章 9: The Name's Samael [Past]
He despised them all. It did not matter which caste they belonged to; Tengu, angels, whatever. All they did was kiss his ass all day. Yes, this, yes, that. Alric didn't have to lift a single finger in the conglomerate. There was always someone quicker. Someone who had poured countless hours into doing his work instead. All he needed to do was flip through the reports. Sign this, stamp that.
At first, he believed he should work just as diligently as the people beneath him. However, every effort was somehow met with a certain degree of resistance. And so, Alric eventually gave up, leaving it to the hands of those so overeager to prove themselves.
When Samael first came through the door, Alric could see he was no different.
"Hello, Sir. My name is Samael." The timid-looking angel held out his hand, expecting a handshake. He squeezed his wings so tightly together, making them look half their original size.
"Hi. Welcome to Gabriel Corporation." Alric scrutinized him for a long time before returning the handshake. He dismissed the black-feathered Tengu security guards accompanying Samael. Then beckoned him to follow.
Alric led the angel to a heavily ornamented door with a pad for handprints. After placing his hand within the outline, a loud affirmative beeping noise signaled the door was unlocked. He pushed it open to reveal a short corridor. It was heavily adorned with copper art and dark, polished wood panels, unlike the rest of the building. The floor was made of grey marble.
At the end of the corridor was an elevator door. Alric pushed the button and waited until the doors opened without saying a word. Once inside, he said, "since you'll be my assistant, your office will be on the same floor as mine." He pointed to the second-highest number and pressed it. Before Samael could even nod in response, the elevator whizzed the two at an incredible speed towards their destination.
Eventually, it came to a halt, giving way to a corridor with a spectacular view over the business district. The offices lay on the opposite side, separated by opaque glass walls.
"If you need anything, you can always walk over to my office, no need to use the phone or intercom," Alric explained as he led Samael to his computer. It was already running, with a plethora of tables and programs already waiting to be used. On his desk stood a pile of unorganized documents.
"Your first task will be to sort through the documents on your screen. And once you're done, you have to create digital copies of the files here." He patted the stack.
"Right, Sir." Samael immediately sat down to study the display, pushing windows and chat boxes back and forth with his fingers. Alric was impressed by the litheness, but then again, this angel was hired particularly because of his skill set. He continued to monitor his assistant for a long while before deciding that he was no longer needed.
Just as he was about to leave, Samael spoke. "Sir?"
Robbed of his chance at an early lunch break, Alric pouted. "What?"
"Do you mind explaining this interface here?" He brought a program to focus and moved aside for his boss.
"Oh, that. True, it's an exclusive in-house program." Alric took over and began typing. His facial expression changed. His new hire caught him smiling a bit. "It's a special tool I helped develop to ease our documentation process at Gabriel Corporation." When he saw Samael's surprised face, he quickly added, "no, I did not code it. I merely worked with our IT department to bring this gem to life. It looks daunting at the start, but you'll realize it's really quite convenient."
He began showing the ropes, losing himself in explanations, much to the fascination of Samael. The angel had heard rather negative reviews from former employees. From insults to harmless terms such as "snotty brat", many seemed to have been unhappy whenever dealing with him directly. Therefore, it was all the more surprising to see Alric's face light up with enjoyment. Perhaps Gabriel's son was just misunderstood? After all, he was pretty young, the youngest executive manager in The Heaven.
Alric noticed the enthusiasm in Samael's eyes. He wondered how long it would take before they'd fade away, just like any other person. Nevertheless, he decided to give him a chance. There was a pleasant air around this angel, so he hoped his assistant would not become like others before him.
"And this concludes my live tutorial," Alric eventually said, handing back the display to Samael. "So while I will be doing frontline work, I want you to be documenting everything over this program."
"Yes, Sir."
"There's no need to address me as 'Sir'. Just call me Alric."
"Yes, Alric, Sir."
Alric rolled his eyes but chuckled a little. Samael seemed quite the over-polite type. He patted him on the shoulder before exiting the door. Samael immediately got to work, fumbling his way through the application until he got the hang of it.
Even after the sun had long set, Samael was still busy hammering data into the software. The business district lights slowly grew dim until the small desk light and the screen were the only light sources in his office.
"I figured you'd still be here."
Irritated, Samael looked up to see Alric standing by the door in the darkness. He raised his hand to rustle something that Samael had difficulty discerning. However, the smell of warm dumplings suddenly permeated the air, making his stomach growl loudly. Alric laughed.
"I recommend calling it a day. The work won't get any less, and I'm not keen on having an overworked assistant."
Samael hesitated for a moment.
"I mean it." Alric's voice grew threatening. Even his eyes lit up, which was quite scary in the darkness. There had been whispers of Alric's intimidating skills. Especially former classmates of the Judicial Academy remembered him as "The Blue Demon". Samael thought that if this was him still being 'nice', then he didn't want to get to know his 'angry' side.
"Al-alright, Sir." He quickly shut down his computer and switched off the desk light. At the same time, small floor lamps lit up, providing soothing ambient illumination.
I'll show you a great place to wind down." A secretive smile hushed across his face as he winked and waved for Samael to follow him. The angel hastily joined Alric to the elevator.
"The only ones who can access this place is my family," Alric explained as he flipped open a hatch next to the doors to reveal a pad for handprints. "And you, since you're my assistant." The pad glowed up, and the doors opened. The elevator whirred as soon as the doors closed, seemingly knowing their destination. It stopped at the very top of the building.
An intense night breeze greeted the two when the doors opened. But once Samael was able to open his eyes, he could not hide his astonishment. Here, on the very top of Gabriel Corporation, lay the most beautiful garden he had ever seen. Small lanterns, seemingly floating, lit up the gravel pathways. In the distance, he could hear water calmly pattering. The scent of roses, growing in every imaginable color, wafted into his nose. He could see a sea of stars sprinkled across the night sky when he looked up.
"Gorgeous, isn't it?"
"Yes... Sir." Samael could not stop being awestruck.
"My mother loved gardening. So my father decided to build a garden on the rooftop after her death. Said, to be closer to her." Alric led his assistant to the middle of the garden, where marble benches were arranged in a circular style. "And to be honest, I actually do feel as if her presence is still lingering around." He smiled and opened the cloth, pushing a meal box into his hands. "Whenever you feel drained, come up here. Your worries will be blown away."
Alric then opened his box and helped himself to fried dumplings and salad. No longer being able to resist the scent, Samael opened his pack as well and dined on his meal. Even though the meal was simple, it seemed as if he was eating the best meal of his life. He gobbled up his food so quickly that he choked on his food.
"There, there now," Alric snorted before hitting his assistant on the back. "I didn't know you were starving this much. Didn't you have breakfast?"
"No, Sir, Alric, Sir," Samael coughed. "I usually only have some tea."
Alric sighed and got up. He went to a fountain that looked like a hewn rock. Next to it were wooden cups.
"Here. The water from this fountain is drinking water."
Samael gulped down the cup's contents in one go. The water was cold but tasted fresh. For a moment, he thought he felt as if his body grew warm starting from the stomach, but he quickly dismissed it as his imagination.
"Anyway, I'll be heading home. You should do it too." Alric packed up his empty box. Samael wanted to hand his over as well, but he simply shook his head. "Keep yours. You can put your own food there in the future." He then waved goodbye and headed his way.
Samael enjoyed the scenery a bit longer before deciding to get some good night's rest. After returning to the foyer of the building, he bade the security guards on the night shift a good night and headed out.
"So, you're his new assistant?"
A male voice spoke from a dark corner, giving the young angel quite a fright.
"A-and you are...?" Samael tried to squint, but the figure chose to remain hidden in the darkness.
"Not important for now."
"Then I have no business with you." Samael decided he would not be playing games. He took another step. This time, the figure followed him, revealing he possessed archangel wings. They shone dimly in the night. Samael's eyes widened.
"I would like to offer a little guidance."
"What for?"
"Dealing with troublesome bosses."
Samael felt as if the archangel had winked at him. Despite his status, he felt something was off about him. But how could an archangel be suspicious? They were the oldest beings that existed.
"So far, he didn't seem quite as troublesome," he interjected.
"Maybe not now." The archangel rustled his feathers. "But if he does, don't hesitate to call me." He handed over a calling card. Samael hesitantly accepted.
"Thank you, Sir."
"I bid you good night!" And with that, the wings and their owner disappeared as if Samael had merely imagined things.
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