Chapter 27 - Banquet
Inside the residence, with the help of the slaves, Septimus dressed in a white toga.
It was not that Septimus was pretentious, but the toga was a very complicated garment with many folds, which required assistance to put on.
The toga was made of white wool cut in an oval shape, and its thickness varied according to the seasons of the year.
It was a garment for adults, and Septimus, at nearly 18 years old, could wear it.
"How good it looks!" Septimus could not help but exclaim.
Septimus had short black hair and, thanks to good nutrition, he was taller than his peers, measuring approximately 1.75 meters.
His light gray eyes had a touch of cynicism, which gave him the appearance of a vibrant young man with a sinister air.
"It's fine," said Levi with a smile.
Toga clothing was too cumbersome and restrictive; Septimus did not particularly like it.
"The guards and the carriages are ready, young master, you may depart at any time," said one of the slaves humbly.
"Then, let's go," replied Septimus.
"Long live Septimus!"
"Long live Septimus!"
"Long live Septimus!"
Septimus, together with two slaves, left the residence, being received by one hundred guards in beautifully decorated black armor in orderly formation.
Their arms were extended at a 45-degree angle, making a gesture that would be considered a fascist symbol in the modern era.
A classic salute of the Third Reich!
Of course, this was not Septimus's intention; it was simply the traditional Roman military salute. Later, Hitler adopted the Roman salute as his official greeting, and many Hollywood film companies, to avoid sensitive topics and audience criticism, began to avoid or replace the original Roman salute with similar variants.
Series or films about Rome, even those that showed Roman salutes, only dared to show a few fingers.
The Roman salute became extremely popular in the modern era, prevailing in the United States from the 18th century until 1937, before Roosevelt replaced it with other greetings for political reasons.
Septimus responded with a Roman salute; this was his newly established personal guard of clones with the sole purpose of protecting his authority and demonstrating power.
Septimus planned to form a personal guard of 300 men dedicated to his security, composed of 60 cavalry soldiers and 240 infantry, all with the best and most elaborate military equipment, distinguishing themselves from other legionary clones.
However, due to limitations of time and equipment, the personal guard had not yet been fully established.
"Let's go," said Septimus with a gesture of his hand.
He was not going to bring any of the women to the banquet; Septimus was jealous and did not know what might happen.
Septimus's villa was relatively far from Capua but relatively closer to the estate of Marcus Atilius Severus. After midday of travel, Marcus's estate could be seen.
Upon seeing Septimus's large entourage, Marcus was slightly surprised by the imposing presence of so many guards in black armor.
"Is it necessary to bring so many people?" Marcus asked after a cordial greeting.
"Of course. Capua is not safe; attacks are frequent. I only want to protect myself," said Septimus with a smile while the guards stayed outside and only two accompanied him.
Upon entering the mansion, Septimus realized what the estate of a traditional Roman noble was like: a luxurious Greek-style mansion.
In the center there was a courtyard with the appearance of a garden, where various flowers bloomed in vibrant colors, and a large pond filled with exotic fish.
Surrounding the courtyard were columns separated by numerous stone pillars, where slaves worked diligently. Upon seeing Septimus and two silent guards with beautiful black armor, they immediately stopped and made a respectful bow to the distinguished guest.
"Ha ha, you must be Septimus! I've heard a lot about you!"
Just then, a middle-aged man with dark hair laughed loudly as he came out, accompanied by a cute girl of about twelve years old.
"This is Aulus and his daughter Sepia,"
Marcus introduced.
"Hello, my name is Sepia. Your sugar is delicious!" said the girl seriously. She had a sweet appearance, clear and delicate skin, looking truly adorable.
"Really? I brought another delicacy that you might like," said Septimus with a smile directed at the precocious girl.
"What delicacy?"
"I call it candy."
Septimus asked someone to bring a bottle with two handles and a narrow neck, took out a piece of candy, and handed it to Sepia.
"This was originally a gift for you, you don't mind, right?" Septimus said to Marcus.
"Of course not," said Marcus with a laugh.
He had someone bring the bottle and brought one for himself and another for Aulus.
"How delicious," said Sepia while chewing the candy with a sweet smile on her face.
Marcus and Aulus also tasted the candy, surprised inside.
Unlike Sepia, who only knew about food and drink, both recognized the enormous economic benefits: another industry as valuable as that of white sugar.
"This is made with white sugar; the process is very difficult, and so far only a few pounds have been produced," replied Levi. Since no one knew about this product, he could pretend that the process was complicated.
"At what price do you plan to sell it?" Marcus asked.
"For now, it is 100 denarii per pound. If the process improves, it could drop to 50 denarii per pound," said Septimus.
The making of candy began as a whim of Septimus to avoid presenting gifts that were too expensive at the banquet; the idea of selling it only occurred to him after seeing the reaction of Marcus and Aulus.
Marcus and Aulus were surprised by the extremely high price.
This candy is worth more than its weight in silver.
"What a precious gift!" exclaimed Marcus.
Aulus was even more enthusiastic than Marcus and took Septimus to the hall to introduce him to the other nobles.
"This is Vitius. His family runs a gladiator training school," said Aulus.
"It's a pleasure to meet you. Let's keep in contact," said Vitius with a cordial smile.
"This is Clavius."
"Pleased to meet you."
"…"
"This is Fulvia. She is engaged to a Roman noble and will marry next month."
"I have heard about you. You have been quite famous in Capua lately," said a beautiful young woman who had not yet turned twenty.
There were only about twenty people there, but most were nobles of Capua who supported Marcus in obtaining the position of prefect of the city. Septimus was discreet and rarely had the opportunity to meet the upper class of the city, not considering it necessary to establish relationships with people he would probably kill in a few years.
"Marcus, I did not expect you to invite such a traitor to Rome. I am very disappointed," said a young man with a sneer of contempt, holding a cup of wine.
As soon as the words ended, the room fell silent instantly.
Some looked at Septimus with mockery; despite knowing the bloody character of that young man, they were still quite disgusted with Septimus because of his enormous wealth and his humble origins.
"Licinius, don't say that. Now we are all on the same side," said Marcus, frowning. He was truly being disrespectful.
"Who are you?" asked Septimus coldly.
"Licinius Cornelius Guta. My father is Lucius Licinius Guta, a member of the council of Capua," said the young man with pride.
Septimus frowned; he truly did not know who this bastard's father was or where he got so much nerve to challenge him.
He dared to kill a prefect and take prisoner the admiral of Campania—did this idiot really think he would not do anything to him?
Marcus began to grow uneasy upon seeing Septimus's cold gaze; he regretted inviting Licinius to the banquet. He was a troublesome young man who easily offended people with his words. But Septimus was a psychopath who even dared to kill a prefect.
Licinius's father was a great friend of Marcus; it was a pity that his son was only a foolish young man who only valued family origins and despised people without great family backgrounds.