??????????????? right back at you!!!!!!!!

That's about as well as talking to mortals ever goes. He'll leave before he causes permanent brain damage. 

When Sevar and Subirachs reconvene to see if Sevar's soul will be salable, the Grand High Priestess of Asmodeus is also there.

There are many reasons for this, but mainly, because it is now also her duty to deal with 'tropes', as it is her duty to deal with gods.  The degree to which Keltham has guessed that something might go wrong with this sale, which is far more probable than Keltham has any just reason to believe, is sufficient for Aspexia to consider what it is she must now do if a 'trope' is controlling this situation fully.

And if clarification from Hell is forthcoming, let her perhaps be present to hear it in person and even ask a question or two.  Such as - if the Grand High Priestess of Asmodeus in Golarion is permitted to know as much - why exactly is Sevar's soul so valuable?

There is not much here for her to do with the Grand High Priestess so close by.

"Grand High Priestess," says Carissa, and takes out the contract which she and Keltham signed. "I represented it to Keltham that I'm going to get permanent Arcane Sight and have the rest paid out in spellsilver; he won't know how much spellsilver it ought to be and I think with assistance I could cast a Permanent Detect Magic instead to imitate. If I'm unable to sell my soul. Obviously I hope I'll just be able to sell my soul."

Aspexia has generated some such possibilities herself.  "I have made some such advance arrangements should they be needed; Keltham will not expect you to tarry long here, and he may ask to see any such ability proven given all his suspicions."

"Another option in that same case is to claim that there is to be more payment later, with their ownership of your soul's indenture to be revoked if they cannot complete that payment within the year, but your afterlife arrangements are in place right now and safe."

"- I admit, I am somewhat concerned now about the consequences of what lies this lie must then imply.  Will Keltham ask to speak with you, perhaps, see you scryed, if you are dead and not yet raised, expecting to see you comfortably in some safe Hell?  There is much that can be done with illusion, and yet, I worry.  Keltham is a little to us like a god is to a mortal, or sometimes a mortal to a god, in that it is hard for us to think of all the thoughts that he may think."

"Yes. I would almost advocate for being truthful with him, except that his theory is that if I'm unable to sell my soul it's because I'm a secret cleric of Zon-Kuthon, which does not seem useful for any of our goals and which we're sure is not what's going on here, whatever is."

"I will perform that check on you at once, if you prove unable to sell your soul, as it was represented to Keltham that we would."

He's back, alone, and frowning.

"Who are you?" he demands at once of the new, somewhat respectably high-level cleric of Asmodeus, who has presumed to intrude upon his bargaining.

"Grand High Priestess of Asmodeus in Golarion, Aspexia Rugatonn.  I may, perhaps, have additional questions for you, depending on what eventuates now."

He doesn't have another devil with him. Carissa feels - probably more disappointed than anyone has ever felt about not getting to sell their soul. She wanted her Wishes and her spellsilver and her Arcane Sight and her Tongues and her - not having to worry quite so much about being a heretic -

"Are you under the impression that your mortal rank among mortals entitles you to the deference of a greater devil?"

"I am under the impression that I do our Lord's work, serve our Lord's interests, and you will answer my questions in the service of our Lord's interests unless you have good reason to believe that Asmodeus desires me not to know a thing.  Conduct your business, devil of contracts, my time is also valuable."

Without another word, Glosialabolas turns to Carissa Sevar.  "It seems your soul may not yet be sold to us.  It is, it seems, a good sign that you came to us more eagerly, this time, than upon your last.  But there is yet some - affirmation, renunciation, that must be completed by someone, or with someone, and it is not of you alone, nor of Asmodeus alone, before Asmodeus gives you His leave.  Our Lord is eager to have you; that much is clear."

There is an obvious guess here, but he is forbidden to tell Carissa Sevar if she does not know.

"There's a - god agreement of some kind, isn't there, and I triggered it. Are you allowed to tell me who."

"I cannot even tell you if your guess is true."

"Tell me, alone or in company, as you prefer, why Sevar's soul has so much value that three Wishes would be something Hell would even consider."

"Carissa Sevar.  Will you agree to seek me as your agent for compacting in the future, if in return I agree to do my best to see that you then receive the price you named today and not one grain of spellsilver less, even if I must go seeking among every devil of Dis?"

"Perhaps, by the time Asmodeus permits me to sell my soul, my estimation of my worth to Hell will have grown, and I will not settle for this price. No."

Then if he is to profit nothing from all this, let the next devil after him profit little more.  He cannot tell Carissa Sevar outright; for of which things are forbidden to speak and to who, it is also forbidden to speak.  But at suitable levels of abstraction over the secrets of secrets, it becomes permissible to hint.

"To answer your question fully is something that is forbidden," he tells then the importunate priestess.  "But Carissa Sevar and her ilk, it is speculated by some in Dis, might prove apt at training petitioners or even devils."

To answer more than one such question is below the pride of Hell even for a priestess bent on their Lord's work, and so Glosialabolas now turns and turns again and departs Golarion empty-handed.  At best there may come some future apportion of favor for the contract he wrote for Carissa Sevar and her mortal, if that seed ever bears its own fruit.

"Dis thinks we might do it," she whispers, very quietly, watching him go. 

Might transform how devils are taught, figure out how to do it faster, make them better - make Law something they can wield like dath ilan can - or even better -

Yes, Asmodeus would pay three Wishes for that. He ought to pay a hundred Wishes for that, really, though she shouldn't get all of them to herself. 

"I will now examine you immediately as Keltham was promised, Sevar.  Stand fast."

The examination is much faster when the Grand High Priestess does it, than when Carissa last went through this process, but it is still not instant.  She feels like some part of her is being poked, and maybe even this time like she can feel herself shrinking away.

She's not very worried she's become a secret cleric in the last day and a half, but she obediently holds still. 

There are two people in all of mortal Golarion who might reason along the pathway that Aspexia Rugatonn now reasons, and one of them has been in Golarion less than a week.

"Done.  The results are as expected.  Should the question arise you may tell Keltham that you are no hidden cleric; though, if we are to pretend your soul has been sold this day, he should have no further reason to keep asking.  For what it's worth, even taking into account all 'tropes', I do at this point truly disbelieve as strongly as any mortal may disbelieve in anything that there is any part of you which is a cleric of Zon-Kuthon."

"You may come with me momentarily, Sevar, to engage in such petty and expensive manipulations as are needed to give Permanent Detect Magic to one still of fourth-circle."

"Subirachs, a word before then."