Septimus's direct words left no room for excuses and were a warning to Pompey.
Septimus stared at him fixedly. From the moment he met Pompey, he knew that a sincere friendship would be impossible and that they would most likely become enemies.
Pompey was a man who pursued honor fanatically; for honor, he would become anyone's enemy.
Septimus's influence had completely eclipsed Pompey's, so how could Pompey possibly want to ingratiate himself with him?
On the other hand, Septimus was not worried about the political landscape or the decisions of the Roman Senate.
Septimus could easily deploy more than 30 veteran legions and destroy all of Rome in a matter of months.
Nothing and no one could harm Septimus without suffering the most severe consequences.
Lepidus's speech continued with several accusations against Sulla.
The outraged crowd hurled insults at Sulla.
Lepidus had the courage to incite the crowd against Sulla because he had the support of Pompey and several noble families and senators.
Septimus had heard that Sulla's faction and Pompey had a bad relationship, but he did not expect it to have reached such an extreme.
However, Septimus knew the reason why Pompey hated Sulla: "You forced Pompey to divorce his wife and marry your ex-wife's pregnant daughter."
In an attempt to strengthen his relationship with a promising general, Sulla deeply offended Pompey's pride.
An ordinary man would feel greatly humiliated if he were forced to divorce and marry a woman pregnant by another man.
Pompey was very proud, and Sulla's actions were a severe blow.
Septimus withdrew from the place with his entourage.
Shortly after returning to his villa in the city of Rome, Sulla's invitation arrived, inviting him to attend the gladiator tournament the following day.
The gladiator tournament was held in the Roman Forum, located between the Palatine and Capitoline hills, and possessed a wide space capable of accommodating approximately between 10,000 and 20,000 people during large public events.
The craftsmen worked hard to build stands and wooden structures to accommodate nearly 15,000 spectators.
The arena had an irregular and elongated shape because it gradually developed in a valley between several hills.
The gladiators were inside enormous cages outside the forum, and when it was their turn to fight, Roman soldiers escorted them from streets near the forum.
The improvised arena in the Forum was majestic and attracted a huge crowd of spectators.
When Septimus and his group of guards arrived, the arena was already packed.
The stands, with a capacity of 15,000 people, were filled with all kinds of people, and some citizens were still eating bread they had brought from home.
Upon seeing a dozen black-clad guards with red capes surrounding a young man, someone shouted:
"Long live Septimus!"
"Long live Septimus!"
"Long live!"
A roar suddenly echoed throughout the arena.
Septimus felt surprised and flattered; he did not expect to be so famous and admired by so many people in Rome.
For a long time, Septimus's reputation among the upper class had been terrible, but among the lower classes of Rome, his reputation as a great victorious general had earned him incredible fame and prestige.
Regardless of Septimus's cruel actions, Roman society idolized victorious generals.
Septimus waved to the crowd and, under the gaze of more than 15,000 people, headed toward a wooden platform in the most prominent area.
This platform was reserved for high officials and senators, and many of them had already taken their seats there.
Septimus did not recognize many of these people, but all of them showed great enthusiasm in greeting him.
They knew that Septimus controlled the entire region of Campania and possessed the votes and support of more than 250,000 Roman citizens.
Inevitably, Septimus would become a very powerful figure in Rome, and gaining his support would bring many political benefits.
Even the consul Catulus stood up and exclaimed: "Septimus, sit here."
Septimus represented a great source of votes and could easily influence the annual elections of consuls, and Catulus wished to obtain his support, hence his enthusiasm.
"Thank you," said Septimus politely, sitting down while ignoring Lepidus, who was on the other side.
Lepidus did not represent a threat to Septimus, but Lepidus's demand to return the properties to the exiled nobles slightly annoyed Septimus.
Septimus had no intention of speaking with Lepidus, but the latter approached him.
"Septimus, I heard that one of your great merchant fleets was destroyed by a group of pirates," said Lepidus with a friendly expression.
"That's right, it happened almost a week ago. I hope the Senate supports me in suppressing the pirates," said Septimus calmly.
"The commander-in-chief of an army should at least be a praetor; how can someone your age be qualified?" said Lepidus with a smile, but his words contained ulterior motives.
"That's right, we must follow the rules. If we do not follow the rules, Rome will descend into chaos," said a senator beside Lepidus.
Septimus let out a laugh at the words of both men.
Limit himself to Rome's rules?
If he wished, Septimus could destroy Rome easily.
Rome was an entertainment for Septimus for the coming decades, and the rules could not restrain him.
Not bothering to continue paying attention to the two clowns, Septimus grabbed his cup of wine and lazily replied:
"As far as I know, during the Second Punic War, Scipio Africanus led an army to Hispania at only 25 years old, and at 34 he defeated Hannibal in the Battle of Zama. If he could do it, why can't I?"
Upon hearing this, the platform fell silent.
Scipio Africanus was able to lead the army because his father had died in Hispania and because Hannibal had shattered the morale of the Romans.
No one wanted to go to Hispania, so Scipio Africanus volunteered and obtained the position.
As for Scipio Africanus's victory over Hannibal in the Battle of Zama, that was something no one expected.
"Can you compare yourself to Scipio Africanus?" asked a senator with an incredulous expression.
He was referring to Scipio Africanus, the conqueror of Africa, the Roman god of war, the idol of countless people; many had grown up hearing stories about him.
"Why can't we compare ourselves? When he was my age, did he achieve as much as I have?" said Septimus with an amused expression.
Everyone was speechless for a moment. It was true.
Septimus was a monster. At 21 years old, he had defeated more than 20 legions. If he were older, what would he become?
The years of peace had made many people forget about Septimus's bloody methods during the Roman civil war and his notorious reputation earned with the blood of many enemies.
Some senators began thinking about discreetly suppressing Septimus. Otherwise, if another Marius or Sulla appeared, and there were several more massacres in Rome, how many noble families could resist?
Septimus was also known for his cruelty and fascination with massacres.
Septimus's purges of nobles and elites would not be inferior to those of Sulla and Marius.
The Roman upper class was very wary of people who gained fame and power at a young age. In the original history, after Pompey returned from his eastern expedition, he was tacitly suppressed by the Senate.
"It could be troublesome for you to lead an army to suppress the elusive pirates. After all, there are still many praetors and senators here willing to earn a little fame," said Catulus with a friendly expression.
At that moment, an idea occurred to Lepidus and he said: "Actually, suppressing the pirates should be the consul's obligation. Leave it to me."
Septimus looked at him thoughtfully. If they truly handed him the army, Rome would probably be the first to suffer the consequences.
Just then, a commotion could be heard in the distance.