In this world, nations large and small stood side by side.
Nobles, princes, and even kings were far from rare.
And yet—
Britney's grandmother knew very well that the armor worn by the young man before her was anything but ordinary.
Even the rulers of minor kingdoms, or princes and lesser nobles, would find it difficult to possess something of such exquisite craftsmanship.
More importantly—
He wasn't wearing his helmet.
His face was fully visible.
A face that was already handsome and dignified to begin with now carried an almost unnatural charm under the enhancement of his traits.
It was the kind of presence that instinctively inspired trust and goodwill in others.
Behind her, Britney quickly spoke up, introducing him with a hint of excitement in her voice.
"Grandma, this is Mr. Adrian. He's the one who accompanied me here…"
"We encountered a monster on the way—it was hiding in the forest and tried to attack us. Thankfully, Mr. Adrian drove it away!"
Adrian gave a slight nod and offered a polite gesture of greeting.
"Greetings. My name is Adrian Vale."
The old woman immediately returned the gesture with respect, not daring to show any neglect.
Adrian… Vale…
She silently repeated the name in her mind.
A naming structure like that…
Was it from some distant great kingdom?
Or perhaps—
A prince, or the heir of a powerful noble house, traveling incognito and deliberately using a simplified naming style to conceal his identity?
Adrian had no idea that something as simple as his name had already triggered such elaborate speculation.
At this moment, his focus was entirely elsewhere.
He needed information.
About this world.
A world that clearly contained magic… and strange creatures.
This was undoubtedly a supernatural realm.
The only question was—
Low fantasy?
Or high fantasy?
Without hesitation, Adrian lifted the severed arm covered in coarse gray fur and held it out.
"May I ask if you recognize what kind of creature this arm belongs to?" he said calmly.
"This was the thing that tried to attack us in the forest."
The moment the old woman saw the limb—
Her expression changed.
Of course she knew.
That arm belonged to a werewolf.
A vicious creature that preyed upon humans.
It had been roaming near their village for some time now.
If not for the magical protection she had maintained over the village—
The entire settlement would likely have already been reduced to nothing more than a feeding ground.
Worse still—
This particular werewolf was not only strong, but cunning.
She herself had suffered greatly at its hands, sustaining injuries that had left her bedridden.
And yet—
Now—
This same dangerous creature had lost an arm… at the hands of this young man.
Her gaze toward Adrian subtly changed.
Becoming even more respectful.
From that point onward, she answered his questions without reservation.
Thanks to her knowledge and willingness to speak, Adrian finally began to piece together a clearer picture of this world.
It was a realm resembling medieval Europe.
A feudal society filled with witches, elves, dwarves, magical creatures, and wondrous artifacts.
Fortunately—
The level of magic here was not as exaggerated as in some fantasy novels.
Only a small number of truly powerful individuals could wield devastating spells—
Or invoke blessings and curses so absolute that they resembled the laws of causality themselves.
The Kingdom of Capet, where Adrian now found himself, was a prime example.
Once, it had been a prosperous and powerful nation.
But many years ago, it had offended a terrifyingly powerful witch.
As a result—
The kingdom's only princess had been cursed.
For sixteen years, the king had mobilized every possible resource.
Searching endlessly for a way to break the curse.
But all efforts had failed.
And on the day the princess came of age—
The curse was fulfilled.
She fell into an eternal sleep.
At the same time—
The royal palace itself was engulfed by countless cursed thorns, sealing it away completely.
For over a decade, no one had been able to approach it.
With the king gone and no ruler to maintain order—
The Kingdom of Capet had descended into chaos.
Internal conflict had spread across the land, and to this day, peace had yet to be restored.
Adrian listened carefully.
Then suddenly felt—
A strange sense of familiarity.
This story…
Why did it sound so familiar?
As if he had heard it somewhere before.
But he didn't dwell on it.
Instead, he quickly pushed the thought aside.
What mattered more—
Was the opportunity before him.
No wonder the system had placed him here.
A kingdom in chaos.
A perfect stage for rising to power.
…
After answering his questions, the old woman hesitated for a moment.
Then, as if making up her mind, she spoke again.
"Honored sir… may I ask for your help?"
Adrian's eyes lit up instantly.
Here it comes.
A quest trigger.
"How can I assist you?" he asked, his tone turning serious.
"Our village is being targeted by a werewolf—the very creature you encountered earlier," she said.
"I was injured while trying to prevent it from entering the village. Now it seeks to take advantage of my weakened state…"
She paused briefly.
Then, with utmost sincerity, bowed her head.
"Honorable, kind, and valiant Sir Adrian… I implore you to help us eliminate this evil werewolf."
Werewolves possessed tremendous physical strength.
Yet earlier—
Adrian had forced it to sever its own arm just to escape.
Such power…
Even among legendary knights, it would be considered extraordinary.
If he agreed to help—
The werewolf's end would be inevitable.
Behind her, Britney—who had lived her entire life under her grandmother's protection—had only just learned of the danger facing her home.
She clasped her hands tightly in front of her chest.
Her expression filled with earnest pleading.
Her eyes, like those of a frightened deer, shimmered with moisture as she looked at Adrian.
"Mr. Adrian… could you please help us?"
At that very moment—
A notification appeared before Adrian.
[Notification: Defeating the storyline antagonist "Werewolf" will grant generous rewards and significantly advance your progress with the key character "Little Red Riding Hood—Britney."]
[Notification: Defeating ****** "Werewolf" will grant rewards and greatly increase ****** progress.]
Adrian's eyes gleamed.
As expected.
A triggered storyline quest.
Completing it would greatly accelerate his "recruitment" progress with this key character.
Looking at Britney's pleading expression—
He didn't hesitate.
"I understand," Adrian said with a firm nod.
"I will help you eliminate this werewolf."
The old woman finally let out a long breath of relief.
She immediately expressed her heartfelt gratitude.
And Britney—
Looked at him with pure admiration and gratitude.
At the same time—
Something changed.
Above Britney's head—
The name that had previously been followed by a "?" now displayed a number.
[Britney (63%)]
Adrian raised an eyebrow slightly.
"So it shows now…"
"You haven't even pledged loyalty yet."
"And your favorability is already visible?"