Chapter 47 (How many people can be told a secret, before it is no longer considered a secret)

Erasmus cultivates Anna Corrino’s trust through private conversations via her ear transceiver, recasting the history of the Jihad and the fall of the machines to evoke sympathy and challenge Butlerian dogma. Anna, isolated at the school, embraces Erasmus as her sole friend and presses for his name and truth.

After considering her plea, Erasmus decides to share a secret and instructs Anna to follow his directions. She locates Gilbertus Albans’s hidden wall panel and discovers the glowing Erasmus memory core. Gilbertus, returning from class and reeling from news of the brutal Baridge uprising, finds Anna in his office holding the gelsphere, and immediately fears exposure.

Erasmus openly acknowledges orchestrating the reveal, arguing that Anna—sister to the Emperor—can be an ally. Anna vows secrecy and demands transparency from both Erasmus and Gilbertus. Gilbertus, projecting dire scenarios, worries about Alys Carroll’s scrutiny, Butlerian zeal within the school, and Manford Torondo potentially using Anna as a hostage.

Erasmus cites mounting fanaticism—the Zimia rampage, Baridge atrocities, Thonaris battle—and urges abandoning Lampadas, echoing Draigo Roget’s earlier advice. Gilbertus hesitates, wanting to protect the school and resist extremism, yet he recognizes the growing peril.

Seeking leverage, Erasmus proposes “repairing” Anna’s mind so the Corrino family becomes indebted and shields them from Butlerians. Gilbertus warns the Corrinos may lack strength and that Butlerian volatility could outstrip any protection, leaving their fate uncertain.