They were currently in Ramco, a suburb of Marvar, where the noble family kept a villa and a private vineyard.

After a cursory tour of the property, the goblin Adventurer was left to its own devices - or seemed to be. The noble son wanted it monitored, not so much for security as for his private amusement. And a single servant who happened to possess a stealth skill was assigned the task of watching the goblin from afar.

As they (the goblin and Yutaka) stood in the fields, the god took the opportunity to use his enemy mapping skill. - Hundreds of red dots immediately appeared in the mental minimap of the god, and he saw that the number of spiders was larger than the Guild had anticipated in its request, that it would take a long time to hunt them down one by one.

Thinking for a moment, the god remembered a research project he had done many years ago when he was still young and eager to make improvements in society.

"Ah, that could be a way..." (said Yutaka to himself)

First they would need to gather the materials. He sent a vision to the goblin...

Night came.

At night the noble son was usually found drinking in the library. Normally he would also be alone, but today he was surrounded by a few of his domestic servants, who were standing on alert for spiders.

The young servant had returned late from his mission. Now, he nodded to some of the makeshift guards. They eagerly nodded back. They wanted to know more about the strange adventurer. But keeping their silence, they gestured toward the interior of library, where a clinking sound just at that moment indicated the presence of a burgeoning alcoholic...

"No apologies necessary! what news? what news my good man?" (the Young Master, affecting familiarity with someone his own age)
"It was strange... But I had never left him out of my sight and can affirm the veracity of what follows. After its departure from the mansion, the goblin returned to the main road. There, failing repeatedly to hail a ride, it walked along the road to the city. In the city it headed to a market in the district of Josa, where the sole Alchemy Guild in Marvar is based, and purchased several bags of spices and herbs at grossly inflated prices. Afterwards it entered an unregulated shop of the seedy variety, where it purchased magic stones of suspect value. Finally it returned to the Adventurer Guild from which it had been contracted by your Lordship, and above which premises it seems to be residing. I abandoned my post outside the building less than an hour ago and have taken a ride back." (Young Servant)
"And it went from here straight to the main road? it did not survey the vineyards even once?"
"It only paused once, but not to survey the premises, or even to consider the task. Though far be it from me to estimate what floats between a goblin's ears, I would almost say that it seemed to be waiting. Though waiting for what, who can say? Yet it seemed suspiciously free from cares, almost absent-minded if one can say that of a monster." (Young Servant)
"It is strange...it is strange indeed."

The noble son took a thoughtful draught of liquor and continued:
"Perhaps the Adventurer will return at night, and surprise us all in the morning with its impressive work. These Adventurers enjoy surprising others sometimes past mutual pleasure, and to a degree that is irritating and troublesome. They loathe proceeding straightforwardly, and to them a task is never completed satisfactorily until it provokes a reaction from others..." (thoughtful sip) "Still, no matter, no matter. Go ahead and rest, but tell the people at the door to double the number of patrols tonight in the fields. And if they see the figure of a goblin, do not interrupt it, keep themselves hidden if possible, and report its actions in the morning." (the Young Master)

* * * * *

For many years the noble son had steadfastly refused to be awoken by the visage of the old butler, however stylish, dandy, or impeccably groomed the old man made himself. The function passed down to a young girl instead who had proven useless in all the other duties of a servant, a young beastkin maid with downy fur.

She found the master bedded amid a scattering of papers and limpid bottles. Being most careful not to disturb his work, studies undoubtedly of great advancedness, beyond her unschooled mind, she settled herself beside the master and waited for him to rouse from sleep. The melange of ink, alcohol, and cinder filled the library with an acrid but not unpleasant perfume.

A slow deep intake of breath indicated he had regained himself. He stroked her fur, rubbed her belly, and then rolled over with a yawn.

"Meliorative for the headache, sir." (Maid, sitting and presenting a cloudy ceramic cup)

After drinking the tonic as he normally did, he sat up suddenly. It was unusually early to find him already sitting. And with a barely restrained eagerness he asked if she knew the latest news

"- of what happened last night." (he specified) "Was the Adventurer seen?"
"No, not seen." (Maid)
"Oh..." (somewhat downcast) "Are you sure?"
"Yes! No goblin sir!" (Maid)
"...Why? Was it a joke?"

He held his temples. The violence of sitting up without sufficient mental preparation was making itself felt, and he became annoyed at having risen so early.

"Shall I get the bucket sir?" (Maid)
"No...no need...no need..."

In the afternoon, there was still no sign of the goblin. The young master tried not to care. However, he was disappointed nonetheless, for, like most natives of Marvar, he had been trained to expect a fantastic subverting of expectations.

By and by, news reached his Father, who had sent out the request in the first place. When the old man learned that a goblin had been dispatched, he became furious.

The spider infestation had gradually become a pressing issue to him. He was hosting important guests at his house in a few days. And workmen were scheduled to arrive to perform renovations shortly after. The ugly creatures were growing undeniably more numerous by the day, more large as well.

And now the Guild brushed off the request - a request made under the name of the family! oblivious to how important it was to him! using it to showcase their eccentricity!

The Father was insulted! Unlike the head butler, the old man did not stamp his feet, or waste his rage on empty gestures. Immediately striding outside, he called for two of the servants to prepare to set off, post-haste. Then, girding his mount, a large chicken-like creature - vaguely cute -, he was about to ride over himself to the Guild, when his son stopped him.

The young master did not particularly believe in the goblin, or care for the welfare of the Adventurer Guild. But he saw that his father's rashness would bring embarrassment to the family.

They did not know for sure the goblin was a prank. It was not outside the realm of possibility that goblins were especially adapted to hunting spiders. Being small in stature, they would not have to stoop as much, straining like field laborers. Or perhaps they were skilled in detecting arachnids, perhaps these comprised a large part of the goblin diet(?).

He made these points rapidly, and by and by he persuaded his father to wait at least until evening (it was then afternoon). And, if they wanted to have insurance, they could dispatch messengers to another Adventurer Guild to do the same request, so that they would not need to depend solely on the goblin.

His father, with a sigh, relented to his cherished first son, and the young master promptly returned to the library, surrounding himself as before with a retinue of domestic guards. There, he worked distractedly on his studies, skimming through the pillow book of an obscure philosopher for leisure. The silence he surrounded himself with was almost complete, broken only from time to time by gruff cries of disgust in the distance. . . .