Reincarnated Lord: I can upgrade everything! - Chapter 14: Baron Snow

“Hmph, my dumb big sister is in danger!” A mischievous grin spread across his face. “Hehehehe... this gives me the perfect excuse to finally use this treasure I’ve acquired but never bothered with!” He rummaged through his belongings, carefully selecting various items. “A bit of this... and this... and a dash of this.” Boom! The explosion of energy sent a ripple through the air as he laughed maniacally. “Hahaha! It’s done! Now, all I need is a compatible host for it.” Years later... “Did I overdo it?” he wondered in awe, watching as his creation wreaked havoc, conquering world after world with ease, as though stealing candies from children.

A Count’s Daughter who lost in the running to become the Second Prince’s fianceé, Camilla. The Prince chose a Baron’s daughter as his fianceé, and the world blessed the two’s love as fated. On the other hand, Camilla who was tailored and elevated as the love’s villain in the end, as punishment she was made to marry a terribly fat and ugly man――called『Toad of the Swamp』from his appearance, a lord of a remote region named Alois.

For the large sum of money to help her husband, she chose to be a surrogate mother covertly. Her sweetheart was out of trouble, but she became the woman of loose morals in his eyes. Misunderstanding, disappointment and sadness forced her to divorce the man she loved from the childhood.

When she was determined to start new life, another man burst into her life. “You are my baby’s mommy and you are my wife!” A big surprise hit her that her baby’s Daddy, the man she surrogated for, fell in love with her at his first sight.

His deep love convinced her to believe the affection of love again. Unexpectedly, her ex-husband returned to beg her recombination. One was her childhood sweetheart, and the other was the man who loved her and gave her hope for a new life……Facing the two men, what is her choice?
 

- Description from Novelupdates

For as long as he could remember, life had always been cruel.A young man in his early twenties—his name now lost to the past—was dealt a life filled with misfortunes.A cold, empty apartment, a soul-crushing job, and, finally, a terminal diagnosis.With nothing left to live for, his only comfort had been escaping into the fictional world of Path of the Elemental Sage, a story of heroes, magic, and survival.But fate had other plans.When death finally came for him, he didn’t fade into nothingness.Instead, he awoke in the world he had only read about—a world of chaos and danger where death lurked around every corner.The air smelled of magic, the sky was filled with possibilities.{«[Status Window]»}[Name: Lyrium Blackwood][Age: 16][Rank: D-][Skills: None][Elements: None}At first, confusion filled his mind.Who was Lyrium Blackwood?Why was he here?And why did this body feel so different?But as his memories returned, so did the realization: this wasn’t some blessing or second chance.He wasn’t reincarnated as the protagonist.No destined savior.No cheat abilities.No grand fate.He was just another mob, a face in the crowd meant to exist and die without leaving a mark.But this young man—the one who had left his old name and life behind—wasn’t the kind of person to roll over and accept his fate.“This world is dangerous. The protagonist isn’t the only one fighting for survival here,”he muttered, his red eyes deep and sharp.Unlike the naïve characters in the story, he knew the stakes.He’d read the web novel.He’d seen the carnage, the betrayals, the disasters that wiped out entire cities.And if there was one thing he refused to be, it was a pawn in someone else’s game.“I don’t care about glory. I don’t care about saving the world. All I care about is surviving—no matter what it takes.”Lyrium Blackwood wasn’t planning to live quietly or avoid danger.The only way to survive in this brutal world was to rise to the top.To be strong enough to stand above both heroes and villains.Using his knowledge of the story’s events and his iron will, Lyrium sets out on a relentless path to surpass the protagonist.Whether through clever manipulation, brutal training, or sheer desperation, he’ll climb higher and higher, leaving nothing to chance.But the deeper he gets, the more he realizes that this isn’t just the story he once read.As fate pushes him closer to the heart of the narrative, Lyrium begins to suspect that his reincarnation wasn’t an accident—and the world itself might be watching him.“I don’t care who or what stands in my way. If the story wants to kill me, I’ll rewrite the ending myself.”----------------------------------I apologize for any mistakes in this story, as it’s my first attempt at writing a novel.