Perse, the female merchant, is the devil.
　This is not a metaphor for an evil person, and Perse is a conscientious merchant.

　Perse is a literal demon.

　Demons are beings that have the same appearance as humans while having characteristics similar to the "demon race", the enemies of humanity that nest in the ruins.
　Despite their unique powers, they have been treated as slaves and despised by humans.

　I myself don't think of demons as beings with unclean blood, nor do I think of them as being lower than humans.

　But as long as we follow the teachings of the Imperial Church, the devil was never a human being.
　It is a heresy to be persecuted.

　'So how is it that Perse-san is able to be a merchant in the Imperial City?

　Filia asks me.
　It's a plausible question, and normally, Perse remains a slave and cannot operate as a merchant.
　There are many people who are a mixture of humans and demons who are not slaves, but pure demons are usually considered slaves.
　Moreover, Perse doesn't even hide the fact that he is a demon.

　The reason for that was me.

'Perse, you see, is my 'slave'.

What?

'It's a formality. The devil can't leave slavery under imperial law. On the contrary, all you have to do is serve someone else as a slave, even if it's only a formality.

　Originally, Perse was an ordinary slave girl, working for her noble master, who treated her badly.
　As a student at the magic school, I had a chance to gamble with Perse's master, a nobleman, and we won a great victory.
　In return for my victory, I got Perse.

　Perse looked at me and smiled.

'Mr. Solon freed me, you know. He made a place for me to stay.

'I knew Perse had talent,'

I've been very useful to you, haven't I, Mr. Solon?

　I'd be lying if I said I didn't have the desire to help a girl who was going through a terrible time.

　But the other reason why I saved Perse was because of Perse's ability as an appraiser.

　Perhaps because he is a demon with the nature of the demon race, Perse had the ability to see the true value of the treasures in the ruins, as well as the ability to assess a person's magical qualities and provide the most appropriate tools.

　Perse was left in the care of a merchant I knew and trained with him, and eventually he opened his own trade association.
　I gave him the money I earned as an adventurer to fund that venture.

　That money has now more than doubled in size and returned to me.
　Just as I had planned, the female merchant Perse was a great success.

"Business has been good since I got kicked out of the Order?

　Perse's business relied heavily on the Knights of St. Sophia.
　The major pillar of Perse's business association's sales was to sell the treasures obtained by the Knights on their behalf, as well as deliver goods to meet the Knights' demand.
　I was worried that my expulsion from the knightly order may have hurt his business.

　But Perse laughed and nodded.

''I've been allowed to continue doing business with the Knights of St. Sophia as usual.

Really?

'Yes, sir. Mr. Creon knows it's in his best interest to continue doing business with me.

　It seems that Creon didn't break off the deal with Perse because Perse is my slave.
　That means Perse is an important source of information on the knights' movements.

''I won't fail in business. I will continue to be useful to Solon-san in the future.''

　Perse held out his right hand to me.
　I guess he wanted to shake my hand.
　I squeezed his hand back.

　Perse is my key ally.
　I didn't mean to treat Perse as a slave, and I want to be his equal.

　Come to think of it, my left hand is still connected to Filia.
　Filia murmured.

I can't wait to get into the role of Solon. I can't wait to be of service to Solon.

'Disciples don't have to think about being useful to their masters.

　I smiled and said to Filia.
　Seeing this, Perse asked us.

'I was wondering earlier, Solon-san, do you use respectful language for your apprentice?

　Sheesh.
　I had inadvertently forgotten that Filia was an imperial princess, but I accidentally used the honorific term, even though I had intended to hide the fact that she was an imperial princess.
　Perse looked at us with interest.

''It doesn't sound like you're just a master and pupil. I imagine you're a noble person...''

　Perse smiled and said nothing more.
　He must have realized that I wasn't going to tell him who Filia was.
　In the unlikely event that Filia was known to be an imperial princess, it wouldn't be too much of a problem since Perse could be trusted.
　Still, it's safer to keep it hidden, just in case.

''Well, what can I do for you, Solon-san and your lovely apprentice?''

'I've been looking for a magic wand for this boy. I thought Perse might be able to pick out the perfect one.

You are going to teach him magic?

He's my apprentice.

　Perse looked at Filia carefully, then said.

'Mr. Solon. I don't mean to be impertinent, but I wouldn't recommend teaching this person magic.

Why?

　I was surprised and asked Perse back.
　Perse, who has skills in appraisal, should be able to tell that Filia has magical talent.
　I don't think there is any reason to disagree.

　However, Perse shook his head.

''A person with demon blood would not be able to control magic.

　The demon Perse said in a quiet tone.