I’m a Holy Knight, but I Contracted with an Evil God - Chapter 52

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 52.
As the iron door groaned open with an unpleasant screech, the damp, stale air of the underground sewers was instantly replaced by a dense, suffocating heat.
Beyond the opened door lay a cavern so vast it seemed impossible such a space could exist beneath the earth.
Dozens of massive pillars rose to support the ceiling, and the place thrummed with a bizarre vitality—as though some corner of the surface city had been carved out and buried here in the depths.
‘It’s much larger than I expected.’
【So this is your first time too?】
‘The Imperial Capital was never my main stage. I’ve only heard stories of the Shadow Marketplace—never actually been here before.’
The moment the door opened, the earthy musk of underground moss and the briny stench of seeping water vanished without trace.
In their place, the sharp perfume of expensive incenses mingled with the reek of harsh spirits and the raw, acrid tang of butchered meat, assaulting the senses with numbing force.
The murmur of countless voices echoed off the vast cavern walls, creating the uncanny sensation of standing within the belly of some enormous beast.
“Welcome, young master. This is it—the Lawless Land where the law of the surface holds no sway. The Shadow Marketplace.”
Corbin swept into an exaggerated bow toward Leon, his voice dripping with theatrical delight.
Rather than humor him, Leon merely twisted his lips and swept his gaze across the crowd.
Roughly a third of the throng wore masks like his own—all People of Noble Status.
Behind their masks, these masked nobles displayed their greed without restraint, appetites they would never dare reveal on the surface laid bare for all to see.
【It’s like a genuine marketplace down here.】
‘More crowded than I anticipated. Must be an auction day.’
The two men had chosen this particular day for a reason.
Entry to the Shadow Marketplace itself required an invitation, but its true heart lay deeper still—in the Auction House hidden in its depths.
“Behold! A mirror that reflects the visage of your most beloved! Though I’d caution against gazing overlong—your beloved’s memories might vanish entirely!”
“The final breath of the deceased, sealed within a scented candle! One inhale, and you’ll be able to converse with the departed you long for!”
“Wish to kill a man with a single word? The Tears of Silence—just one drop will paralyze the tongue! Mere gold coins for two vials!”
“A Curse Doll that bears the misfortune of its master! For those of you planning to go all-in at the gambling tables tonight, one of these will dry up your opponent’s luck!”
Hawkers’ cries and laughter crashed down like waves from every direction.
Items that would be condemned as heresy or capital crimes on the surface lay casually displayed on vendor stalls.
Though admittedly, half of them seemed of dubious efficacy.
Somewhere in the shadows, gambling erupted with shouts of ecstasy and despair; elsewhere, whispered laughter drifted in endless streams.
All this noise struck the walls of the massive cavern and amplified, battering Leon’s eardrums like the heartbeat of some colossal monster.
“Shall we take a turn around the place?”
Leon nodded silently, and Corbin took the lead.
Lamps positioned throughout the cavern cast an ethereal mixture of violet and crimson light.
Stalls hawking goods of unknown origin, smoke curling from recently butchered meat of indeterminate species, and exotic, uncanny fragrances all mingled to create an atmosphere at once dreamlike and faintly nauseating.
Leon surveyed the alien spectacle from behind his mask.
Here, status was merely an inconvenient shell to be discarded.
High nobles and infamous criminals alike wore masks and silently acknowledged each other’s anonymity, blending into a crowd united only by the pursuit of desire.
An ornate chandelier hung from the ceiling, incongruous with its surroundings, casting blue flame instead of the sun’s bright light—stoking appetites that the surface world would never permit.
“So the rumors are true—the Marketplace of All Things really does have everything.”
“Indeed, sir. It’s accepted wisdom that if you cannot find something here, you’ll find it nowhere else.”
The two men exchanged words in lowered tones.
Though surrounded by noise, they maintained their act—careful lest anyone overhear their conversation.
Leon followed Corbin through the crowd, his eyes sharp and attentive.
His steps halted before a street vendor displaying various confections on a stall.
The moment Leon fixed his gaze on the wares, Corbin, quick to read the moment, played along smoothly.
“Care for some confections, sir? The candies sold in a place like this have their own peculiar charm.”
Leon nodded wordlessly, and Corbin turned to the vendor, who was watching carefully for signs of interest.
“What would you recommend? There seem to be quite a variety.”
“For distinguished customers such as yourselves, I’d suggest these honey candies—quite sweet, our best sellers. Or perhaps chocolate mixed with nuts, or sugar-glazed jellies?”
“Hmm…….”
“If you prefer something more refined, we have herb-infused candies. They pair beautifully with afternoon tea.”
The vendor rattled on, pointing out the goods on his stall, but Corbin deliberately prolonged his hesitation, feigning indecision.
As the vendor’s anxiety grew palpable, beads of cold sweat forming on his brow, Leon stepped forward.
“Never mind those. There’s something trendy going around, I’m told.”
“Trendy, sir?”
“Yes. A friend gave me some recently—the effects were quite remarkable. You don’t carry it here?”
Leon noted the vendor’s shoulders stiffen at the mention of “remarkable effects.”
The corner of the vendor’s mouth twitched subtly, and Leon felt the weight of an intimidating gaze behind the mask pressing down upon him. The vendor’s voice dropped another octave, barely audible.
Only Leon and Corbin could hear what he said next.
“……That sort of thing carries a considerable price, I’m afraid.”
Leon and Corbin exchanged a swift glance at the vendor’s words.
They had found what they were looking for.
It was the ‘Special Candy’ that the nobles had whispered about in hushed tones at the Imperial Banquet Hall.
Corbin deliberately let the words fall flat from his lips.
“If candy is expensive, how expensive can it be? Does our young master look like someone who’d concern himself with such pocket change?”
“Oh no, of course not! Only, this particular item’s price operates in a different scale from ordinary sweets, you see.”
“Whatever it is, hand it over.”
At Corbin’s peremptory tone, the street vendor glanced around before fishing a small pouch from his robes.
From it, he carefully withdrew two candies no larger than a fingernail.
To the eye, they looked no different from the ordinary hard candies scattered across his stall, yet Leon’s peculiar sensitivity caught something subtly amiss.
“How much?”
“Two pieces for one gold coin, sir.”
“Two pieces for one gold coin? That’s certainly steep for candy.”
“Steep for candy, perhaps, but this one’s worth the price, sir.”
More than mere candy, you understand.
The vendor lowered his voice conspiratorially.
As though to emphasize just how extraordinary this confection truly was.
Corbin’s eyes narrowed briefly before he bowed his head toward Leon in a gesture seeking permission.
“Shall I buy a handful?”
Leon made no reply, simply drawing a pouch from his robes and handing it to Corbin.
The pouch was much the same size as the one containing the candies, and it was heavy with gold coins.
“Keep the change.”
Corbin grinned broadly as he exchanged the coin purse for the candy pouch.
The vendor’s grin stretched from ear to ear—he’d been paid far more than asked.
“Thank you! Do come again!”
Leon accepted the candy pouch, tucked it into his robes, and moved forward without so much as a backward glance.
As naturally as if the purchase were of no consequence whatsoever.
Corbin kept pace, his voice dropping low.
“Isn’t that bleeding us a bit dry?”
“It’s fine. Father ensured I was well-provisioned with funds.”
Leon replied while giving the inner pocket of his coat a light pat.
The truth was, Raftio’s assistance had made all the difference in Leon’s current appearance and resources.
Had his only intention been to investigate the Shadow Marketplace, he’d never have deployed such a substantial sum so readily.
Having obtained their primary objective, the two men pressed forward without delay toward the Auction House at the market’s heart.
But the moment Leon spotted another gatekeeper guarding that inner passage, he found he had no choice but to speak.
“……There’s another gatekeeper here.”
“Ah, that one’s actually manageable.”
Corbin crinkled his nose and waved toward the gatekeeper.
“Hey there! Long time!”
“Well, well—Jack? When did you get back to the Capital?”
The gatekeeper guarding the inner passage clearly knew Corbin, greeting him with genuine warmth.
At this point, one had to wonder if Corbin was acquainted with everyone in the backstreets.
“Not long ago. Wish I could stay and chat, but I’m not here to play today.”
So saying, Corbin rummaged through his robes and produced a small medal.
He pressed it together with a single gold coin and handed both to the gatekeeper.
“Just here to have a look at the Auction House.”
The moment the gatekeeper took the medal along with the gold coin, his complexion drained to ash.
The easiness with which he’d called Corbin ‘Jack’ and chuckled moments before evaporated entirely.
“Ah, oh my. My apologies. Please, do come in.”
The gatekeeper stepped aside to open the passage, his fingertips visibly trembling.
Only after passing through the entrance did Leon understand what Corbin had shown the gatekeeper.
“Do you also possess a Travel Pass from the Imperial Guard?”
“Oh, you noticed?”
The narrow corridor ahead and behind was empty of other people.
Perhaps for that reason, their manner of speech briefly reverted to its natural register.
“This thing’s useful to have. Especially in the backstreets.”
“It can’t be easy to come by.”
“Easy it’s not, but there are ways to acquire one.”
By the nature of Corbin’s usual work, he’d grown intimately familiar with how the backstreets operated.
Familiar enough to make good use of a Travel Pass that was clearly either forged or pilfered from somewhere.
“If you ever need one, just say so. I’ll show you how.”
With that, Corbin drew back the cloth hanging across the entrance ahead.
Beyond that threshold lay something darker still—the ‘inner chamber’ revealed itself.
The inner chamber was structured like a circular arena with tiered seating descending in steps.
The steep incline toward the center meant that from any seat, every eye inevitably converged on the stage at the lowest point.
And on that stage, an auction of mysterious objects of unknown origin was already underway.
“Three hundred thousand! We have three hundred thousand gold! Anyone higher?”
The auctioneer’s voice—sharp beneath an ornate feathered mask—cut through the cavernous space like a blade.
The tiered seats surrounding the stage were filled with masked figures whose identities lay hidden, exchanging astronomical sums with nothing but numbered paddles and gestures.
It was then that Corbin, who had been holding back the curtain at the entrance to let Leon through, gave a quiet nod toward one corner.
Following his gaze, Leon spotted a blonde woman in an ornate mask seated in the VIP section.
‘I’m fairly certain the Crown Princess had blonde hair like that.’
【The Crown Princess making a personal appearance at an underground auction house?】
‘It’s not impossible.’
Leon kept his eyes fixed on the masked woman as he found an unremarkable seat and settled into it.
Corbin took a seat beside him, his sharp gaze sweeping methodically across their surroundings.
His posture—reclined carelessly against the chair, his head tilted with an air of listlessness—appeared casual to the untrained eye, yet Leon recognized the sharp attention operating beneath that practiced negligence.
【This place is livelier than I expected.】
‘It’s an auction house, after all.’
Leon furrowed his brow and expanded his senses.
As he began directing his attention toward the disturbingly luminous center of the stage, his thinly-spread awareness suddenly erupted into a silent scream.
Piercing through the heavy perfumes and fishy odors that saturated the air came a foul stench—one that only Leon could discern, and it assaulted him with undeniable force.
……
It was the same substance that had paralyzed the tip of his tongue in the Imperial Banquet Hall, yet incomparably more intense, more nauseating.
Struck by that reek—as if confronted with undiluted essence itself—Leon’s gaze plummeted toward the center of the stage.
What the auctioneer held was neither an ornate jewel case nor a rare magical artifact.
It was a small vial, cradled within a silver box that exhaled a glacial cold.
“……Wait.”
In that instant, Corbin’s complexion shifted just as dramatically as Leon’s had.
And in a voice stripped of its usual glib ease—now sharp and frozen—he murmured:
“Why is that showing up here?”
To be continued ▶
Holy Knight Contracting with an Evil God
Author
Ramdaht
Publishers
Kim Seok-hwan, Choi Se-ra
Published by
Grae Publishing
Contact Email
[email protected]
Publication Date
March 27, 2026
UCI
G720:N+A327-20260227066
※ This e-book is protected under copyright law. Unauthorized reproduction and distribution are prohibited. Violation of this restriction may result in civil or criminal liability.
※ Pentagram awaits precious manuscripts from writers everywhere.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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