"I am not fat!"
Hearing the word "fat" from the boss's mouth, Filo instantly frowned and rushed up to the counter.
"Um?"
The boss was startled, clearly not expecting such a strong reaction from her.
"Okay, Filo, the boss didn't mean it. He doesn't know the real situation," Jason hurriedly comforted her.
But the more the boss listened, the more confused he became. What's the real situation?
"Filo's situation is complicated. I can't explain it all right now. Just wait and see. Raphtalia, take Filo to the changing room," Jason said as he took a set of clothes from the storage shield and handed them to Raphtalia.
"Alright, Filo, come with me."
Raphtalia easily led Filo into the changing room. Fortunately, it was spacious enough. Otherwise, with Filo's large monster form, it would have been impossible to fit inside.
The old boss leaned against the counter, waiting quietly, guessing what trick Jason was up to.
Not long after, Raphtalia emerged from the changing room first. Then, Filo followed, her blond hair shining, her petite frame complemented by a pair of white wings on her back.
The boss froze, his eyes widening slowly.
"Shield Hero, are you messing with me?" The boss glanced at Filo, then at the empty changing room. There was no way to connect the current Filo with the large bird she was before.
"What a drastic change. I'm not that bored to play tricks on you. She's Filo, and this is her human form."
Jason said, gently stroking Filo's head.
"Human form? Filo birds aren't supposed to have the ability to transform into human-like creatures. Could she be the legendary Filo bird queen?" The boss suddenly recalled that Jason had mentioned fighting the Filo bird queen earlier. Could this really be her?
If that's the case, the boss thought, Jason's really something.
"It's not that exaggerated, but yes, Filo is indeed the next Filo bird queen, so she has the ability to transform."
Jason waved his hand, signaling the boss not to overthink it.
"Even so, it's still surprising. After all, she's a legendary creature." The boss looked at Filo and bowed his head apologetically. "Now I understand how rude it was to call such a cute little girl fat. Please accept my apology."
"Alright, but don't call people fat again," Filo nodded, accepting his apology.
"Good... let's get down to business. You understand Filo's special nature, so her weapon needs to be custom-made. Also, I need an item that will allow her to transform freely. Otherwise…"
Because Filo's body changes drastically between her forms, her clothes and equipment either need to be removed before transformation or they will break. This makes transforming a hassle, which is why Jason made the request.
"I understand. A special weapon is manageable. Since you still have extra materials, I should be able to make something suitable. But for free-transform equipment... I'm afraid you'll need to visit a magic shop and ask their manager."
The boss quickly came up with a solution.
"Alright then, you work on the weapon. I'll go check out the magic shop," Jason said, and without wasting time, left for the magic shop with Raphtalia and Filo.
"There is indeed clothing that can adjust itself to transformations. After transforming, when the human form is restored, it will reappear on the body. It's similar to the technology used by demihumans. The most famous example would be the vampire's cloak," the elderly manager of the magic shop explained, looking at Filo.
"Vampires? There are such creatures in this world?" Jason asked, realizing once again that this world was far more complex than he'd imagined.
"There's a name for them, but because our worlds are different, the definition of 'vampire' might vary. Anyway, let me introduce this winding machine. It can make special clothing materials," she said, pointing to a simple machine.
In short, this machine converts magic power into silk threads, which are then woven into clothes. Since the material is generated using your own magic, it can be controlled. With just a little magic, you can change the shape of your clothes as needed, making them unaffected by transformation.
"Now, Filo, take hold of the machine's handle and turn it slowly," the old woman instructed.
Filo grabbed the handle and began to turn it. From the empty machine, a silk thread emerged.
The old woman wound the end of the thread around a rotating wooden stick in front of the machine. As the stick turned, the thread was gradually pulled and gathered onto it.
"Master, I suddenly feel like my strength is being drained, and it feels uncomfortable," Filo said, frowning.
"That's because the machine is taking your magic power and turning it into silk thread. It's normal to feel a bit tired, but this small amount of thread won't be enough. You need to keep going, Filo," the old lady explained with a gentle smile.
"It's not fun, and it feels bad... Master, can I stop?" Filo asked, clearly running out of patience, as she was still a child.
"Be good... Just a little more work, and then you'll have new clothes to wear that will change whenever you want." Jason encouraged her.
Jason smiled slightly and called out.
"Oh, then Filo wants to be petted by the master, so she can keep going."
"Alright."
Jason placed his hand on Filo's head again and gently rubbed it, causing Filo to show an expression of pure enjoyment.
"Filo, really... don't bother Master Jason too much," Raphtalia sighed helplessly, standing by her side.
Just then, the crystal inlaid in the winding machine suddenly shattered into pieces, scattering all over the ground.
"Oops..."
The old lady's expression changed immediately.
"Is it broken? Can it be fixed?" Jason frowned.
"It can be repaired. You just need to buy a new one from the market, but it's a bit expensive."
"It doesn't matter, as long as it's available," Jason said. What concerned him more was whether the item could be found, as he didn't want to waste time getting it done himself.
"Actually, I can manage to repair it on my own, but... could I ask this as a favor instead? I need help from Lord Shield Hero." The old woman suddenly showed a troubled look.
"Whatever it is, if it's too much trouble, I'll refuse. After all, I'm not short on money."
"To be honest, Lute Village has encountered a big problem recently, and it's related to the spear Hero."