Sasha Kreutzev.
She was an official member of the unit of the Russian Orthodox Church that specialized in magical combat, "Annihilatus". They specialized in the annihilation of non-human things that "shouldn't be". To do so, they would not hesitate to use magic that had been completely banned ever since Rasputin's corruption of the government. It wasn't rare for them to destroy everything in the area their target appeared in leaving no remains behind and making major changes to the terrain. Because of this, there were currently limitations in place on entry to the country by people from certain nations that wished to protect the cultural properties there.
One of their magicians would not be quite as strong as a magician from the Anglican Church's Necessarius in a one-on-one battle, but by equipping herself with saws and hammers and other British-made spiritual tools of torture, Sasha compensated for that. She looked like a short blonde girl, but with the 7 tools around her waist, she was an almighty magician who could deal with any kind of situation by changing her tactics accordingly. She had great value as an agent of her organization due to her ideal level of skill.
Kanzaki had seen a different side of her on the coast of Japan, but it was best to think of that as a different "her".
Sasha Kreutzev was an agent of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Why was she in London and why was she at the women's dorm of the Anglican Church?
It was unlikely she was sightseeing or had gotten lost.
The Roman Catholic Church and Academy City were in an explosive situation, so Kanzaki could naturally sense a political scent to Sasha's visit.
She could have been there for a negotiation, to discuss something, to try to work out a deal, or even to give a warning.
As Angelene brought her to the dorm entrance, Kanzaki braced herself.
"My first answer: I am lost."
"Ehhh!?" Kanzaki yelled out without thinking.
Seeing Kanzaki's astonished face, Sasha nodded slightly.
"My second answer: Thank you for the excellent reaction."
"You were kidding!?"
Kanzaki didn't remember Sasha Kreutzev being the kind of person who made jokes, but then she remembered that that was a different "her".
"My third answer: As I am sure you have guessed, I have come here as an envoy of the Russian Orthodox Church. But I would like to add that this is not a formal meeting on the part of my church. As I will be expressing my personal feelings, this is no more than an unofficial conversation."
It seemed this wasn't a clear display of hostility from the Russian Orthodox Church.
Kanzaki let her guard down slightly.
"I see… Well, I doubt you want to stand the whole time we talk, so come on in."
"My fourth answer: Thank you for-…"
Sasha's words cut off suddenly.
When Kanzaki turned around to look at her, Sasha was moving her right hand behind her.
It looked like her fingertips were shaking unnaturally.
"My first question: There are magical defense on this facility, are there not?"
"No… There is some bait here meant to lure in anyone within England who wishes to bring unrest, so those kinds of defenses are purposefully left off."
"My second question: Then are there other magical operations occurring within this facility?"
"Well…" Kanzaki thought for a second. "Now that you mention it, some of the people in the dorm cast storage spells to protect their spiritual items. But I wouldn't think very much magical power would seep out to here from that."
Kanzaki wondered if this had anything to do with Sasha's trembling fingers.
Meanwhile, Sasha nodded slightly as if to show she understood.
"…My fifth answer: It is nothing. Let us go to somewhere where we can talk."
She brought her small hand to her chest and breathed deeply before looking forward again. Kanzaki may have been mistaken before, because her fingertips looked the same as ever.
Kanzaki moved to the side as if to show Sasha the way and wondered where she should take her. This was the women's dorm so there weren't any areas for taking visitors. But since Sasha was a special envoy of the Russian Orthodox Church, she couldn't exactly take her to a private area like her own room.
It seemed the dining hall was the only option.
"But why are you here? There are representatives of the Anglican Church at St. George's Cathedral."
"My sixth answer: Vasilisa…That is, a superior of mine whose personality I would rather not discuss, is headed there. She has entered England for a conference there and I have entered as her aide."
Kanzaki, Angelene, and Sasha walked down the hallway to the dining hall.
"Then your being here makes even less sense. If you're the aide, you should be by the Russian representative's side during the conference."
"My seventh answer: There are various circumstances on the Russian side. It may sound rude to you on the British side, but I personally feel my being here is more important."
"…"
Given the unstable state of the world, a Russian magician wouldn't have been able to get into England easily, so Sasha had used the conference as a means to get in.
This seemed suspicious, so Kanzaki brought her guard back up.
"(…U-um, Kanzaki-san.)"
Angelene was tugging on Kanzaki's pants.
"What is it, Angelene?"
"(…Do you know her? And…she has a fairly unique way of dressing.)"
Sasha Kreutzev's shoulders gave a large twitch.
She was wearing only a revealing straitjacket-like collection of black belts as innerwear with a red cloak over it.
"Shh!" Kanzaki said as she held her index finger to her mouth.
"(…There are different cultures out there. That outfit must have an important meaning in the Russian Orthodox Church.)"
"(…E-ehh? Really? It just looks like something a weird middle-aged man you run into on a deserted street at night would be wearing…)"
"(…Angelene! Don't say that. You'd get mad if someone mocked the way you expressed your faith, wouldn't you!?)"
Sasha was trembling slightly, but she never reached the explosion point. There were only fragments of sentences occasionally escaping her lips such as "I'm not dressed like this because I want to be…", "The Russian Orthodox Church isn't a collection of perverts…", and "I will kill Vasilisa….".
As this was going on, they reached the dining hall.
Breakfast was over, but a number of people – mostly former Roman Catholic nuns – were sitting at the tables chatting. They had no set time they had to get to work, so when they were on standby they did nothing else.
"Hm?"
Sherry turned to look at the three who had entered while stuffing her mouth full of a ham and lettuce sandwich Orsola had made with whatever food she could find (Orsola really must have been tired because the contents of the sandwich were sticking out from the bread).
"Someone's wearing a swimsuit and it isn't even summer."
A vein showed up on Sasha's temple. She must have been overly shocked by having someone wearing an extremely revealing negligee say that. She muttered "I will kill Vasilisa. I will kill Vasilisa. I will kill Vasilisa." under her breath in a frightening way.
Kanzaki put her index finger to her mouth to keep Sherry from saying anything else and spoke.
"U-umm. This is Sasha Kreutzev. She is an agent of the Russian Orthodox Church and she's come here to have an unofficial discussion."
Everyone in the dining hall was listening to Kanzaki with the possible exception of Orsola. She was so tired she was walking to and fro between the tables while holding a fancy tea set on a tray and wobbling back and forth.
In her place, Agnese who was holding some playing cards responded. Across the table from her was Lucia's poker face, Catarina was next to her with tears in her eyes, and Agata was diagonally across staring at her own cards. Agnese turned from them and looked at Kanzaki.
"Is the unofficial discussion this Sasha wants to have about her wanting to flee her country and take refuge here?"
"I see. It looks like this is a literal case of escaping 'with only the clothes on one's back'. Well, you'll be fine here. Don't worry."
In response to Agnese and Lucia's words, the sides of Sasha's mouth fell. In response to this, Kanzaki Kaori gestured frantically telling them not to bring up her clothes.
After pulling herself together, Kanzaki offered Sasha a nearby seat.
It seemed Orsola's sleepiness had finally faded and she brought over a cup of black tea.
Sasha sipped the tea to moisten her tongue and spoke.
"I have a third question for you all today."
Her words seemed to spread throughout the entire dining hall.
And as they did, the atmosphere turned solemn.
"Which side do you intend to take in the war occurring between the Roman Catholic Church and Academy City?"