Do You Even Know What a Just War Is?

“Hmm? Brother Faust, have you changed your mind? Do you wish to convert to the Sanctuary?”

Upon hearing Faust’s sudden request, Helen’s eyes widened, her pupils glowing like molten gold.

Beyond her surprise, there was a hint of regret in her voice. Seeing this, Faust asked in confusion:

“What, are you not welcoming of the idea?”

It was strange. Why would someone from the Sanctuary refuse to spread the gospel?

“No, no, that is not what I meant... It is just, it is a bit different from what I expected.”

Helen hurriedly waved her hands in denial. Then, the beautiful and cold nun pressed a hand against her abdomen, her body—a masterpiece of temptation—shuddering slightly.

“I thought Brother Faust wanted to... continue disciplining me. I even specially bathed and burned incense before coming here.”

Only then did Faust take a proper look at Helen. He noticed the blonde, golden-eyed nun seemed to have changed into an even more sacred and magnificent habit, complete with over-the-knee white lace stockings, long gloves, and a rose-beaded rosary in her hand.

Rather than the solemn attire of an ascetic, her habit looked more like... well, the prince did not want to be too rude, but he had played priest role-play with maids before.

Helen’s current outfit was almost identical to those role-play sets, or perhaps even a step above in terms of seduction and the sense of the forbidden.

While it wasn't overly revealing, the side-boob, high slit, chest cut-out, finger-loop gloves, one-piece black tights, and garter stockings... Uh, it was hard to say what the higher-ups of the Sanctuary were thinking.

“...Actually, I have been wanting to ask for a while. Who on earth designed such shameless attire? Can this really be considered the garb of a member of the clergy?”

Previously, because they weren't well-acquainted, the prince had held back. But now that Helen had consciously become his dog, there was no reason not to ask, so he simply brought it up.

“Sha... Shameless?!”

Helen’s brilliant golden eyes widened in shock at his words, and she defended herself:

“How could this be shameless attire! It is true that in the eyes of the world, the Sanctuary’s ascetics dress far too magnificently, but there is a reason for this. This style of dress was not determined by any saint, but stems precisely from the teachings of the Sacred Deity!”

Wait, Mephisto was involved in this too?

Helen pressed her hands to her heart, lowering her eyes piously as she said:

“The difference between the son of man and a beast lies in the use of beautiful garments to adorn oneself. The unique beauty of the son of man is something we must take pride in. If that is the case, we should strive to display human beauty to its fullest!”

“If one can feel beauty and impulse from the clothing, then it is a successful design.”

“This teaching of the Sacred Deity has been passed down, spread everywhere by the Sanctuary, influencing fashion styles for thousands of years.”

I almost want to shove a Great Thunder in there; that would certainly be beautiful and impulsive.

Faust listened to these grand-sounding reasons and couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, mentally greeting his contract fairy.

“Mephisto doesn't know anything about that!”

“Mephisto would definitely never include personal preferences in the teachings just because she was bored!”

Well, now I know for sure she did.

“I am not blaming you. On the contrary, you have done a wonderful job.”

He had wondered why there were so many provocative clothes in this world; the source was right here. Mephistopheles was a true comrade; she really shared the good stuff.

After figuring out the culprit, Faust’s attitude did a complete 180-degree turn. He clapped his hands and sighed in admiration:

“No wonder I find this style so striking. It is sacred yet alluring, intimate yet reserved. It makes my heart skip a beat. To think it was actually the teaching of the Sacred Deity.”

The beautiful and noble nun smiled happily:

“Ah, Brother Faust, I am so glad you can understand the Sanctuary’s philosophy. With your bloodline, it is only natural that you can grasp the will of the Sacred Deity.”

Quite so. Not only that, but our minds are practically as one.

Faust cleared his throat twice, sat back in his chair, and returned to the main topic:

“In any case, it was a misunderstanding, right? No matter. If you want discipline, take it yourself while you listen to me talk about business.”

“Yes!”

Helen knelt on the floor in pleasant surprise, impatiently reaching out to liberate him. Then, in a posture that could only be described as a profanation of the sacred—one that absolutely could not be seen by outsiders—she offered her kiss of loyalty.

After respectfully leaving her mark as a ritual greeting, the nun took the whip herself and lashed her own cheek. An ascetic viewed deep humiliation as a test of faith... looking at her expression, it was hard to tell where the humiliation was, but that was how she convinced herself.

The nun’s every word and action were truly saturated with the scent of the forbidden. Faust watched for a moment before speaking:

“I wish for the Sanctuary to establish a branch within my kingdom, and at the same time, grant me the right to wage missionary wars.”

Helen’s eyes, which had been narrowed in pure intoxication, suddenly changed:

“Brother Faust? You intend to...”

“Yes. To deliver the true faith to kingdoms that do not believe in the Sacred Deity. That is my resolve.”

Faust nodded and said:

“Actually, I have long been a believer in the Sacred Deity. Have you not received the news yet? For the sake of spreading the gospel of the Sacred Deity, I am willing to lead my kingdom in striking a heavy blow against the heretics!”

Faust’s sudden desire to establish a closer alliance with the Sanctuary was naturally not because he had actually started believing in Mephistopheles’s persona.

He intended to legitimize his future acts of conquest.

The girls had made up their minds to work hard, and regardless of what they planned to do, outward expansion and intervention were inevitable.

In this fairy-tale world, everything required a legitimate cause.

You couldn't just declare war randomly. You needed a claim—whether it was for revenge, reparations, demanding vassalage, or total annexation. A formal proclamation had to be issued before the war, and the fighting had to stop immediately once the war goals were achieved.

If you didn't mention taking land before the war, you couldn't take land. Refusing to add demands mid-war or asking for exorbitant prices was the rule.

Do you even know what a just war is?

Expanding without reason would earn one the infamy of leading a “brutish army” from an “uncivilized state.”

If one’s infamy became too high, an encirclement network would be formed against them. If it were just that, it wouldn't matter much; after all, if one were strong enough, tearing through an encirclement network was simply proof of being a powerful overlord.

But in this fairy-tale world, becoming the target of an encirclement network meant automatically assuming the role of the “great villain.”

Challenger after challenger would come forward in succession. You could tear through them, but they would never stop.

All sorts of eccentric experts and heroes of justice would appear. Your dynasty would suffer casualties constantly, while the “heroes” would be endless.

The reason the Empire could expand and conquer without reservation was because the Empire’s founder had made a grand vow. The thousand-year dynasty promised by the dragonslaying feat meant that everything from this shore to the other was the Empire’s claimed territory.

It was equivalent to the fairies giving the claim to the entire mortal world to them. The Empire had unlimited reasons to declare war; as long as they could conquer it, it was Imperial territory.

This magnificent gift was the root cause of how the Empire became so massive.

Otherwise, with the Radiant Dynasty’s way of expanding like a madman, an encirclement network would have been formed against them eighty times over.

Aside from the Empire, was there any other claim in the world that was universally applicable?

There was, brother, there was.

The Sanctuary possessed a claim equal to, no, even higher than that of the Radiant Dynasty.