Chapter 2: The Princess of Bendu

Batitas was clearly amused by Fantu's behavior of pretending to be an elder, as only elders are qualified to sit in the ivory armchair. He also pulled down a curtain and draped it over his shoulders, forming a toga-like robe, and elongated his tone to respond: "Oh, esteemed elder Fantu, I condemn your hypocrisy, for you yourself spend all day at home engaging in debauchery with your slaves"

At that moment, Li Bida saw a silk ribbon wrapped around Monime's fair neck, with blood seeping through it, staining her silk robe a large patch of red. He roughly understood: this princess had refused to poison herself, likely unwilling to have her appearance swollen by poison after death, so she had hanged herself with the coronet's ribbon, but the ribbon had broken. This was what she had mentioned in the amber fragment. Then Li Bida's gaze shifted to a sharp, bloodied knife resting on the desk—likely given to her by Balode, or perhaps Balode had acted directly, slitting Monime's throat, thus ending this beautiful life. Likely she had refused to have her appearance swollen by poison after death, so she had hanged herself with the coronet's ribbon, but the ribbon had broken. This was what she had mentioned in the amber fragment. Then Li Bida's gaze shifted to a sharp, bloodied knife resting on the desk—likely given to her by Balode, or perhaps Balode had acted directly, slitting Monime's throat, thus ending this beautiful life.

Utharis bent down in the saddle, rudely pointing at Heibrida with his hand, and said in a low voice: "Listen, you will become a criminal of the Sixth Legion, Heibrida, you old scoundrel of the Fabrian veterans. The commander will hear of your crimes and harms. Our Roman army would rather have cowardly soldiers than brave robbers—soon I will formally petition the quartermaster accompanying the Asian province, who will account for the plundered supplies of you ruffians, and in the end, you will receive not even half a drachma!"

I fear that by the time Utharis learns of this matter, you will not even be able to be considered a hyena. The operation of the Third Brigade tonight is a private action that deviates from the orders of the Legion, and you have deceived the other soldiers of the Sixth Battalion into joining you. We may very well be executed by having our throats slit, and it is certain to happen.

This noblewoman is named Rosanna. She states here that she is the sister of the monarch of the Kingdom of Bendu... and also the monarch's wife. When the palace was breached, she did not have time to escape with the monarch, in order to avoid falling into the hands of the barbaric...

"Official, Mitradat has long since fled due to our army's indecision; only a few of his wives and concubines remain in the Karabi Palace, and they have all committed suicide"

"Low-ranking centurion Heibrida, I most hope to hear that you have either captured or killed Mithridates, for only then can it offset your transgression of taking the initiative to engage in battle last night while I was absent from the camp," Utairis questioned loudly

Please repeat that, low-ranking centurion

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Li Bida exerted all his strength, pushing and kicking wildly with his hands and feet. The female ghost was forcefully pushed down, and then Li Bida seized her right arm, which held the axe, and struck it violently against a nearby pillar. Ultimately, the female ghost could not withstand the pain, howling a few times, and the small axe she dropped clattered as it slid a considerable distance across the smooth floor

Princess of Bendu, Adiana

"Damn it, Bartitas, what are you doing!" Fantu suddenly shouted.

"Well said, esteemed legal officer, you have resolved the greatest legal dilemma since the founding of Rome. On behalf of all Roman citizens, I thank you for your integrity and wisdom"

One of the older centurions, named Arminius, shouted in an urgent tone: "For the time being, throw this damned crown aside! The legion should have noticed what is happening here, and there must be countless rooms behind this palace waiting for us to search. Time is running out. As the proverb says, seize what can be seized."

The centurion named Fan Tu shouted: "Forever https://m.hetushu.com.com, the lowly Hebrida, you are insane. We came here to search for spoils suitable for our status. This crown undoubtedly belongs to the commander or the legion commander; we have no right to keep it for ourselves"

Thus, the "sissy" with big eyes stared at Li Bida all the way, without engaging in any conversation with him

After speaking, the two of them burst into laughter, while Li Bida seemed to be on the side, listening to a comedic dialogue.

Li Bida instinctively wanted to retreat, but his legs had already gone weak. He fell backward in a sprawl, and the axe came down like lightning. Enough, enough, enough; he could only close his eyes, raise the cloak in his hand, and drape it in front of his bare body, a meager defense at best

It seems that what lies beneath me is not a female ghost, but rather the daughter of Mithras and Monime. The wall adorned with mosaics contains a mechanism; it is a hidden partition wall capable of concealing individuals. Moreover, the eyes of Mithras in the painting are hollowed out. Just now, while observing the hall, it was hiding behind the wall. This Adiana led Li Bida to believe that the eyes in the painting were moving

The Seventh "Bacchus" Legion of the Roman Republic, on October 18 of the 678th year since the founding of Rome, or in the era more familiar to Li Bida, in the autumn of 66 B.C., captured the royal palace of King Mithridates VI of Pontus in the city of Carabia, engaging in widespread slaughter and plunder, while the enemy Mithridates VI fled to seek refuge in Armenia with his son-in-law Tigranes.

At that moment, the white figure turned to look at Li Bida, nearly paralyzing him with fear—a ghostly apparition resembling a girl with a pale, greenish face and a fierce expression, holding a small bronze axe inlaid with gold. Another piercing ghostly scream echoed as it lunged toward him, claws bared and fangs bared.

On the other side, oblivious to his surroundings, Fantu ran to a walnut wood dining rack in the corner of the hall. There was a beautiful fruit basket filled with enticing figs, rich in color and aroma. Fantu grabbed a few and chewed them with delight, then took down a pointed-bottom wine bottle and began to gulp down the fine wine. Suddenly, a red light leaped out from the fig bowl and struck Fantu's upturned neck. He let out a scream, and the wine bottle fell to the marble floor, shattering instantly. He slowly bent down, trembling violently, his breathing becoming heavy and labored, and then collapsed amidst the shattered pottery and brown wine, kicking his legs a few times before becoming still.

The two centurions sat in ivory armchairs, while Li Bida stood at a distance. Batitas occupied Rosanna's chair, showing no concern whatsoever. On the other side, perhaps feeling bored, Fantu tore down a piece of drapery, wrapped it around himself, and then pretentiously raised one hand: "Honorable Magistrate Batitas, do you think it is necessary to propose to the Roman citizens' assembly to legislate a strict prohibition against masters engaging in acts with young slaves?"

However, history has quietly deviated from its course due to the introduction of an unknown minor factor

Wow! The female ghost riding on him actually started to vomit first, with dark green vomit pouring out from her mouth and nostrils, splattering all over the cloak.

King Edaules of Lydia incited his minister Gagiz to spy on his queen. The next day, the queen summoned Gagiz and said thus: ultimately, Gagiz chose the former

With a dull thud, Li Bida slammed Adiana's head against the floor, causing the young girl to faint immediately

At this moment, Li Bida finally saw that the surroundings of the smoking ruins of the palace were filled with the square tents of the Roman legions, arranged neatly like rows of white chess pieces, complemented by trenches and wooden palisades used for isolation during sieges. Now, with the illustration in mind, he understood the reason why the palace he was witnessing two thousand years later had turned into a heap of rubble, serving as a site for future generations to pay their respects.

Heibulida dragged over the empty armchair, sat down, and then with a crooked smile, stared at the four noblewomen for a moment, as if they were lifeless statues. Finally, he stood up and pushed one of them with his hand; she indeed fell to the floor like a statue, startling everyone present, and the effeminate slave even let out a low scream.

Then the curses of the female ghost became clearer, in Greek: "Let go of me! Dirty Romans, filthy Romans who defiled my mother's corpse, you all must die! I, the princess of Pontus, the noblewoman of Cappadocia, Adiana, swear to curse you in the name of the Furies, you all must die!"

Indeed, in order to avoid falling into the hands of the barbaric Romans, the benevolent monarch left the chief eunuch Balde to assist them, so that they might escape a painful end to their lives. I commend my elder brother for not forgetting me in such a critical moment; I shall never be driven by a fear of death, nor will I live on in this world bearing shame and disgrace.

"Damn it, this is damn it!" Haibulida exclaimed as he beheld the chaotic scene. At that moment, a red shadow swiftly darted along the ground towards the group. Aeminius, true to his veteran status, reacted quickly, driving his sword into the ground and pinning the red shadow down. It turned out to be a small, bright red snake, which writhed its head and tail under the sword's tip before succumbing to death.

At this moment, Li Bida gradually felt warmth beneath him. After Adiana expelled the dark greenish liquid, her complexion and skin surprisingly began to turn pale and rosy, and her body slowly became soft and pliable. Li Bida, who was completely naked, finally realized that beneath him lay a young girl in the prime of her youth

The words of Arminius resonated, and Heibrida nodded, addressing Vantu and another named Batitas: "You two, along with this peculiar slave from Asia, guard the hall. If anyone else arrives, delay them." After saying this, Heibrida pulled the effeminate slave and, together with Arminius and another centurion, crossed the hall and entered the inner chamber of the palace.

Haibulida seized Fantu's collar and said: "Tuna Road Kulasi? Mangfu Seikdilius? No, no, they already have enough. We have been on this damned continent for seven years, seven years—my wife is still waiting for me to send money back. The slaves in my household are either old or dead, and my salary is only five hundred Sestertii a year. You, Fantu, only earn three hundred and fifty. Your annual income is not even enough to buy half a Gallic slave—do you want your wife to sell herself to those free slaves running shops to make a living?"

Now, in the entire hall, only Fan Tu, Batitas, and Li Bida remain, along with four corpses

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Li Bida quickly stood up, and then, from an angle that Haibida could not see, gently nudged the small axe with his leg, sweeping it into a crevice of a potted plant, before returning to say: "Respected official, it is likely a female servant hiding behind the wall, whom I have subdued." — "I am truly clever!"

"Who the hell is that whore?" Habreida asked

When Li Bida and the "sissy" used a makeshift stretcher made from the trunk of a tree to carry the fainted "female slave" Adiana out through the gap in the broken wall, the dawn sunlight had already filled the plains and valleys in front of the Bendu Palace.

Li Bida wanted to say something, but the immense fear from hetushu.com prevented him from taking a step: the soldiers who desecrate corpses, the magnificent hall, the eerie moving-eyed mosaics, what a strange night this is

Hail, stand at attention, salute, "Greetings, my esteemed Senior Centurion of the Third Battalion of the Sixth Division, Military Tribune endowed with authority by Roman citizens, Utheris Agomez Morris, good morning!"

Having said these words, Utaeris left with a "clop clop" sound.

Fan Tu rose and cursed: "Damn it, you bastard, Batitas, I never knew you had such vile preferences. It's a shame we shared a tent for three years." However, Batitas paid no attention to Fan Tu's words; he directly spread Monime's long legs apart, one on each side, draping them over the armchair, forming a lewd and exaggerated 'M' shape. Both Fan Tu and Li Bida turned their heads away in disgust, and soon the hall echoed with Batitas's deep and satisfied grunts.

At this moment, Li Bida had stripped a set of clothing from the slain bondservant, although the luxurious silk garments meant for high-ranking slaves had already been taken by the soldiers. Li Bida could only find a coarse linen short shirt from a stable slave, which had no sleeves and featured a hole at the top for his head. He put it on and secured it with a belt at the waist. Additionally, he used charcoal to write in Greek letters on it, "I am a slave, do not speak to me".

But when Li Bida turned his head, he suddenly felt that the eyes of Mithradates in the mosaic shifted slightly

Heibrida also drew his sword and said: "You humble people, is this all you aspire to? You deserve to be crammed into a filthy apartment so small that it lacks even clean water, while I do not. I participate in this war to make a fortune, not to bark incessantly like a hyena over a morsel of rotten meat"

"This is worth at least 100,000 dracmas, enough for us to purchase luxurious villas in any location, whether in Rome, Campania, or Africa, one for each person." This is the viewpoint of Heibrida

The war, the "Mithridatic Wars" between the Roman Republic and the Kingdom of Pontus, is still ongoing

He violated the corpse of the deceased princess; perhaps, perhaps he was punished by the goddess of virtue... Upon hearing the term "violation of a corpse," all present displayed expressions of disbelief, yet the scene before them compelled them to accept the truth—Battitas had a deep gash on the back of his head, but fortunately, the unique extended rear brim of his "Gallic" helmet protected him (in Li Bida's view, this type of helmet worn by Roman Republic soldiers resembled that of modern firefighters), allowing him to barely survive, lying on the corpse of Monime, moaning and convulsing. But fortunately, the unique extended rear brim of his "Gallic" helmet protected him (in Li Bida's view, this type of helmet worn by Roman Republic soldiers resembled that of modern firefighters), allowing him to barely survive, lying on the corpse of Monime, moaning and convulsing.

Haibulida glanced at Li Bida, then cast a look at the body of Batitas lying on Monime's corpse, "What is going on with Batitas? You had better give me a proper explanation"

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Batitas appeared to be in a trance, biting into the cheek of the lifeless Monime with his stubbled lips. "I go first, I go first, Fantou, I go first," he said, as he tore open Monime's blouse and grasped her breast. "How warm it is, this breast is as smooth as silk from the East, this is a true princess, still warm!"

Li Bida gazed up at the relief of Mithridates VI on the cliff, the sunlight still refracted by the scepter of the relief. He found himself caught in the halo, but the anticipated result of being transported back did not occur. When he came to his senses, the reality of being a slave to the Roman army was not a nightmare from which he could awaken.

Yes, sir. They have all committed suicide, sir!

At this moment, Haibulida noticed the rising agitation among the crowd and his tone softened, "It's nothing, that guy Utaireis is not in the camp, I have direct command authority. You see, Mitraladati has already slipped away; it is they who have delayed the military operations. The heroes of this war are us"

Just as Haibuli remained noncommittal, a series of horn sounds echoed from outside, causing everyone's expressions to tense up immediately, for this was the call of the legion

As the two men set down Adiana, the sound of hooves approached. The officers and soldiers of the Sixth Brigade, who had participated in last night's night battle, hurriedly gathered their weapons and shields in front of the broken wall. A centurion, dressed in attire significantly more splendid than that of Habryda, rode forward, accompanied by two attendants. One wore a wolfskin cloak and held a trumpet, while the other raised a "grape staff," a symbol of authority and designation, stopping in front of Habryda.

In an instant, Li Bida had not yet reacted, while Batitas seemed to be under a spell, mechanically twitching in front of Monime's lifeless body

The legal officer noticed Li Bida's embarrassment, waved his hand, and said with a smile: "I apologize, but perhaps you, as an Eastern slave, do not understand our jokes, because in your country, there is probably no concept of citizenship and no legal thinking"

At that moment, the mosaic on the wall emitted a sound resembling "tap tap tap," akin to footsteps, as well as the sound of a mouth shouting. Li Bida was so frightened that he lost his composure, and he exerted all his strength to shout to Batitas: "Pay attention to the wall in front of you"

Accompanied by a chill in his heart, Li Bida felt a shiver run down his spine. The incredible events of this night had already been too many. He had transformed from a linguistics university student traveling in Turkey to a slave of the ancient Roman legion, and he was still struggling to adapt to this sudden change. Now, confronted with such bizarre and supernatural phenomena, Li Bida forced himself to suppress his fear and focused on the mosaic. The subsequent events confirmed his judgment: the eyes of the depicted king were indeed moving, seemingly looking down at Batitas as he desecrated the corpse of his beloved concubine, Monime.

Li Bida did not immediately understand what Monime meant, but Haibulida became very excited upon hearing "the queen's crown." He rummaged behind the ivory armchair and found the object Monime had mentioned—a pure gold small crown adorned with jewels and agate, the ribbon on top of which had already broken.

Cough, cough, cough, on the stretcher, Adiana awakened in a fit of pain

Then, Batitas naturally turned around and once again saw the body of Monimei still sitting there. After staring for a while, he murmured to himself, "My goodness, she truly is a beautiful princess"

Oh, I can swear to the door god that if he also oversees the back doors of men, not only have I never done so myself, but I also prohibit the slaves in my mines and estates from doing so.

It turned out that this venomous little snake had been hidden beneath the leaves of the fig tree, and after being disturbed, it attacked and took the life of Fan Tu.

Then, let me, Legal Officer Battitas, respond to your motion. According to Roman law, it is permitted to plant trees that can grow in the private residence of one's ancestors, but grapes are not included, as grapes are not trees but vines. Based on this, I deduce that the back door of a citizen is under the protection of the door god and should not be entered casually, while a slave is not a tree but a vine; a noble person would not be condemned for entering the back door of a slave

After listening to the words on the amber, Haibulida shrugged and then called Libida to assist. One by one, they uncovered the pieces of amber tied behind the other three noblewomen, learning their identities: Mitraladati's other sister, Shititana, whose piece of amber was filled with curses and grievances; and Princess Beilinasi of Kaieros, who claimed that the amount of poison she had swallowed was insufficient to allow her to die peacefully. Libida looked at her face, his tongue extending long, with clear marks around her neck, indicating that Balod had helped her with a rope in haste. They learned their identities: Mitraladati's other sister, Shititana, whose piece of amber was filled with curses and grievances; and Princess Beilinasi of Kaieros, who claimed that the amount of poison she had swallowed was insufficient to allow her to die peacefully. Libida looked at her face, his tongue extending long, with clear marks around her neck, indicating that Balod had helped her with a rope in haste

Seeing her mother's corpse being violated, Adriana could no longer endure it and rushed out from the hidden wall.

At that moment, the bronze door on the other side of the hall opened, revealing Haibrida, Arminius, Safano, and "the sissy," who, upon hearing the noise, rushed back!

Seated in the center is Princess Monime from Bidelus. Her amber tablet bears no information from before her death, only inscribed with: "I hate this queen's crown; it refuses to assist me even in my final moments. I was born a trophy, and I feel extremely fortunate to die in this manner. The reality of life has long been stripped away, and true pleasure exists only in the world beyond death."

As for who placed this small snake in the basket and for what purpose, was it a tool used by Balder to take the lives of the queens? Was it a court murder resulting from the invasion of the Romans? Or was it a preemptive measure taken by the queens out of concern that their bodies would be desecrated? It is likely that this will remain forever unknown

Another centurion named Safano drew his sword and with one stroke severed Berinasi's arm, pulling down her bracelet and raising it to Heibrida, saying: "This piece is worth at least three thousand to five thousand sestertii, enough for us to buy ten slaves. Now, Heibrida, please relinquish this crown."

Li Bida looked in the direction of Batitas as he spoke. He was not wrong; even as a mere corpse, Monime was the most beautiful corpse in the world. Her skin was as white as snow, even whiter than the pure white silk robe she wore. Golden curls cascaded down her cheeks, and her eyes, half-open beneath thick eyelashes, still held a hint of life in her crimson lips.

You have already seen me without clothes, so you have only two paths to choose from. Either you kill the king, marry me, and become the ruler of Lydia; or you die here now

The reason is likely that Adiana had originally taken poison as well, intending to follow her mother. However, before the poison had fully taken effect, Haibrida and the others burst in. In the ensuing chaos, she could only hide in the partition wall. Subsequently, due to the excessive force used in the attack on Batitas and Libida, she ended up expelling all the poison from her body, and the toxins thus receded.

While Li Bida was reasoning, Haibulida had a dispute with several other centurions regarding the incredibly expensive crown of Monime.

With a loud sound, a doorway appeared on the wall, and then a small white figure darted out, accompanied by a piercing scream. In a flash of light, it struck the back of Bartitas's helmet. The centurion grunted and then collapsed to the ground along with Monime's corpse and the ivory armchair.

Indeed, those who speak Greek are a pitiful people; their performance on the battlefield is even worse than that of a prostitute, as they only expend their energy on some ridiculous sports events. Hebrida did not forget to mock further, and then he took a piece of amber inscribed with words from behind the corpse of the noblewoman and threw it to "sissy," meaning for him to translate it.

Subsequently, Li Bida pressed down on the female ghost beneath him like a bear, while the ghost cursed incoherently, struggling with all her might. Then, suddenly, she let out a few "ugh" sounds, tilted her head, and spat out several streams of dark greenish-black saliva.