Strictly speaking, Sellen had not actually done anything wrong.
At least, not in her own understanding.
She was merely trying to make copies of herself. After all, creating a "Star Seed" was an unavoidable step on the path to exploring the Primeval Current of True Magic.
Before Queen Rennala came to power, the traditional method had been prevalent within the Originist School-selecting several willing (unwilling) sorcerers and using their lives to create a True Magic Master Ball.
Originally, Sellen had not minded doing it that way.
For sorcerers who truly pursued the truth, life itself was merely a consumable on the road of exploration.
If the lives of a few colleagues could buy a glimpse of the Primeval Current, she considered it a worthwhile trade.
But Melina had changed her mind.
Melina respected life and cherished the significance of every existence.
She would cry over injured little animals, pay a price to keep a promise, and wear that disapproving expression when she saw the specimens in Sellen's laboratory.
Sellen did not want Melina to dislike her.
To keep the adorable Melina from distancing herself, Sellen could only find another way.
As it happened, the Melina Dolls she made were exposed around that time. She had originally made them in private for fun, but somehow other students had seen them, and word had spread throughout the Academy.
It should have been a case of social suicide.
But no one had expected those exquisite dolls to sell so well.
Students scrambled to place orders, nobles were willing to pay high prices to collect them, and even merchants from other territories came after hearing the news. Watching the number of Runes in her account skyrocket, Sellen suddenly understood.
She needed to make money.
She needed to conduct research.
And money could solve many