Plot Armor
"Do a few good deeds, taste a bit of success, be told you're special. The lucky ones survive the humbling that comes for us all." -Lo, Accursed Wanderer
The PCs are the protagonists of the story, but they exist within a greater world that sees them as who they are through their own lens. NPCs will react accordingly whether the PCs flaunt their powers or keep them hidden, whether they are righteous or mercenary, whether they take an interest in local affairs or not. All is good. Stories work because of character flaws, tension, etc. The trick here is that actions, decisions, even attitudes have consequences.
The village elder is not obliged to reveal the community secrets to outsiders. The beautiful maiden may be in love with someone other than the PC who rescued her. There may be a NPC champion they come across that is more powerful, or more noble, or have their own destiny. It will still be the PC's story who navigate around the untrusting elder, who reunite the maiden with her beloved (perhaps heartbroken, or laying the seeds to a much longer romance arc if they're truly interested), or how they've helped someone else reach their important moment before moving onto the next place.
The word here is "trust", to trust that as a GM I'm offering opportunities and obstacles to the PCs for a reason. It is for them to learn, grow, and shine, and that happens more organically, more genuinely through a variety of situations and circumstances. The characters have "plot armor" in the sense that the narrative will follow them around. They will be challenged, questioned, will face stumbles along their journey. In other words, they're not invincible physically, mentally, or morally.