Chapter 10: Revived Falcata

Ragnar was staring out his window in deep thought. The sun slowly set down into the horizon. He had spent hours going over all the information in his head, and in front of him, laid out the blueprint for the sword design that he wanted.

He chose a sword mainly for two reasons. Firstly, it displayed military strength and power to hold a well-crafted sword. To top that, the steel on his Damascus sword would cut through regular iron swords giving him a huge advantage. Shining under the suns rays and raised the morale of his soldiers as he led them into battle.

The second was whether he would go for the Ulfberht or the Zweihander. Both were good options, but they had their pro's and cons. The Ulfberth was the shorter version of the two and did not have very good thrust capabilities. But, it required less steel, making it much easier to produce in this day and age. Allowing it to be lighter and much faster to maneuver.

The Zwei, on the other hand, was a massive weapon making it more likely to be wielded two-handed. Ragnar did not know whether his current strength would be able to heft up a 4kg sword single-handed for an entire battle and wield it quickly. He would have to risk it and build the sword first. He would be stuck using both hands if it were too heavy, which he wanted to refrain from doing.

There was also another con of it being nearly unfeasible at the current stage. He'd deplete his father's silver stores if he went ahead with this commission, and on top of that, there would likely not be enough iron in this smithy to produce such a sword. The pros, however, were that it had good thrust and slash capabilities.

At this moment, a light bulb went off in Ragnar's head. What if he modified the current day Ulfberhts to have a sharp pointed edge and a curved blade to allow for easy withdrawal from the scabbard?

There was a type of blade he had in mind. An Iberian Falcata, modified with high carbon steel, and a superior guard. He'd be the first to produce these weapons and start selling them to their Barony for a great profit. But he'd have to create the first one and show its viability to his father for approval first.

Ragnar quickly spent the next 30 minutes going over the design before he rolled up the blueprint and set out to the Blacksmith with the idea set in mind.

It was nearing time for places to close up, but he knew the old man Bjorn would be toiling away on last-minute repairs before closing up shop.

Ragnar walked through the old smithy, and weapons lay on the ground waiting for repair. In the far corner, behind the desk, sat Bjorn, looking at a weapon that he was currently repairing.

Ragnar coughed for his attention.

"I've brought the design just like we agreed." Ragnar stated before walking up to the desk with a large smile on his face.

"I've named it the Zention, and it is what the great Hannibal outfitted his army with but made up of high-quality carbon steel."

Bjorn's eyes widened at the design spread out in front of him. He leaned closer to Ragnar before whispering so that no one would hear this madness.

"You want me to make you a pure steel sword? Are you out of your mind?! I will have to beat the crap out of the sword for a month before I'd condition the iron into steel. Even then, it would not be pure. What you have designed is not possible. This design to replicate as well will be mighty challenging. Where did you get such a design, and who is this Hannibal that you speak off?

Bjorn kept rattling off questions before Ragnar raised his hand to silence him.

"Enough, you think I don't know all of the issues with the current sword? The current technique used is too slow for the steelmaking process."

"We will mix in quenching and heat tempering to make high-quality steel. Reducing the time it takes by weeks.

It should still be possible in this current age to create steel. Without the need for a Bessemer converter or an open hearth system."

Ragnar wished that he knew how to create amazing designs like the Bessemer converter or the OHS. If he'd known he would have reincarnated, these were the first things he would learn to make him rich.

Ragnar sighed at the thought. What a great life it would have been if he could have brought these inventions into the current day. Shame that all he'd be able to do was smash these Danes with brute force for the time being.

For now, there would be other ways to manage. Ideas that wouldn't be so complicated.

He quickly explained the process of quenching to make the iron into hard and brittle steel. Then through the method of heat tempering, making that hard steel into a flexible version. Allowing it to bend over the ever-popular Danish three-tier shield wall and into the men's helmets at the top row.

Bjorn looked at Ragnar with a mix of confusion and awe. He gulped as he glanced down at the design before him.

"If this Zention you speak of can be made... We will be rich beyond belief selling these weapons, Ragnar!" Bjorn guffawed as he hobbled around the smithy in excitement.

Ragnar raised his hand for a second time.

"The design before you is property of Marshal Harald. You will not sell this design to anyone without my express permission. The sword is an advantage that I want no one else to have but my family, Bjorn."

He leaned in close before slamming his palm on the desk.

"Remember your promise of a free commission. I'll need a suitable scabbard for the design as well. If you deliver on it, I might consider selling this design. I will be back in a week to see the progress.

With that, Ragnar walked out into the night and headed back home. A smile broke out on his face as he thought of riding into battle with the glorious Falcata, like the legendary Hannibal.

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