch.
Sextus raised his head and looked at this young man; he knew he was Septimus from the reports, but he still seemed too young. Standing up slowly, he began to explain his reasoning.
Septimus listened to Sextus's reasoning 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 from 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 do not need to give you explanations," Septimus said with a smile on his face, without answering the question.
Hearing his response, Sextus lowered his head humbly, not daring to look Septimus in the eyes. He was right—he was now a prisoner, and not to mention an explanation, even his own life was not guaranteed.
"How many troops will Rome send upon learning 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 honestly.
Septimus frowned.
"How long will it take them to reach my villa?" Septimus asked again with a serious face.
In two days, Septimus could generate enough clones to form another legion, but facing two or three legions would put him under pressure, and as a result there would be casualties among the clone soldiers.
If Rome kept sending troops, he would be fighting a war of attrition at a disadvantage and would have to flee far from Rome in order to recover and later take revenge.
But Septimus did not want to escape; if he did, he would have to abandon his villa, and his slaves might die on the road during the escape for various reasons due to the harsh conditions of the era.
"To reach this place, they would take 9 to 12 days; if we add the time in which my defeat is reported, it is likely that it will take more than two weeks," Sextus replied with a distressed expression as he remembered his tragic defeat.
Septimus sighed in relief; with more than two weeks of time, he could generate enough clones to form four complete legions.
After obtaining the information he needed, Septimus, with a slight gesture, ordered his clone guards to take Sextus away.
As Sextus was grabbed by the guards, he panicked and began to struggle.
"I beg you, do not kill me, my family will pay for my ransom, I beg you!" Sextus shouted forcefully; they had only asked him two questions and had not asked about ransom money, so he panicked.
If he did not show value, Sextus could be killed by these ruthless soldiers.
Septimus did not react; he would not kill him, seeing how honestly he had answered his questions, and he was not interested in the small amount of money from his ransom, which is 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 for you as long as you are not from Sulla's faction!" Sextus shouted urgently.
Sextus was gambling; it was not necessary for Septimus to lie to a prisoner when he stated that he was not from Sulla's faction, and now he was not interested in knowing where that black-armored army came from—he only wanted to save his life.
Upon hearing the name Scipio, Septimus thoughtfully ordered his guards to stop.
He knew a little about the Scipio family's situation in this period; they belonged to the neutral faction and remained 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 by defeating Hannibal Barca.
They were a recognized military family in Rome; if Septimus managed to have this recognized family speak for him and resolve the incident of killing a prefect, he could avoid entering into conflict with Rome.
Make no mistake—Septimus did not fear war, but instead of being the center of attention in political struggles, he could build his own territory and spend time with beautiful slaves in his villa.
Septimus stopped the clone guards.
"I hope you will be useful to me. What is your relationship with Senator Scipio?" Septimus asked with an inquisitive gaze.