On one hand, I hate the MCs ruthless, manipulative duplicity. On the other hand, he wants to preserve the lives of his allies, cultivate them as much as he can, and probably hopefully has a plan that helps people more than not. Maybe.
Seriously, you have to read between the lines so hard if you want to believe that this OP MC has any moral character. He's too busy calculating in his head for you to see if he actually feels for his acquaintances as anything more than tools.