AEKMEM chapter 9

The Imperial First Military Academy is the top university in the Star Radiance Empire. Most of its students are exceptionally talented, though a very small number entered through connections.

The students are all seasoned veterans.

So when they discovered that Crown Prince Chu Heng’s personal aircraft had appeared at the school, they were only slightly surprised.

“Huh? What brings His Highness the Crown Prince here?”

“Could it be for the upcoming freshman finals?”

The freshman final exams at the Imperial First Military Academy are no ordinary exams. This practical assessment tests the new recruits and gives various military regiments the opportunity to select reserve candidates.

Outstanding students deemed promising by the regiments will be recruited and trained in advance, and will have the opportunity to intern within the regiments.

Students can also recommend themselves to their preferred regiments.

It’s a two-way selection process.

At the end of each new student semester, representatives from each military regiment personally observe the assessments. However, regiment marshals rarely participate in the recruitment process.

The aircraft stopped, the door opened, and Colonel Zheng Jingyang, captain of the Crown Prince’s personal guard, was the first to disembark.

He got out of the vehicle, walked around to the other side of the door, and opened it. Military academy students passing by slowed their pace and glanced discreetly at the aircraft door.

Although they were all worldly, this was the Crown Prince!

He was the Marshal of the Empire’s Second Army Group and the Sun Legion—the Empire’s strongest beastmen—a hero who had just led his army to defeat the invading Zerg and even wounded the Zerg queen single-handedly!

If you were to ask whom the younger generation admires most, the answer would undoubtedly be Chu Heng.

Chu Heng is also a graduate of the Empire’s First Military Academy, which makes him their senior.

The door slowly opened, revealing a handsome young man in a snow-white robe with long silver hair.

His skin was colder and whiter than the purest snow, and his features were so exquisite that they eclipsed even the most flamboyant red rose.

The crowd gasped, momentarily stunned as if beholding a fairy from a dream.

The young man nodded slightly to the captain of his personal guard. His expression was indifferent and he seemed oblivious to their gazes. He gracefully disembarked from the aircraft.

Only after An Qiao had left did the crowd snap back to reality.

“Was that… An Qiao?”

“It was definitely An Qiao.”

“My God! How did I never notice how beautiful An Qiao was before?”

“The most shocking thing is that An Qiao came to school in the Crown Prince’s private aircraft.”

“It seems so… Besides the private aircraft, he also sent the captain of the personal guard to accompany him. Does the Crown Prince really approve of An Qiao as his Crown Princess? Or is he just finding the matchmaking process troublesome, as we guessed?”

“Maybe. After all, An Qiao is truly…” “Wow, such stunning beauty! I was almost mesmerized. It’s possible that the Crown Prince would be captivated.”

Someone said sourly, “He just has a pretty face and knows how to feign seduction. It’s laughable that he dresses up like an elf but hasn’t awakened even the slightest bit of an elf’s healing ability. He’s a disgrace to elves!”

“I don’t think the Crown Prince values An Qiao. It’s just that An Qiao still holds the title of Crown Princess, and the Crown Prince can’t let anyone look down on him or cause him to lose face.” “If the crown prince truly favored An Qiao, he would have escorted An Qiao here himself during the honeymoon instead of having the captain of his personal guard do it.”

“What you’re saying makes sense. If the Crown Prince really liked An Qiao, they would be inseparable as newlyweds. But An Qiao came to school right after the wedding, and the Crown Prince didn’t escort him personally.”

“So, did An Qiao come back to school because he was unhappy with the Crown Prince’s cold treatment at the Marshal’s residence, and wanted to avoid him by coming to school?”

“Holy crap! Thinking about it carefully, that might actually be true! If the Marshal’s residence wasn’t so unbearable, why would someone with no healing or martial arts skills choose to go back to school and face ridicule rather than stay there?”

“I knew the Crown Prince could never like a useless parasite like him. The Crown Prince only shows him superficial respect because he still holds the title of Crown Princess.”

**

Following the directions from the AI on his personal terminal, An Qiao arrived at the tall building where his classroom was located.

It was an antique building similar to the human palaces An Qiao had seen in the elven world. It looked magnificent and elegant, leaving most people in awe.

But An Qiao only glanced at it before looking away.

In the eyes of elves, who were skilled in construction and had discerning tastes, this building was merely average.

However, some of the technological architecture in this world was novel and interesting. Drawing it and showing it to the elves in his tribe would likely pique their interest.

Glancing at his personal terminal, he saw that the classroom was on the fifth floor.

For the sake of being “classical,” this five-story building had no elevator. Because interstellar humans had good physiques, even elves, known for their weaker bodies, found climbing five flights effortless without flushing or panting.

However, An Qiao couldn’t help but frown.

His body hadn’t recovered yet. He’d already walked quite a distance after getting off the aircraft, and his legs were about to give out. His head still throbbed. Now he was being told he had to climb another five flights of stairs?

An Qiao sighed deeply and slowly dragged his ailing body up the stairs.

He slowly made his way to the third floor.

“Baby, can you help me?” A graceful, kind-looking elderly woman with a full head of white hair approached from the side corridor.

She wore an elegant dress and had her makeup done. She smiled gently at him with clear, kind eyes that held an irresistible charm.

An Qiao helped the elegant, white-haired old woman up to the fifth floor, feeling slightly out of breath.

He watched the radiant old lady, who showed no signs of fatigue, enter the classroom he was supposed to go to. He couldn’t help but feel bewildered.

Compared to her, why did he look like the one who needed help?

“Wait…you actually came?” Song Leran, who was keeping watch in the hallway outside the classroom, was speechless when she saw him.

An Qiao was breathing heavily, his face almost translucent from exhaustion.

He slowed his breathing slightly and glanced at Song Leran: “Didn’t I say I was coming yesterday?”

“…Didn’t I think you just acted on impulse?”

“By the way, why did you come with Professor Yan?”

“Professor Yan?”

“Ah, I forgot you lost your memory.”

Song Leran quietly explained to An Qiao.

Professor Yan was a legend at the Empire’s First Military Academy.

The school was full of geniuses who were often unruly and difficult to manage. Yet, no student dared fail to complete Professor Yan’s assignments.

Professor Yan taught academic subjects, specifically advanced mathematics, the most crucial one. Despite his advanced age, he persisted in teaching. He was a highly respected figure who was surprisingly approachable and kind.

An Qiao walked into the classroom. The moment everyone in the class saw him, they were stunned.

They probably didn’t expect him to come to class.

Everyone in the class was an elves.

Elves were rare in the Empire, but the Empire’s premier military academy had a fair number of them. Of course, compared to the beastmen at the school, there were far fewer elves.

Due to their rarity, even the lowest-ranking elves were highly valued.

However, this is contingent on possessing the unique healing abilities characteristic of elves.

Elves like An Qiao, who failed their awakening and thus possess no healing abilities, are extremely rare in the Empire. Such failed awakenings, considered “useless,” inevitably lead to discrimination, whether the individual is an elf or a beastman.

An Qiao was once the most prominent elf. He had pure blood and the potential to awaken an S-rank healing ability. He was a prodigy, envied and resented by other elves.

Suddenly, his awakening failed, and many waited to mock and ridicule him.

However, at his lowest point, An Qiao was unexpectedly matched with Crown Prince Chu Heng by the Brain System.

The elves in the class looked at An Qiao with mixed emotions.

An Qiao ignored their gazes and casually sat down next to Song Leran.

The class bell rang, and Professor Yan, an elderly woman, began her lesson.

An Qiao looked at the electronic textbook on the computer and listened to Professor Yan’s lecture, but… he couldn’t understand a single thing!

He was completely bewildered and his eyes were blank.

The Elf King, a genius who had always crushed others and left them in awe with his perfect scores in literature, mathematics, art, and other subjects, felt like a complete failure for the first time.

Why is the math he’s learning now so different from what he’s seen and heard before?

No, it’s not just different; it’s an entirely different discipline.

An Qiao: “… ”

**

After two advanced math classes, An Qiao had no other classes for the day.

He had originally planned to tour the Empire’s First Military Academy after class.

The school is said to have a sizable botanical garden filled with incredibly ferocious plants. Any weaker student who goes in without an energy shield is practically committing suicide.

There is also a Star Beast Exhibition Area and a holographic combat simulation room.

An Qiao had planned to visit the Star Beast Exhibition Area first to see what the Star Beasts of this world were actually like.

However, after the two advanced math classes, when he looked at the pile of homework problems and heard the seemingly kind and gentle old lady say, “My darlings, I’ll check your homework next class. Don’t forget to do it,” before class ended, An Qiao felt dizzy and disoriented. For a moment, he developed a negative impression of the school and didn’t want to visit anything else.

Some classmates who had been waiting to make sarcastic remarks about him after class watched helplessly as he left the classroom as soon as the bell rang.

Wearing a snow-white robe, he appeared aloof and cold, exuding an indifference and detachment that told mortals to stay away.

“What’s with the attitude?” someone muttered under their breath. “Does he think he’s still the arrogant prince he used to be?”

“Tsk. With the Crown Prince backing him up, how could he not be noble and distant? It’s all over the school forums. He arrived in the Crown Prince’s private aircraft, and the Crown Prince even had his personal guard captain escort him.”

“But I heard the Crown Prince only did that because he still holds the title of Crown Princess and he didn’t want people to look down on him and embarrass him. If he really liked him, they’d be lovey-dovey after their honeymoon. He definitely wouldn’t want him to come to school before the honeymoon is over. He’d personally escort him.”

“Ha, that’s true. If he really liked him, he wouldn’t want to be apart. Judging from An Qiao’s behavior, could it be that he’s at the Marshal’s residence…” “He only came to school because he couldn’t stand it anymore, right?”

“Shh! Keep your voice down. After all, An Qiao is still the Crown Princess, so the Crown Prince won’t allow anyone to look down on him.”

“I really don’t know what the Crown Prince sees in him to give him so much face and not dissolve the match yet!”

“I guess it’s his face. He’s really handsome. Dressed like an elf, he really looks like a legendary elf.”

“Pfft, him? Like an elf? Elves can heal and fight. He’s just a useless vine flower. What right does he have to pretend to be an elf?”

…

On the way back to the Marshal’s Residence with An Qiao, Zheng Jingyang secretly sent a message to his superior, Chu Heng.

[Young Master An Qiao seems a bit depressed. I wonder if he suffered some injustice at school.]

Chu Heng, who was in his study during a video conference, saw the message. His previously nonchalant expression changed, and he narrowed his eyes dangerously.

After quickly finishing the meeting, he left the study and went to the living room. Young Master An Qiao had just returned and was sitting on the sofa, hugging a cushion and staring blankly at an open book on the coffee table.

He seemed to be in a really bad mood.

Chu Heng walked over.

“Feeling down?” he asked casually.

As he spoke, his eyes caught sight of the words on the open book.

In that instant, like lightning, his mind flashed through the handwriting he had once seen in An Qiao’s past records… and the An Qiao he had interacted with these past days compared to the An Qiao recorded in the files.

They were completely different, not the slightest bit similar.

His personality was completely different, too.

If amnesia could change someone’s personality, wouldn’t it also change their handwriting? Handwriting is a mechanical habit that relies purely on muscle memory. Even if it did change, it would only get worse in such a short time.

They were like two completely different people.

A flicker of doubt crossed his mind, and he couldn’t help but blurt out:

“Did you write this in the book?”

Schedule Change: Chapters will be uploaded on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday ✨

You can read the full completed story here with instant full access.