When he heard Aya say those words, Ainz felt as though he had glimpsed something, but it was too vague for him to grasp.
"Let me give you the simplest example: in the military, every officer's authority to manage their subordinates comes from the support of the state's officer system." Aya folded her arms and continued, "A general commands a lieutenant general, a colonel commands a major. Their authority comes from their positions, and those positions come from the 'officer system.'"
"The officer system grants them their authority—but what grants authority to the officer system?" Aya asked.
"The... national regime grants it." Ainz swallowed, feeling as though he had caught hold of something.
Aya parted her lips slightly. "Then where does the national regime's authority come from?"
"The national regime's authority comes from the recognition of all its citizens, whether willing or forced... including all the nation's soldiers and officers." As Ainz spoke, he felt a chill creep down his spine.
Ainz's voice trembled slightly. "This is... a loop?"
Aya smiled. "That's right. It's a loop. Are you beginning to understand the nature of power?"
Ainz covered his forehead with one hand. He had never considered such complicated matters before—as a subordinate, one listened to one's superior; as a junior, one listened to one's senior. As a Japanese man, he had naturally followed those rules without ever considering why.
"Laws and regulations, moral standards, folk customs, workplace rules, religious doctrines, administrative agencies, legislative bodies, law enforcement departments... none of these are the root of power." Aya spoke slowly. "The root of power is 'people.'"
Ainz spoke softly. "Concentration and... redistribution."
Aya nodded. "You could replace 'concentration' with 'deprivation' or 'exploitation.' That is how power structures are formed. And every kind of power structure possesses tremendous inertia. Unless there is an